Review of The Reel Sisters
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Nyasha Gogoma
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Review of The Reel Sisters
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Reel Sisters" by Michelle Cummings.]
The Reel Sisters is a novel written by Michelle Cummings. It tells the incredible story of five women of varying ages, ethnicities, professions, and walks of life. Fate has united all these women under a common thread: fly fishing. Thus, they become the reel sisters. As often as their busy schedules allow and align, these ladies gather each year to catch up on life and, perhaps more importantly, participate in the exhilarating sport of catch and release fly fishing.
The book is written in the present simple tense, giving the impression of a frame-by-frame view into the bona fide sisters' lives. The women alternate narrating the story, creating a highly immersive writing style: the reader is given an exclusive look into their lives and can live vicariously through each character. The tense Cummings uses also imbues the narrative with an autobiographical feel, which is somewhat rare for fiction.
The Reel Sisters caught me completely off-guard. I particularly enjoyed the rotating narrative voice, which gave me a unique insight into particular events from each woman's perspective. I had never heard of fly fishing before, yet I found myself watching YouTube videos on fly tying techniques late into the night. Michelle Cummings manages to take an obscure sport and make it accessible to women like me while simultaneously unfolding a compelling tale. The story is inspiring and fills the reader with concomitant hope and wonder. If five women of different ages, professions, and personalities can gather around such a challenging sport and prevail, then perhaps so can I! The women experience a constant mix of joy, excitement, disappointment, and unexpected events that keeps them on their toes, much like in real life.
There was nothing to hate about the book, although, if I had to nitpick, I would say I felt the author overused the words bona fide, ornery, and as. These overuses broke the fourth wall and brought me back to the reality that it was Michelle Cummings speaking through the characters after all. I wish she had spent more time creating a distinct diction for each woman. Aside from some minor typographical errors, the book is well-edited. Considering all these factors, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
The Reel Sisters is mostly a feel-good novel, with some spanners thrown into the works for good measure. It gives an account of unlikely bonds of friendship formed over an unlikely sport. Therefore, I recommend this book for young and older women looking to enjoy a good story while learning something new.
******
The Reel Sisters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The Reel Sisters is a novel written by Michelle Cummings. It tells the incredible story of five women of varying ages, ethnicities, professions, and walks of life. Fate has united all these women under a common thread: fly fishing. Thus, they become the reel sisters. As often as their busy schedules allow and align, these ladies gather each year to catch up on life and, perhaps more importantly, participate in the exhilarating sport of catch and release fly fishing.
The book is written in the present simple tense, giving the impression of a frame-by-frame view into the bona fide sisters' lives. The women alternate narrating the story, creating a highly immersive writing style: the reader is given an exclusive look into their lives and can live vicariously through each character. The tense Cummings uses also imbues the narrative with an autobiographical feel, which is somewhat rare for fiction.
The Reel Sisters caught me completely off-guard. I particularly enjoyed the rotating narrative voice, which gave me a unique insight into particular events from each woman's perspective. I had never heard of fly fishing before, yet I found myself watching YouTube videos on fly tying techniques late into the night. Michelle Cummings manages to take an obscure sport and make it accessible to women like me while simultaneously unfolding a compelling tale. The story is inspiring and fills the reader with concomitant hope and wonder. If five women of different ages, professions, and personalities can gather around such a challenging sport and prevail, then perhaps so can I! The women experience a constant mix of joy, excitement, disappointment, and unexpected events that keeps them on their toes, much like in real life.
There was nothing to hate about the book, although, if I had to nitpick, I would say I felt the author overused the words bona fide, ornery, and as. These overuses broke the fourth wall and brought me back to the reality that it was Michelle Cummings speaking through the characters after all. I wish she had spent more time creating a distinct diction for each woman. Aside from some minor typographical errors, the book is well-edited. Considering all these factors, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.
The Reel Sisters is mostly a feel-good novel, with some spanners thrown into the works for good measure. It gives an account of unlikely bonds of friendship formed over an unlikely sport. Therefore, I recommend this book for young and older women looking to enjoy a good story while learning something new.
******
The Reel Sisters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Reconfigurement by E. Alan Fleischauer
