Home Waters: A Chronicle of Family and a River
By John N. Maclean
Like any bibliophilic angler, I have read and reread Norman Maclean’s masterpiece, A River Runs Through It. I even go so far as to make the cliché claim that the movie didn’t quite do the book justice. Thus, my approach to Home Waters, written by Norman Maclean’s son, John, was shrouded by high expectations. Home Waters did not disappoint – IF you’re a fan of A River Runs Through it.
John Maclean takes the reader through a brief history of his family’s relationship with fly-fishing in general and specifically with fishing Seeley Lake and the Blackfoot River – both in Montana. We learn that the family got into the sport through the Scottish patriarch who was a minister in rural Montana and took up fly-fishing out of a belief that he would be better equipped to shepherd his flock if he participated in some of the same hobbies as his congregation. Those familiar with the book/movie will recognize this. They will also recognize much of the backstory that Maclean weaves into Home Waters. We learn that A River Runs Through it is as close to autobiographical as a novella can be. The towns, the fishing trips, the different fishing styles of the two brothers – all taken from real life events – as is, unfortunately, the murder of Norman’s brother and John’s uncle (although it happened in a very different place than that depicted in the move). Home Waters explains it all. That is why this book lived up to high expectations set by a fan of A River Runs Through it. For a fan of the book (or the movie), I can’t recommend this book highly enough. You’re getting a look behind the scenes from one of the only people equipped to tell the full story.
Where some readers may find it lacking is in discussion of fly-fishing. That isn’t to say the book is void of such stories. We get fishing stories, and we hear about Norman’s fishing stories told through his son. We hear about how Norman almost never lost a fish. We hear about epic fights with big browns in Montana. But the book, albeit brief, isn’t as cast-happy as would be expected. That is why those that aren’t fans of A River Runs Through It may not find this book so compelling. That said, we do get some fishing secrets passed down from the great angling family. As John was taught in boyhood, “You have to learn to think like a fish. For example, if you wanted food and shelter in a stream, where would you station yourself? The answer is: At different stations at different times.”
The other great take-away from Home Waters involves the family’s ties to its cabin in Montana. John tells the story of the cabin and how it was built by hand by his grandfather and grandmother alone. Since then the cabin has been the launching pad for countless stories for the Maclean family – who made the trip to stay in the cabin every summer, even while living in Chicago.
The way John describes the cabin and what it has meant for that family makes the reader nostalgic if lucky enough to have such a place. If not, you will be hit with the overwhelming urge to acquire a remote plot of land and erect such a cabin for your own friends and family. It feels like the Macleans are doing it right. In fact, it’s clear that they are. Having a place with such a strong generational meaning creates a world where the generations are never truly forgotten. As John writes, “I do not fish alone on the Blackfoot River ever, even though now I mostly fish by myself. When I’m on the water, and especially when no one else is around, I feel the presence of the generations of my family whose stories run through it.”
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