|
Gordon MacQuarrie passed away more than 50 years ago, but his stories are as fresh and relevant today as when they were penned more than half a century ago. These stories really are amazing, after reading them you'll want to spend the rest of your life out in the woods. This book contains a collection of 19 of MacQuarrie's best short stories spanning his prolific career. If this is any evidence of what impact this book has had on me, I've fished all my life, but I've never fly fished.
This collection rates as 4.8 stars in my view, rounding up to 5 to give GM the benefit of the doubt. MacQuarrie apparently based many of his fictional adventures and characters on real life incidents and people. Hizzoner, the quirky and often irascable chairman, and the author travel around Wisconsin often in friendly competition, occasionally scheming to out-maneuver the wife, but always enjoying life, companionship, and their outdoor adventures. It is better than similar collections by Gene Hill (which are also good but tend to be more introspective). I think that MacQuarrie has perfectly captured the image of what we would like each of our outdoor adventures to be, even if they do not often live up to this expectation in reality. People will still be reading and enjoying these stories a hundred years from now.
Each of the stories center around the fishing and hunting adventures Old Duck Hunters Association, Inc (the Inc stand for Incorrigible). The only reason that I give this 4.8 is that as good as they are, these stories are not on the same planet as Ruark's `The Old Man and the Boy'. They are about fishing (mostly fly fishing) and hunting (mostly duck and deer hunting) in his native northern Wisconsin. I'm now going to go and buy a fly rod and try it this year.
Reading "Stories of the Old Duck Hunters" will first transport you to your favorite duck blind, with the early morning sun glowing through the morning mist, the winter chill misting your breath and numbing your fingers. I found myself many times gazing of into space as I reflected upon my own experiences, the book momentarily forgotten in my hands as MacQuarrie once again made some connection to my thoughts and feelings. The terms "author" or "writer" do not apply to Mr. Then you will find yourself in the middle of the old Brule river, the cold water swirling around your waders as you try to tease a crafty Brown from behind a rock with a worn no-name brown fly.MacQuarrie's wonderful story telling will cause you to laugh with joy, sigh with nostalgia, tense with apprehension, and bring the occassional tear to your eye. If you love the outdoors, and especially if your idea of a perfect day involves the frigid, wet, muddy, foggy self-torture device known as a duck blind, you must read this book. MacQuarrie. He is an artist.
May GM's works live forever. Just reread this old favorite of mine. His characters are masterpieces of excellent writing and his storytelling is an art.
If you aren't but take time to listen to these stories, you might find yourself looking at old shotguns, bamboo flyrods, and bluebill decoys in a different light. If you are a hunter or fisherman you will never regret it. Buy this trilogy.
I can't say enough about MacQuarrie and his story telling ability. You will feel the glow of the woodstove and relish the ache in your arms that comes from rowing your boat back to the cedar cabin on a North Wisconsin lake. I told my wife that if I am ever in a coma clinging to life, she should play these tapes.
MacQuarrie's literary voice, the subject, and characters of his stories make my heart ache for a time that I was born too late to experience. You might even find yourself in sleeting rain on a North Lake someday as wings whistle overhead. No one can describe better the experience of huddling in a pre dawn duckblind as wings whistle overhead in the darkness.
Nor what it's like to feel the sure pluck of a brown trout at your fly during a spring rain.
A must read if you have any interest in the outdoor lifestyle. Collection of short stories dealing about hunting, fishing and life. MacQuarrie was one of our finest outdoor writers and had a way to put how many outdoorsmen really feel into words.
|
