Review by sanjus -- The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings

[Sanju Lali]

[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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A woman purchased a piece of land beside a river and built a cabin on it as she was enthusiastic about fly-fishing since her childhood. She was inspired by the book on fly-fishing, which was written by a woman in 1496. Her passion for fly-fishing was fulfilled by having an adobe near a river. At different points of time, she eventually crossed the path of the four other women one by one, and sisterhood developed between them because of fly-fishing, which helped them to unwind the stress from their daily life. How the friendship develops between these women and how the other women learn fly-fishing can be clearly understood by reading the book having the title as The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings.

I read this book with Adobe Acrobat Reader and found 429 pages in it. The story is told from a first-person perspective. Each of these women narrates the story from her perspective separately in different chapters, which gives us almost a complete picture from the multiple viewpoints. The book is a nice mix of a fly-fishing guide and a thrilling adventure story of these women as they go for fly-fishing in the wilderness. Does this story continues uneventful, or are there any twists and turns in the story that affects their lives, all this can be known only by reading the book yourself.

I picked up this book because I wanted to know more about fly-fishing. Initially, I thought the women are fly-fishing to make a living, but after reading the book, I realized that they do it for something altogether different, which I never thought. I figured out that there are some good things as well as bad things in this kind of fishing, but it may be a different thing for the other readers depending upon their perspective of good and bad. The thing I liked the most in this book is the good in-depth details about fly fishing, which can help anyone who wants to learn this art. The story was also so captivating that I was glued to it until I finished the book. The characters were nicely crafted with contrasting personalities and were from different backgrounds.

The thing I disliked the most is the somewhat abrupt starting and ending of some of the important events, which slightly gave me a feeling of getting stranded. However, the logic behind the different incidents in the story appeared to be nicely covered and gave me a satisfactory conclusion later. I felt that there could have been little moderation in Melody’s character’s as it was highly unstable and somewhat dangerous in real life if someone tries to imitate her.

I recommend this book to young adults and the older audience only because some parts of the story may not be suitable for children and teenagers to read, though it is not that graphical or violent. There are lots of risks involved in fly-fishing if it is not done with due care, and it requires to use certain safety-gear, especially, in the waters with swift current and slippery rocks beneath. I suggest that teenagers should take their guardian’s approval for reading the book for this reason.

I do not recommend this book to the readers who hate fishing and also to those who dislike going outdoors like in the wild or countryside. Apart from fly-fishing lessons and a heart-touching emotional story of these women, there is nothing else in this book. When I found only a few grammatical errors, it seemed to me that the editing quality of the book to be satisfactory. Therefore, I stayed on my initial decision to give all the 4 out of 4 stars.

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The Reel Sisters
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[aacodreanu]

It is interesting to see a different perspective on a book that I too read and reviewed. I think the difference is in the purpose of reading. If you wanted to learn about fly-fishing then, yes, there is a lot about it in the book.
It is very considerate to warn about Melody's character, although I do not think she is so impressive as to become someone's model. But then, again, I have been young for too long to remember what it was like at the beginning of my perpetual youth age. Great review!

[Rayasaurus]

This sounds like a very interesting book, even though I don't usually do a lot of fishing. Thank you for the wonderful review!

[Kanda_theGreat]

I also read this book and didn't like the brevity in which the author dealt with some events; I felt that some episodes needed to be developed further.
Thank you for the informative review.

[Tomah]

Though I had my problems with the novel, I really enjoyed the characters and their relationships. Plus, learning about fly fishing was surprisingly fun. Thanks for the review!

[Diana Lowery]

I agree with you that there was a good mix of fly fishing and adventure. And Melody was not one of my favorite characters either.

[Nerea]

I'm glad you were able to find something interesting about the book, but sorry about the abrupt start and end of certain events. I liked the fly-fishing skills highlighted in the book and it made me realize that sports bring people together. Thanks for your review.

[Dentarthurdent]

Thanks for such a thorough review. I read this one a while back, and the reminder was more than welcome.

[ReneeBrown]

I am deciding on whether or not to read this book. Thanks for the insightful and well-written review!

[Charlyt]

I didn't know anything about fly-fishing when I read the book as well, but it kept me interested because of the characters and the story. Great review!

[Connie Otwani]

Isn't it amazing people from diverse backgrounds and personalities can find level ground on an interesting sport? I also enjoyed this book. Great review!

[tristenb]

I also reviewed this book and enjoyed it. I like how you thought about different events in the book differently than I did. I agree with you that I would have liked to see some events more developed. Thanks for the review!

[Julius_]

I read this book too. I loved the interaction between the girls. Thanks for another perspective of the book.

[Falconcrest]

I also read this book, It is one huge story. I literally couldn't put the book down. The bond the women shared was intoxicating and i feel in love with the sport instantly. One of these fine days, I hope to actually go fly fishing with my sister after carefully learning the sport first. I also gave this book a perfect rating and enjoyed it so much. Thanks for the fantastic review.

[Ekta Swarnkar]

This is one of my favorites. I also liked how beautifully the writer delivered the message behind. Frankly, at that time, I also didn't know what is fly-fishing and I know now. Thanks for this amazing review!