≡ [PDF] Gratis The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Melissa Banks 9780143035473 Books

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Melissa Banks 9780143035473 Books

Download As PDF : The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Melissa Banks 9780143035473 Books

The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Melissa Banks 9780143035473 Books

Someone gave this to me when I was a teenager, and it was like a light in the dark, murky world of insecurity and dating. The author is an incredibly versatile writer, mostly following the life of one character (Jane) but weaving in other stories as well. Overall the theme is about looking for love and dating, but instead of the usual "woman seeks Mr. Right and finds him at the end," the main character very frequently has to say goodbye to men she loves, because she is with them for the wrong reasons or it just doesn't work out. The book, and her story, isn't ultimately about finding Mr. Right at all - but about maintaining integrity as a person in the awkward, self-conscious quest that is dating.

The second-person-voiced chapter on overcoming breast cancer was over my head as a teenager, never having experienced any health problems of my own. I was mostly struck by the unusual shift in narration. Someone who has been through an experience like that will find it incredibly meaningful - and familiar. "Too late, you realize that your body was perfect - every healthy body is."


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The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing Melissa Banks 9780143035473 Books Reviews

I don't know where I was in the world when everyone else was publicizing this book, but I had never heard of it until it landed on my desk. Literally. A coworker of mine set the hard cover version of this book on my desk because she had lost my Harry Potter book. In all honesty, I did not consider it a fair trade because I don't like hunting and I don't like fishing and Harry Potter. C'mon! Doesn't compete! AND what was this book about, anyway?
Well, without any bias and VERY low expectations, I loved this book, and read it in two days' time. I loved it so much that after I returned it to my coworker (who miraculously recovered my Harry Potter, thank goodness), I went out and bought another copy and sent it to my best friend in Florida.
Hopefully, my Florida friend kept the chain going. This is a great book, and if the stories make you think that Jane has a low self-esteem, well, she does. I think that is more realistic than Smug Marrieds might realize (or not, as I am one of Those). But I suggest giving this book a chance. It's a good one, even with its misleading title.
First, let me say that the wildly divergent opinions on this book are fascinating. Rarely does one see so many 1-star and 5-star reviews for the same book. I myself thought it was great, although I probably would give it 4.5 stars, only because I thought that some of the endings were a bit loose. What puzzled me however is how many reviewers compared this book to Bridget Jones' Diary, some (but not many) considering it better, and others (the vast majority of those comparing) considering it not nearly as good. To me, other than the very last (title) story, which was admittedly quite reminiscent of Bridget Jones, the rest of these stories bore almost no comparison whatsoever. Whereas Helen Fielding's book (which I liked) was more of a farcical, slapstick, riotous, go-for-the-laugh-every-second type of book, I felt that the humor in this book, while certainly abundant, was more wry and not (unlike BJD) its raison-d'etre. I thought this book was deeper, broader, more instrospective and thought-provoking. In any event, I would recommend it highly.
THE GIRLS GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING by Melissa Bank

October 7, 2004

THE GIRLS GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING is not a novel. It's a series of stories (some that had been published previously) centering on Jane Rosenal, starting from the age of fourteen through middle age. Each story reveals something different about her, puts her in different situations, and in nearly every single story, it is told with a lot of wit and sassy humor. I found myself chuckling through some of the earlier stories, and found myself empathizing with her in another story (about her father dying from cancer).

I don't know of any other way to describe this "novel". It isn't a novel and so there was no climax or high point at the end of the last chapter. However, I did feel a sense of "ending" with that last story, feeling that maybe Jane had finally found someone that she may love for the rest of her life, or maybe as she said "We are just two mayflies mating on a summer night". Very profound.

My overall feeling about this "book" is that I loved it, mainly because it is not what I had expected. With a title such as THE GIRLS GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING, I expected a tale centering on a teenage girl living in Wisconsin, for instance. What I did not expect was a coming-of-age series of short stories, chronicling the life of one woman from New England, along with her desires, thoughts, and opinions. I found it unique and it kept my attention throughout the entire book.

The middle story, which many readers have questioned, bothers me as well. But, from what I feel after reading this book, it was just a "lull", a transition story, in which Jane had moved into her deceased aunt's apartment, and it signified a big change in her life (her starting her relationship with her aunt's friend Archie). It was a rather weird blip in this series of stories, and that is only my guess as to why it appeared in the book. Other than that, I have no real complaints about THE GIRLS GUIDE TO HUNTING AND FISHING. With that said, I don't think this is a book that any reader can enjoy. One needs to be in a certain frame of mind, and come to the book not expecting anything in particular, or you may be disappointed.
When my husband and I started dating, I gave this paperback to him my favorite contemporary novel. It was important to me that he understood where I was coming from; upon my suggestion, he read it, but didn't say a word about it.

But on our wedding day, he quoted my favorite excerpt back to me for his groom's speech during the reception--the exact quotation that I described to him before he proposed.

This one is among my top three novels ever. It's a bit contentious and fractious; but then, so is the narrator! I love her!!
Someone gave this to me when I was a teenager, and it was like a light in the dark, murky world of insecurity and dating. The author is an incredibly versatile writer, mostly following the life of one character (Jane) but weaving in other stories as well. Overall the theme is about looking for love and dating, but instead of the usual "woman seeks Mr. Right and finds him at the end," the main character very frequently has to say goodbye to men she loves, because she is with them for the wrong reasons or it just doesn't work out. The book, and her story, isn't ultimately about finding Mr. Right at all - but about maintaining integrity as a person in the awkward, self-conscious quest that is dating.

The second-person-voiced chapter on overcoming breast cancer was over my head as a teenager, never having experienced any health problems of my own. I was mostly struck by the unusual shift in narration. Someone who has been through an experience like that will find it incredibly meaningful - and familiar. "Too late, you realize that your body was perfect - every healthy body is."