A River Runs Through It and Other Stories

By: Norman Maclean

Narrated by: David Manis

In A River Runs Through It, Norman Maclean claims that “in my family, there is no clear line between religion and fly-fishing.” Nor is there a clear line between family and fly-fishing. It is the one activity where brother can connect with brother and father with son, bridging troubled relationships at the junction of great trout rivers in western Montana. In Maclean’s autobiographical novella, it is the river that makes them realize that life continues and all things are related.

Just as Norman Maclean writes at the end of A River Runs Through It that he is “haunted by waters,” so have readers been haunted by his novella. A retired English professor who began writing fiction at the age of 70, Maclean produced what is now recognized as one of the classic American stories of the 20th century.

Here, with "A River Runs Through It", are two Norman Maclean stories never before on audio:

• Logging and Pimping and “Your Pal, Jim”
• USFS 1919: The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky

©1976 A River Runs Through It and Other Stories © 1976 The University of Chicago Press. Recorded by arrangement with John N. Maclean and Jean Maclean Snyder. (P)2010 (p) 2010 HighBridge Company

A Great American Storyteller

Norman Maclean is truly on the short list of great American storytellers. He invites one to join him as crosses the Bitterroot divide or tosses a fly into the Big Blackfoot. There is much to be enjoyed in the masterful performance by David Manis who does justice to the storyline.

Stories about art and nature.

A River Runs Through It is a great work, a wonderful creation of characters and fishing in Montana between the two World Wars. The narrator's story of his brother 's brilliant art of fly fishing and tragically fatal gambling addiction illustrates that a man can approach perfection, in art and life, but as we are flawed human beings, falls short, and is often broken. I loved it and ended in tears.

The other stories are anticlimactic attempts by the author to explore the same theme of a protagonist the narrator admires and hopes to emulate, but without the tragedy.

Beautiful stories, beautifully written

The subject line says it all for me, but 15 words are demanded. All three novellas, the first now justly famous, are wistful, poignant, even sad, and often hilarious. I will read or listen to the author's story about fighting a tragic fire in 1949, but I so wish that Norman Maclean had written more.

Great lean old fashioned American writing. Hemingway with an injection of environmentalism and religion in a good way

Some will balk at “toxic masculinity” but this feels very much like how things were and it’s good to know history and what this time and place was like without censoring unpleasant parts like prostitution, bullying, violence. In fact the writing gives the reader an immersive taste of the kind of pressures on men of previous generations to be tight lipped, sexist and violent. Also descriptions of mountains and rivers are great and very spiritual. My favorite story was without doubt the first which could have been expanded into a great book. Definitely left me wanting to read more about these characters and the family dynamic.

Just Simply Beautiful

This is one of the ten most beautiful books I have ever read. While the first, "A River Runs Through It," the basis of the movie, is often referenced, the last one, "USFS 1919" totally blew me away. The language, the writing, the perception, insights into the natural world and human nature, and the way they are all interwoven, it is just simply astonishing. This is not a book to read once and then move on, it is one to savor and linger over, returning to time and time again. It is deep. It reminds me a lot of Annie Dillard, "A Pilgrim at Tinker Creek" -- if you liked one, you will love the other.

This is an all time American Classic!

Every young man and woman should read this book. it is an all time classic that will bring you into a forgotten era!

Great narrator for the story

I enjoyed all three of the stories, and the narrator was a perfect choice, his voice suited them well

what a storyteller.

MacLean makes you want to live the life he describes. I want to find more.

Three stories in a style like The Nick Adams Stories

They use three stories are excellent. As I note in the title style and subject remind me of Hemingway’s Nick Adams stories. The title story comes about as close in movie form as it does in literature. Highly recommended!

Beautiful classic story

Very articulate word painting of fishing, and mountains, relationships, struggles, and growth, loss, and gain.