--- product_id: 62245535 title: "A River Runs through It and Other Stories" price: "146 Lei" currency: RON in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ro/products/62245535-a-river-runs-through-it-and-other-stories store_origin: RO region: Romania --- # A River Runs through It and Other Stories **Price:** 146 Lei **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** A River Runs through It and Other Stories - **How much does it cost?** 146 Lei with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ro](https://www.desertcart.ro/products/62245535-a-river-runs-through-it-and-other-stories) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description One of the most beloved works of fiction of the late twentieth century, a book that has been handed down from reader to reader, parent to child, friend to friend, for generations When Norman Maclean sent the manuscript of A River Runs through It and Other Stories to New York publishers, he received a slew of rejections. One editor, so the story goes, replied, “it has trees in it.” Forty years later, the title novella is recognized as one of the great American tales of the twentieth century, and Maclean as one of the most beloved writers of our time. The finely distilled product of a long life of often surprising rapture―for fly-fishing, for the woods, for the interlocked beauty of life and art― A River Runs through It has established itself as a classic of the American West. This new edition will introduce a fresh audience to Maclean’s beautiful prose and understated emotional insights. Elegantly redesigned, A River Runs through It includes a new foreword by Robert Redford, director of the Academy Award-winning 1992 film adaptation of River . Based on Maclean’s own experiences as a young man, the book’s two novellas and short story are set in the small towns and mountains of western Montana. It is a world populated with drunks, loggers, card sharks, and whores, but also one rich in the pleasures of fly-fishing, logging, cribbage, and family. By turns raunchy and elegiac, these superb tales express, in Maclean’s own words, “a little of the love I have for the earth as it goes by.” Review: Fishing reveals the meaning of life, and other stories... - Norman Maclean published his first work, this collection of three stories, when he was 73. He was an English Professor at the University of Chicago, and its Press broke precedent, by publishing its first work of fiction. A fortuitous decision, as this best seller provided the Press the funds to issue other drier academic works of non-fiction. The movie A River Runs Through It , directed by Robert Redford, issued in 1992, helped greatly to popularize this story. Nonetheless, not having seen the movie, I was leery of the book, with a gut feeling that this would be about the ultra-rich crowd who water at Jackson Hole, WY, or even further a field, say, chartering a private plane to some remote river in Siberia, so they can differentiate themselves from the masses by practices this arcane sport. And was I ever wrong - this is the REAL thing, fly-fishing as a natural art form, and a passion, as practiced by the natives of an equally obscure part of America: the Idaho-Montana border area. The story is largely autobiographical, set in the late `30's, and is about Maclean's family relationships, particularly with his brother, who we learn early in the story, was murdered in the prime of life. His father, a Presbyterian minister, of Scottish origins, taught both sons how to fly fish, and it remained a passion, and cement that could be relied upon to bind their relationship. Norman's brother was admittedly the better sportsman. Although I've never fished, this one story explains why it is an intelligent man's (or woman's) avocation, shattering the image of Tom Sawyer sitting under a tree, with a pole in the water, and a worm at the end of the string. For that reason alone, the story is worth the read (I'd also highly recommend Russell Chatham's series of short stories Dark Waters for the same reason). But what really sets this story apart is the beautifully crafted tale of these relationships, coupled with those relating to their absolute loser of a brother-in-law and the women who find self-actualization tending to his pathetic nature. There are also some ribald and humorous scenes in the story. A line in the story summarizes Maclean's outlook: "...at the time I did not know that stories of life are often more like rivers than books." And perhaps the central question of the story is: Can we really help anyone else? The other two stories don't match the title story in excellence, but still are both worthwhile reads. They are both set just after World War I, when Maclean was in his late teens, and worked in the logging camps and the Forest Service in the same Idaho-Montana border area. It is a portrait of the "rough and tumble" West, not long after the "frontier" had closed, and featured hard work, gambling, boozing, and, yes, ladies of the trade. Maclean's summer work with the Forest Service involved fire watches, and it was in this same area that the largest forest fire in American history occurred nine years earlier, and is described in Timothy Egan's excellent book The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America . Like Egan, and Wallace Stegner, Norman Maclean has written excellent, , poignant and authentic stories of the American West. A solid 5-star read. Review: Writing at its Apex - I had read this book before, and seen the movie several times. I noticed my book was lost, and wanted to replace it. That turned out to be a most fortuitous literary loss for the new book has two amendments that made gold of my decision to replace the lost treasure. First, it has a new forward by Robert Redford which is extremely interesting and informative. Everyone knows what a splendid actor Redford is, but I doubt many appreciate his writing skills. They are sterling and add brilliance to an already brilliant book. The publisher also saw fit to move the Acknowledgements to the front of the book, between Redford's Forward and Chapter 1. That was a canny move for I fear many skip this section if it's left till the end. I suspect most will find, as did I, that it is a touching piece of writing that shows off Mr. Maclean's extraordinary writing skills in sun-bright radiance. I challenge you to get through it with dry eyes. The story itself takes only 119 of the 246 page tri-story book and while both the "co stars" are well written and delightful, only "River" warrants "Masterpiece", at least in my opinion. I can't think of a story that has moved me more and I'm sure I'll laugh and cry, as astonished as my first read through, even if I read it another hundred times. Maclean had a gift and I envy any that were students in his classes at the University of Chicago. I wish I had been one. