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Gather at the River: Twenty-Five Authors on Fishing
Contributors include New York Times Bestselling Authors Ace Atkins, Ron Rash, Jill McCorkle, Leigh Ann Henion, Eric Rickstad, M.O. Walsh, and #1 Bestseller C.J. Box. The Cherokee have a ceremony of going to water. Once a month on a night governed by the moon, they go to the river in an act of renewal and reverie. Much like baptism, it is the belief that there is a healing power to water, a sentiment shared by every soul that's ever stood waist-deep in a river watching trout rise. Gather At The River isn't a collection of big fish stories. This is PEN/Faulkner Finalist Ron Rash writing about a 50-year-old fly reel. It's #1 New York Times Bestselling Author CJ Box explaining where he wants his ashes spread when he dies. This is an anthology about friendship, family, love and loss, and everything in between, because as Henry David Thoreau wrote, "it is not really the fish they are after."
- GenresEssaysNonfiction
223 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 7, 2019
About the author
David Joy
9 books1,727 followersDavid Joy is the author of the Edgar nominated novel Where All Light Tends to Go (Putnam, 2015), as well as the novels The Weight Of This World (Putnam, 2017), The Line That Held Us (Putnam, 2018), and When These Mountains Burn (Putnam, 2020). His memoir, Growing Gills: A Fly Fisherman's Journey (Bright Mountain Books, 2011), was a finalist for the Reed Environmental Writing Award and the Ragan Old North State Award for Creative Nonfiction. His latest stories and essays have appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Garden & Gun, and The Bitter Southerner. He is the recipient of an artist fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council. His work is represented by Julia Kenny of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner Literary Agency. He lives in Jackson County, North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
April 9, 2022
4 🐟 🐟 🐟 🐟
If you love to fish, you will want to read this book.
I have never fished. I bought this for my SIL who does but he's not much of a reader.
So why did I enjoy it so much? Well, there's the writing. Some of my favorite authors contributed to these 25 stories, among my favorites were from:
David Joy
Taylor Brown
Ron Rash
Chris Offutt (had me chuckling)
Silas House
Also, it goes way beyond the rod and reel.
"This is an anthology about friendship, family, love, and loss, and everything in between, because as Thoreau wrote, It is not really the fish they are after."
Warning: These stories may lure the reader into a state of longing for fin-ship.
If you love to fish, you will want to read this book.
I have never fished. I bought this for my SIL who does but he's not much of a reader.
So why did I enjoy it so much? Well, there's the writing. Some of my favorite authors contributed to these 25 stories, among my favorites were from:
David Joy
Taylor Brown
Ron Rash
Chris Offutt (had me chuckling)
Silas House
Also, it goes way beyond the rod and reel.
"This is an anthology about friendship, family, love, and loss, and everything in between, because as Thoreau wrote, It is not really the fish they are after."
Warning: These stories may lure the reader into a state of longing for fin-ship.
April 25, 2022
Thanks again to Cathrine for this recommendation. You don't have to like fishing, or eating fish or cleaning fish to like these essays. You'll be happy to simply read some fine writing by familiar authors. Most of them are southern, though a few tell about fishing experiences in the west or north.
This book is available on Hoopla for those who want to try it out.
This book is available on Hoopla for those who want to try it out.
May 16, 2019
At the heart of every well-beloved novel is that one riveting scene that verges on transcendence and stays in the reader’s memory as the very soul of the book. Gather at the River is a collection of those resonant moments, one right after another, and there’s not a weak story in the assembly. I use the word story, instead of essay, on purpose. These are first person accounts rife with insider’s knowledge in the hands of those that know nuance and how to describe it down to the last rock in the river. These writers know what from the woods as they recount their individual fishing stories and gift the reader with their own version of universal nostalgia. They work the depths of the seemingly simple themes of family connections, childhood innocence, and pivotal moments all within a bucolic setting that expands the visceral margins of character as place. You can see, hear, and feel the mood of every setting, and though fishing is the common premise, the central experience in each is so much more. There’s such art in the craft of a briefly told story. The sure sign of success is when the reader, in this case, yours truly, is so moved by the reading experience that they wish for more.
July 7, 2023
This collection is a great cross-cultural inspection of fishing; each author is refreshing and engaging. Ron Rash's essay stood out to me in particular, especially the closing lines about his local river:
I turn sixty years old this year. If I could go back in time, and talk to that solitary boy sitting on the Parkway grass, I would tell him this--Though you can't imagine it now, there will come a time when you travel to these places you dream of, and not just other states but other continents as well, and you will look back on your life and know the happiest, most amazing place that you have ever found was here.
I think that sentiment sums up a lot of the essays in this collection, including Silas House's. On top of the content, the quality of the book itself is really beautiful and unique. I wanted to read it just to feel the cover against my hands.
I turn sixty years old this year. If I could go back in time, and talk to that solitary boy sitting on the Parkway grass, I would tell him this--Though you can't imagine it now, there will come a time when you travel to these places you dream of, and not just other states but other continents as well, and you will look back on your life and know the happiest, most amazing place that you have ever found was here.
I think that sentiment sums up a lot of the essays in this collection, including Silas House's. On top of the content, the quality of the book itself is really beautiful and unique. I wanted to read it just to feel the cover against my hands.
December 8, 2019
Great collection of essays that honor and celebrate the beauty of fishing...of being on the water...of connecting with family...of seeking solitude...of contemplating life’s mysteries. These 25 writers remind me - again- why I enjoy living (and fishing) in the South.
June 10, 2019
If you love to fish or love the idea of fishing or if you just love great stories get this book. A whole bunch of good reading in one small book of essays
June 16, 2019
Some really good stories in here. The Taylor Brown bit really hits for me.
November 18, 2019
Several of my favorite authors wrote in this collection of stories.
December 21, 2019
Loved these stories!
January 11, 2023
Some lovely stories about fishing, with varying degrees of relatability. Take a drink anytime you see the word Zebco or Whippoorwill.
May 7, 2024
Twenty-Five stories. Some of them are good.
December 18, 2021
I discovered Scott Gould when i read his short story “The Whooly Bugger Talk” taken from the short story collection “Gather at The River”in which 25 authors share their fishing tales.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews