West with the Rise: Fly-Fishing Across America

by James Barilla

Book Overview

The first book to follow a fly-fishing trip from coast to coast, West with the Rise is James Barilla's account of a solitary journey that begins in New England and ends in Northern California, with little more to keep him company than a secondhand pickup bought just for the trip, a pair of Nikes he cannot seem to keep dry (they're literally decomposing before his eyes), and the graphite stick and reel that the fly fisher reaches for before...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813925371
• ISBN13: 9780813925370
• Release Date: April 2006
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 8.7"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Enjoyable/Honest

West with the Rise was recommended to me, and I really thought it was going to be all about fly fishing. The fishing journey gives Barilla a comfortable place to think about the challenges starting a family. And it seemed to say a lot for his marriage that Barilla's wife accepted his need to be alone on a fishing trip for a summer. The book was thoughtful, honest, and entertaining. Each sentence is a pleasure to read, and I don't experience this too often. Many analogies enrich the prose. I don't fish, and some of the details about fishing seemed to go over my head. Otherwise, I'd give it 5 stars. I enjoyed the book. My wife did too.

Moving account, beautifully written

You only have to read the first page of this book to know that James Barilla is a fine writer. This book is funny, poignant and fascinating by turns. I'm no fisherman, but the narrative drew me in and taught me plenty, both in the fishing sections and the more personal passages, of which there are plenty for the layperson. I loved especially the narrator's voice and fell in love with him - the end of his story is one of the more touching things I've ever read.