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #5,164 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #60 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction #61 in Short Stories (Books) #342 in Literary Fiction (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.6 out of 5 stars 3,528 Reviews | ## Images ![A River Runs through It and Other Stories - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71IJfva4qoL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fishing reveals the meaning of life, and other stories... *by J***I on August 23, 2010* Norman Maclean published his first work, this collection of three stories, when he was 73. He was an English Professor at the University of Chicago, and its Press broke precedent, by publishing its first work of fiction. A fortuitous decision, as this best seller provided the Press the funds to issue other drier academic works of non-fiction. The movie A River Runs Through It , directed by Robert Redford, issued in 1992, helped greatly to popularize this story. Nonetheless, not having seen the movie, I was leery of the book, with a gut feeling that this would be about the ultra-rich crowd who water at Jackson Hole, WY, or even further a field, say, chartering a private plane to some remote river in Siberia, so they can differentiate themselves from the masses by practices this arcane sport. And was I ever wrong - this is the REAL thing, fly-fishing as a natural art form, and a passion, as practiced by the natives of an equally obscure part of America: the Idaho-Montana border area. The story is largely autobiographical, set in the late `30's, and is about Maclean's family relationships, particularly with his brother, who we learn early in the story, was murdered in the prime of life. His father, a Presbyterian minister, of Scottish origins, taught both sons how to fly fish, and it remained a passion, and cement that could be relied upon to bind their relationship. Norman's brother was admittedly the better sportsman. Although I've never fished, this one story explains why it is an intelligent man's (or woman's) avocation, shattering the image of Tom Sawyer sitting under a tree, with a pole in the water, and a worm at the end of the string. For that reason alone, the story is worth the read (I'd also highly recommend Russell Chatham's series of short stories Dark Waters for the same reason). But what really sets this story apart is the beautifully crafted tale of these relationships, coupled with those relating to their absolute loser of a brother-in-law and the women who find self-actualization tending to his pathetic nature. There are also some ribald and humorous scenes in the story. A line in the story summarizes Maclean's outlook: "...at the time I did not know that stories of life are often more like rivers than books." And perhaps the central question of the story is: Can we really help anyone else? The other two stories don't match the title story in excellence, but still are both worthwhile reads. They are both set just after World War I, when Maclean was in his late teens, and worked in the logging camps and the Forest Service in the same Idaho-Montana border area. It is a portrait of the "rough and tumble" West, not long after the "frontier" had closed, and featured hard work, gambling, boozing, and, yes, ladies of the trade. Maclean's summer work with the Forest Service involved fire watches, and it was in this same area that the largest forest fire in American history occurred nine years earlier, and is described in Timothy Egan's excellent book The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America . Like Egan, and Wallace Stegner, Norman Maclean has written excellent, , poignant and authentic stories of the American West. A solid 5-star read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Writing at its Apex *by A***R on November 26, 2022* I had read this book before, and seen the movie several times. I noticed my book was lost, and wanted to replace it. That turned out to be a most fortuitous literary loss for the new book has two amendments that made gold of my decision to replace the lost treasure. First, it has a new forward by Robert Redford which is extremely interesting and informative. Everyone knows what a splendid actor Redford is, but I doubt many appreciate his writing skills. They are sterling and add brilliance to an already brilliant book. The publisher also saw fit to move the Acknowledgements to the front of the book, between Redford's Forward and Chapter 1. That was a canny move for I fear many skip this section if it's left till the end. I suspect most will find, as did I, that it is a touching piece of writing that shows off Mr. Maclean's extraordinary writing skills in sun-bright radiance. I challenge you to get through it with dry eyes. The story itself takes only 119 of the 246 page tri-story book and while both the "co stars" are well written and delightful, only "River" warrants "Masterpiece", at least in my opinion. I can't think of a story that has moved me more and I'm sure I'll laugh and cry, as astonished as my first read through, even if I read it another hundred times. Maclean had a gift and I envy any that were students in his classes at the University of Chicago. I wish I had been one. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A standout story that outshines its siblings *by D***S on January 22, 2013* Without a doubt, the title story of this book is one of the best pieces of writing I have ever read. Meditative and lovely. It speaks of flyfishing like one might speak of breathing, and describes human actions with an honesty that I have found in few other writings. Symbolism, philosophy, nature, family, and smatterings of theology and geology wind through the book, like water rolling over stones. It feels like a river to read it—the rhythms, the beats, the pools and straights. Maclean wrote with a clean, clear prose, letting his thoughts and their meanings take center stage. I was impressed and moved. "A River Runs Through It" is a 5-star story, but the other two pieces in this collection do not measure up to the same standard. They're good, but not amazing. I was a little disappointed, frankly, and don't have much desire to talk about them beyond these words. It's the river I will remember. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ro/products/62245535-a-river-runs-through-it-and-other-stories](https://www.desertcart.ro/products/62245535-a-river-runs-through-it-and-other-stories) --- *Product available on Desertcart Romania* *Store origin: RO* *Last updated: 2026-05-28*