Review by glossy cherry -- The Reel Sisters

[glossy cherry]

[Following is a volunteer review of "The Reel Sisters" by Michelle Cummings.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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The Reel Sisters, by Michelle Cummings, is a story of five people who become friends for life through their mutual love for a sport. The five women come together to fly fish and become close. Michelle has written a poignant and touching story of how adversities bring people together. The women, Sophie, Veronica, Amanda, and Melody, are under the tutelage of Rose, an older woman who learned fly fishing in her younger years. Amanda is a person who can manage everything, even on a strict budget. Veronica is a city girl who had to do some bad stuff to fit in, and Sophie is a woman who takes care of everyone but herself. They encounter Melody in a photo session mishap in the river. The story starts with only three women, each of whom knows Rose separately from beforehand. They come together with Melody in Rose’s Colorado cabin. They take Rose as their role model after she helps them in connecting and understanding each other.

“Many people fish all of their lives not knowing it’s not the fish they are after…”- the opening quote of the book by Henry David Thoreau is an excellent start to the story of loving and discovering your inner self.

Michelle has weaved a beautiful story of sisterhood. She steadily develops each character. The book is in a first-person narrative through the eyes of the main characters. Each woman presents their side of the story without redundant information. Here Michelle has connected the characters deftly and portrays how each person is perceived by the other. The layers of the friendship between the women were delicate yet strong.

Michelle develops an authentic narration where the reader is also in tune with the circle of friends. The author has also provided reference information from various fly fishing books. These materials are at the beginning of each section, and they are in simple terminologies. That enhances our general knowledge about fly fishing. By the end of the book, I knew the necessary details of fly fishing like choosing a fly, reading the water, casting to a target spot, and mending one’s line.

Michelle compares the art of fly fishing to the art of living. Rose is a patient teacher who uses fly fishing to teach her pupil how to live life their way. All the characters experience problems in their lives, which we may or may not relate to, but their confusion is the same. They are stuck at a phase of growth, and Rose being older than them teaches them the ropes of life. The author has crafted Rose with meticulous care that she comes off as a friend as well as an experienced person. She is my favorite character.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. It is an incredible story of how vastly different people come together to make a unique and precious bond of friendship. The aspect I liked the most was their friendship. The women understood each other on a deeper level. Their friendship evolved throughout the book. Each of them was dealing with sensitive situations and found strength through each other. There was nothing that I disliked. Each character had their flaw, but it was all part of the story, and everything wrapped up nicely.

I recommend this book to people who appreciate books on sisterhood and female friendship. It is an engaging story of the ups and downs of life, but nothing too tragic or painful. This book is a feel-good book. There is a light romance, but it cannot classify as a romance genre. I came across a couple of typos in the book; they were minute and did not distract me from the book. Otherwise, it is well-edited. If you get the chance, do give it a read.

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The Reel Sisters
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