4 out of 4 stars
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The Reel Sisters by Michelle Cummings is a standalone novel in the Non-Fiction category.
The Reel Sisters is the tale of 5 women (Rose, Sophie, Veronica, Amanda, and Melody) and how they interact with each other as they live their lives. Each woman's thoughts and actions are seen in each section of the book.
Rose seems to be the de facto leader of the group in the beginning. She is the one who presented at least one of the group to get into fly fishing. Sophie is the one who is the planner. Everything is planned in her mind for everything and everyone. Veronica and her husband Thatcher is the owner of the nightclub/restaurant Noire.
Amanda is the perky one. She always has a smile even when her heart is broken. Her husband, Mike, is in the military and is currently in Afghanistan. He visits as often as he can via phone calls and Skype visits with their two children, Parker and Jordan.
Last but certainly not least is Melody. She is a photographer who also plays any instrument she is given. She lives about the Noire in a flat she adores.
Melody is introduced in a very unusual way. She does some nude photography for a group she belongs to calls Suicide Girls. This time she has set up for a photoshoot on a rock in the middle of the river. She gets the camera set up and removes her clothing. She gets on top of the rock which is freezing as is the water she has to wade through.
She gets the shots she was looking for and on the way back shortly after tossing the camera's remote onto the side of the river and she promptly falls in. She is tossed and turned in the river's wake and thankfully the girls see her and come to her rescue. After warming up, Melody agrees to stay a few more days with the girls to learn more about fly fishing. After her first catch, as with the others, she is hooked.
I give this book a 4 out of 4. If there were a higher score I would give it to this work of art. There are absolutely no errors.
The woman's characters are so well-developed. I can see and hear their thoughts as I turn a page into their lives. I've been to the places they talk about. They are some of my favorite places to visit while camping.
This book really sunk its hooks into me (pun intended). I can look out my window and see some of the same things they see such as towering pine and aspen trees, a stream within walking distance and if I wanted to relax with some fishing with worms, the lake is just a little ways past the stream.
The character I related to the most was Amanda. She was passionate about the flies she tied. She was dealing with small children, a husband who was literally away for a year and a very small budget. She scoured flea markets and garage sales in order to find what she needed at a price she could afford.
My favorite moment in the book was when Melody slipped off the rock in the buff. I laughed out loud. I felt a little sorry for her but knew that if the others had seen it happen they would have laughed out loud as they were pulling her from the river.
My least favorite moment in the book happened towards the end of the book. I was surprised when this happened and cried real tears as the event. I could have done without it, but it was a true event so it needed to be in the book.
My favorite quote: "Rule #1 of Fly Fishing: always go pee before you put your waders one. Period. That's it. End of story. I wish someone would have told me that's the secret to life for a woman who has had a child. No matter where you are, always go pee. Even if you think you don't need to go. Try...you will. If you haven't tried, you'll have an accident."
One thing that surprised me about the book was how easily women were added to the group. There was no fear caused by the association with any of the women nor any checking into who they were before an invitation was given to Melody for a couple of days with only Rose.
I think this should be a book read by everyone. The humor combined with the truth of what is being said would be appreciated by most. I believe that those who are looking for a pick-me-up in a book would like this book as well as those who are interested in fly fishing.
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The Reel Sisters
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