Review of The Reel Sisters
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Becky McBride
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Review of The Reel Sisters
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Reel Sisters" by Michelle Cummings.]
Rating: 4 out of 5
“The Reel Sisters” is about five women who find spiritual and emotional meaning in each other and fly fishing. And it delivers.
Sophie, raised on a Kansas farm, saw “A River Runs Through it,” a movie about fly fishing, life and, well, Brad Pitt. She was intrigued. She met Rose, a veteran fly fisher, in a fly gear shop and hilariously exchanges slightly risque quips about the names of different flies used to catch trout. One day on the water and Sophie was hooked.
Sophie becomes something of a fly-fishing evangelist, reeling in both Veronica and Amanda. Veronica is a highly-paid executive coach who didn’t like bugs or wilderness or fishing. But she too got hooked. Amanda is a young wife of a soldier deployed to Afghanistan with two little kids, no money, but plenty of ingenuity.
The fifth and newest member of the tribe is Melody. Melody is a lost soul who made her appearance on the river naked and half drowned. The tribe rescues her, encourages her, and finally, fly fishing helped her find herself.
The story is presented by the women through their own chapters so you can see their various points of view. The book is a little swear-y, but in a casual, teasing way – never hurtful. I felt like I would have fit right in.
The dialogue is spot-on with the way intelligent, funny, independent, strong women talk to each other. I liked these women and would have loved to join them, maybe not in the river, but certainly in Rose’s cozy cabin with handmade quilts and one-match fires.
The author uses fly fishing as the vehicle to initially connect these very different women. They are married and not married and widowed. They are young and middle-aged and old. They bring their unique losses and fears to the cabin and the river. With the river and their reels and trout (or eels) these women become kindred spirits – a tribe.
While it is very clear that the author knows, respects and loves fly-fishing … it is not really a book about fishing.
It is a gentle story and the pace of the story-telling is also gentle.
I gave this book a 4 rating for a couple of reasons:
While the dialogue was funny and sweet and authentic, the narration by the women in their own chapters wasn’t. It felt a little pedestrian.
And even with a startling event near the end of the book, there is no real conflict, resolution and climax.
In the end, though, I didn’t care. There is joy and frustration, anger and laughter. There is also love and tears and tragedy. Grab a quilt, a comfy chair, a glass of wine and get this book.
******
The Reel Sisters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Rating: 4 out of 5
“The Reel Sisters” is about five women who find spiritual and emotional meaning in each other and fly fishing. And it delivers.
Sophie, raised on a Kansas farm, saw “A River Runs Through it,” a movie about fly fishing, life and, well, Brad Pitt. She was intrigued. She met Rose, a veteran fly fisher, in a fly gear shop and hilariously exchanges slightly risque quips about the names of different flies used to catch trout. One day on the water and Sophie was hooked.
Sophie becomes something of a fly-fishing evangelist, reeling in both Veronica and Amanda. Veronica is a highly-paid executive coach who didn’t like bugs or wilderness or fishing. But she too got hooked. Amanda is a young wife of a soldier deployed to Afghanistan with two little kids, no money, but plenty of ingenuity.
The fifth and newest member of the tribe is Melody. Melody is a lost soul who made her appearance on the river naked and half drowned. The tribe rescues her, encourages her, and finally, fly fishing helped her find herself.
The story is presented by the women through their own chapters so you can see their various points of view. The book is a little swear-y, but in a casual, teasing way – never hurtful. I felt like I would have fit right in.
The dialogue is spot-on with the way intelligent, funny, independent, strong women talk to each other. I liked these women and would have loved to join them, maybe not in the river, but certainly in Rose’s cozy cabin with handmade quilts and one-match fires.
The author uses fly fishing as the vehicle to initially connect these very different women. They are married and not married and widowed. They are young and middle-aged and old. They bring their unique losses and fears to the cabin and the river. With the river and their reels and trout (or eels) these women become kindred spirits – a tribe.
While it is very clear that the author knows, respects and loves fly-fishing … it is not really a book about fishing.
It is a gentle story and the pace of the story-telling is also gentle.
I gave this book a 4 rating for a couple of reasons:
While the dialogue was funny and sweet and authentic, the narration by the women in their own chapters wasn’t. It felt a little pedestrian.
And even with a startling event near the end of the book, there is no real conflict, resolution and climax.
In the end, though, I didn’t care. There is joy and frustration, anger and laughter. There is also love and tears and tragedy. Grab a quilt, a comfy chair, a glass of wine and get this book.
******
The Reel Sisters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Mona Lisa's Daughter by Belle Ami
