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Published Jun 2021
272 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
In this "poetic" and "captivating" (Publishers Weekly) memoir about the power of place to shape generations, John N. Maclean chronicles his family's storied bond with Montana's legendary Blackfoot River, which his father, Norman Maclean, made famous in A River Runs through It.
A long-awaited nonfiction companion to A River Runs through It, Home Waters is John N. Maclean's remarkable memoir of his family's century-long love affair with Montana's majestic Blackfoot River, the setting for his father's classic novella. Maclean returns annually to the simple family cabin that his grandfather built by hand, still in search of the trout of a lifetime. When he hooks it at last, decades of longing promise to be fulfilled, inspiring John, reporter and author, to finally write the story he was born to tell.
A book that will resonate with everyone who feels deeply rooted to a place, Home Waters is chronicle of a family who claimed a river, from one generation to the next, of how this family came of age in the 20th century and later as they scattered across the country, faced tragedy and success, yet were always drawn back to the waters that bound them together. Here are the true stories behind the beloved characters fictionalized in A River Runs through It, including the Reverend Maclean, the patriarch who introduced the family to fishing; Norman, who balanced a life divided between literature and the tug of the rugged West; and tragic yet luminous Paul (played by Brad Pitt in Robert Redford's film adaptation), whose mysterious death has haunted the family and led John to investigate his uncle's murder and reveal new details in these pages.
A universal story about the power of place to shape families, and a celebration of the art of fly fishing, Maclean's memoir beautifully portrays the inextricable ways our personal histories are linked to the places we come from—our home waters.
Featuring twelve wood engravings by Wesley W. Bates and a map of the Blackfoot River region.
"A moving memoir of a family's love affair with the Blackfoot River in Montana. … Lovers of literature and nature will be captivated by this heartfelt tribute to place and family." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Maclean's Hemingway-esque prose is as clear as a mountain stream, flowing with a poetic cadence and lyrically describing the many splendid natural treasures to be found under the Big Sky. A sure bet for readers who enjoy American and natural history and a must-read for fishing enthusiasts." - Booklist
"Maclean offers a lyrical love letter to Montana's Blackfoot River, fishing, and his storied family in this captivating memoir. … Fans of his father's novella will relish the details that served as its inspiration and are here rendered in Maclean's sharp yet poetic prose. … This richly observed narrative is sure to reel readers in." - Publishers Weekly
"Maclean reflects on fishing, family, and the timeless novella that made his father famous." - Angler's Journal
"In this welcome companion to an American classic, John N. Maclean casts a story of place, family, and legacy: of highland streams and woodlands, and the gifts waiting in their depths; of a quiet father with much to share; and of the sometimes meandering, sometimes tumbling courses that carry us through life. A spare, patient, and compelling reminiscence that stays with you." - Earl Swift, New York Times bestselling author of Chesapeake Requiem: A Year with the Watermen of Vanishing Tangier Island
"Finally, a brilliant, intimate, and reliable chronicle of the remarkable Maclean family and the origins of a great book, welded seamlessly to the memorable angling days and writing life of a central member. I loved Home Waters." - Nick Lyons, author of Spring Creek
"A memoir about the Maclean family's four-generation tie to Montana's Blackfoot River that elaborates on the back story of Norman Maclean's extraordinary 1976 novella A River Runs Through It."- Wall Street Journal
"I can honestly say I loved Home Waters. Reading it felt like a visit with old friends--the characters from A River Runs through It—who you haven't seen in a long while, during which you learned some things you'd never known before. John N. Maclean's book does a wonderful job of illustrating the importance of family and place—something we can all relate to even if the particulars of our stories are very different." -- Kirby Lambert, Montana Historical Society
"Home Waters is wherever we, as anglers, outdoorsmen and women, came to love and learn about place, play, and the people we call family or close friends. In this view, John Maclean's Home Waters is a wonderful reflection on how a sense of place and shared activity, especially sport, defines our lives, our families, and the meaning we find in them." -- David Brooks, executive director, Montana Trout Unlimited
This information about Home Waters was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
John N. Maclean is an award-winning author and journalist. He spent thirty years at the Chicago Tribune, most of that time as a Washington correspondent. After leaving the Tribune, Maclean wrote five nonfiction books about wildland fire that are considered a staple of fire literature as well as training material for firefighters. Maclean is the son of Norman Maclean, author of A River Runs Through It. The younger Maclean, an avid fly fisherman, lives in Washington, DC, and at a family cabin in Montana.
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