Review of The Reel Sisters
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Review of The Reel Sisters
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Reel Sisters" by Michelle Cummings.]
An escape from reality and the laborious days of our lives to recoup and rekindle the fire and desire within us is what we all need, and The Reel Sisters provided that not only for the characters in the pages, but also for me.
The Reel Sisters is a book based on an unlikely sport for women, fly-fishing, and the bond that is formed between the group of four women. On one fateful winter morning, as the "girls" were enjoying their fishing session down at the river from Rose's welcoming cabin in the Arkansas River Valley, a terrified scream from a girl was heard by the group as she was being washed down by the river from upstream. Shocked by the nakedness of the young woman and scurrying in the river, the three women help her out of the river and wrap her in a plastic rescue blanket as one of them is triggered by the incident. Four turns to five, and the adventure begins!
From the very first page, I was hooked by the book. The first thing that I noticed and loved is the design of the first page of each section, with a quote about fly-fishing that resonates with the content of the section not only on fly-fishing but also in life in general. The style of writing, which is mixed with dialogue, first-person narrative, and text messages between the characters, was remarkably interesting, and it was easy to adapt to and understand as the style changed. The book is remarkably well edited, which is quite impressive.
The five main characters, Rose, Sophie, Veronica, Amanda, and Melody are immensely different from each other, and they were perfectly presented during the first pages of the book. Michelle Cummings dived into the lives of each character, detailing their thoughts, love lives, work lives, and daily routines. Each point of view makes you understand the "girls" better, and you end up falling in love with them.
The friendship and banter that these ladies share almost makes you a tad jealous because, even though they vary in age as well, from early twenties to sixties, their bond is palpable and unique. Rose, who is adored and embodies a mother-figure to the four ladies, is their pillar of strength, and it makes you wish to have a Rose in your life. I also fell in love with this sport I had never heard of before, fly-fishing, as the author describes each tool needed to ‘catch and release’ the fish and just admire their beauty.
What I did not like about the book, however, is the narrative of how Rose acquired her bamboo rod, either from her grandmother or grandfather. It was really confusing to read and understand. Lastly, even though I did appreciate the means the author used to thoroughly explain how fly-fishing works, the information was overwhelming during the first few pages of the book for someone who has never heard of the sport before, and that can bore a person pretty quickly and make the book uninteresting.
I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars because, even though I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the confusing narrative and the overwhelming information about the technicalities of fly-fishing did slow down the process of reading the book. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try something out of their comfort zone, especially romantics and adventurers, and who knows, you might find a clue to the answer you have been looking for.
******
The Reel Sisters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
An escape from reality and the laborious days of our lives to recoup and rekindle the fire and desire within us is what we all need, and The Reel Sisters provided that not only for the characters in the pages, but also for me.
The Reel Sisters is a book based on an unlikely sport for women, fly-fishing, and the bond that is formed between the group of four women. On one fateful winter morning, as the "girls" were enjoying their fishing session down at the river from Rose's welcoming cabin in the Arkansas River Valley, a terrified scream from a girl was heard by the group as she was being washed down by the river from upstream. Shocked by the nakedness of the young woman and scurrying in the river, the three women help her out of the river and wrap her in a plastic rescue blanket as one of them is triggered by the incident. Four turns to five, and the adventure begins!
From the very first page, I was hooked by the book. The first thing that I noticed and loved is the design of the first page of each section, with a quote about fly-fishing that resonates with the content of the section not only on fly-fishing but also in life in general. The style of writing, which is mixed with dialogue, first-person narrative, and text messages between the characters, was remarkably interesting, and it was easy to adapt to and understand as the style changed. The book is remarkably well edited, which is quite impressive.
The five main characters, Rose, Sophie, Veronica, Amanda, and Melody are immensely different from each other, and they were perfectly presented during the first pages of the book. Michelle Cummings dived into the lives of each character, detailing their thoughts, love lives, work lives, and daily routines. Each point of view makes you understand the "girls" better, and you end up falling in love with them.
The friendship and banter that these ladies share almost makes you a tad jealous because, even though they vary in age as well, from early twenties to sixties, their bond is palpable and unique. Rose, who is adored and embodies a mother-figure to the four ladies, is their pillar of strength, and it makes you wish to have a Rose in your life. I also fell in love with this sport I had never heard of before, fly-fishing, as the author describes each tool needed to ‘catch and release’ the fish and just admire their beauty.
What I did not like about the book, however, is the narrative of how Rose acquired her bamboo rod, either from her grandmother or grandfather. It was really confusing to read and understand. Lastly, even though I did appreciate the means the author used to thoroughly explain how fly-fishing works, the information was overwhelming during the first few pages of the book for someone who has never heard of the sport before, and that can bore a person pretty quickly and make the book uninteresting.
I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars because, even though I thoroughly enjoyed the book, the confusing narrative and the overwhelming information about the technicalities of fly-fishing did slow down the process of reading the book. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try something out of their comfort zone, especially romantics and adventurers, and who knows, you might find a clue to the answer you have been looking for.
******
The Reel Sisters
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Just Die by E Alan Fleischauer
