The meeting will be held on TUESDAY, August 10th at 6:00 pm via Zoom. The book for our August meeting is A River Runs Through It by Norman MacLean.
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When Norman Maclean sent the manuscript of A River Runs through It and Other Stories to New York publishers, he received a slew of rejections. One editor, so the story goes, replied, “it has trees in it.” Forty years later, the title novella is recognized as one of the great American tales of the twentieth century, and Maclean as one of the most beloved writers of our time. The finely distilled product of a long life of often surprising rapture—for fly-fishing, for the woods, for the interlocked beauty of life and art—A River Runs through It has established itself as a classic of the American West.
Although based on MacLean's relationship with his brother, this is considered fiction, longer than a short story but shorter than even a short book. An easy, meandering read covering a multitude of topics about which I would never imagine reading...and somehow they matter.
I love the excerpt from this review by Kenneth M.Pierce of the Village Voice: "Here are the many facets of MacLean (he is a kid from Montana, a student of history and theology, a celebrant of the lyric poem, and an apprentice to arts of all kind, a laconic and imperfect servant of brother love) come together. This is more than stunning fiction: It is a lyric record of a time and a life, shining with MacLean's special gift of calling the reader's attention to arts of all kinds - the arts that work in nature, in personality, in social intercourse, in fly fishing. ... Obviously I think this is an extraordinary story."
I have never fly-fished in my life and I fell under MacLean's narrative spell while reading this slender book. I am including a link to a pdf version if you can not get it from the library. Pierce County Public has the title in print and as an electronic audio title.
If you'd like to delve into a little background information:
1. Norman MacLean: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1990-08-03-9003050117-story.html
2. Norman MacLean: https://studsterkel.wfmt.com/programs/norman-maclean-discusses-his-book-river-runs-through-it
3. Norman MacLean: https://www.thewritersworkshopreview.net/article.cgi?article_id=14
4. Fly-fishing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAJVgN4IZOE (or just wander down to the fly-fishing shop in Gig Harbor!)
I'm going to let the story stand on its own merits but you also might want to watch the movie based on MacLean's work. I think it is a classic too!
Three important things to put on your to-do list:
1. Request a copy of the book for curbside pickup from the Gig Harbor library branch: https://piercecounty.libnet.info/v/assets/186. (They have a book kit so it won't be a check out.) And please remember to return any books from book kits that you may still have at home. Just be sure and label them with your name and Gig Harbor Literary Society. (I just write this info on a sticky note and use rubber bands to secure on the book.)
2. Register for the program https://calendar.piercecountylibrary.org/events
3. Join us (even if you don't have a chance to finish the book!!!)
We will continue to meet via Zoom until the Library is able to restore programming in the branches.
Pour yourself a glass of wine, a beer or a cup of tea and join in the fun.
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This event is FREE and open to the public. For questions, please contact Cindy Hackett at cynthia.hale.hackett@gmail.com