Reviewed by Deanna Birkholm
In my opinion there just isn't enough fun reading in
the fly fishing world. This week a fine exception
appeared in our Post Office box. To be fair, the author,
J.H. Hill, did send me an email and ask if I'd like to
read it, and I agreed.
Certainly the title is clever, especially since we've
all seen how many fly fishing magazines with a photo
of a perfectly groomed and decorated woman on the cover.
And of course there is the image of the Hardy Girl.
All of which are intended to get whatever juices flowing
and end up with you buying the magazine or the Hardy products.
James Hall, however has created a list of characters, all
over-avid fly fishers, which takes the whole process
(including ogling and plotting) to a whole new level. The
cover girl indeed is real and a licensed guide. Plans are
discussed and arrangements made. But lechery isn't the
plan, it could happen, but the plot is much more devious.
As in any good melodrama, there is a villain. In this case
it is an upstart, yuppie marketing-savvy guide named Spike.
Stir and mix with a goodly amount of excellent play-by-play
fly fishing and you have a delightful story. There are some
unexpected twists, all to entertain you. And it does.
There are several other shorter stories, including one
written in a woman's voice. Unusual and very well done.
Quoting from the book cover:
"With humor and compassion, author J.H. Hall chronicles
the joys and tribulations of Maine fly-fishermen, their
loved ones, and their adversaries. Hall's characters
share a passion for fly-fishing - their lifeline - and
an indifference to most of society's other conventions.
Whether building an indoor trout stream, robbing a bank,
or waging mischief against a market-savvy, modernist guide,
these characters gallantly struggle to preserve a way of
life and a part of Maine that is rapidly disappearing."
J.H. Hall lives in Wayne, Maine. His works have appeared
in numerous outdoor and literary magazines, three anthologies,
and two collections: Selling Fish: Stories from a
Fishing Life and Paradise: Stories of a
Changing Chesapeake.
Well worth the read!
Cover Girl & Other Stories of Fly-Fishermen in Maine
By J.H. Hall
Softcover; 156 pages
ISBN 0-595-37288-0
Price: $12.95 US
Published by: iUniverse
Available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and numerous others and, of
course, also at https://www.iuniverse.com ~ DLB
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