Review by Brian Optimist -- The Reel Sisters

[Brian Optimist]

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

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3 out of 4 stars

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Michelle Cumming’s book, The Reel Sisters is a fictional story about five women that become great friends over their interests in fly fishing. Sophie, who is a botanist, falls in love with fly fishing after encountering Rose in a fly fishing store and being introduced to the practice. Rose, who is the oldest in this group owns a cabin in the woods of Colorado where the girls spend their free time while fly fishing. Veronica is a leadership coach who is introduced to the sport by Sophie after meeting in a plane. Amanda is an elementary school teacher. Melody, who is the last to join the group, is a photographer who accidentally meets the group after falling in a stream and being washed downstream while on a photo-shooting session. After this incident, she is introduced to the group and she too falls in love with the sport.

The main theme portrayed in the book is that of friendship. Five women, previously unbeknown to each other, quickly bond over fly-fishing and become best friends. Sophie, who is single, is constantly being encouraged to commit to going through a date. Rose readily offers the newbies equipment for fly-fishing even though they are expensive. Amanda reciprocates by tying flies for the group. Melody who was previously a loner finds comfort and happiness in having friends. They are shown to support each other as they struggle through personal issues from marital problems to financial constraints.

The book is written in the first person narrative which I really liked. This puts us inside the head of the character and effectively communicates and portrays the character’s thoughts and emotions. The plot was chronologically written which made it easy to follow the storyline. The dialogues in the book were filled with a lot of humor and warmth. I think the book would be more interesting and realistic if there was more conflict and drama. It is just too plain. The author also does an excellent job of describing all the intricate processes that go into fly-fishing. It is well-detailed and clearly shows the subject was well researched.

Character development in the book is adequate. There is a gradual build-up of background information on the characters across the chapters. We observe the evolution of Melody from a lonesome girl to a more outgoing and happy woman. The world-building in the book is also really good. Most geographical scenes are really well described.

The book was edited well. I did not encounter any spelling errors. There were neither violent scenes nor any sexual scenes. I really enjoyed the book. With about 400 pages, it took me three days to complete reading it. I think most young adults would love the book. It gets a 3 out of 4 stars rating from me.

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The Reel Sisters
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