Little Rivers: Tales of a Woman Angler

by Margot Page

The expanded edition of the ground-breaking memoir Little Tales of a Woman Angler (originally published in 1995) remains the first literary narrative of a woman in the male-dominated sport of fly fishing. In essays described as "luminous," Little Rivers features the continuing chronicles of Margot Page’s evolution from reluctant student to passionate angler to married, angling young mother, to divorced, desk-bound angler. In this eloquent, acclaimed book, Margot Page continues her strong, evocative presence in the canon of fly-fishing literature. Page invites us to her home river, Vermont’s marble-banked Battenkill, to Cape Cod saltwater fishing for striped bass, to Montana's big waters, to the wild Alaskan landscape, and, most compellingly, to the passages that run through her life and echo our own. She also includes a rare peek at the early years of the national nonprofit Casting for Recovery , of which she is a founding member and trustee. The granddaughter of the legendary angling writer Sparse Grey Hackle and former spouse of renowned angling authority Tom Rosenbauer, Margot is the author of three nonfiction books and a former contributor to The New York Times . Her essays on fly fishing have been anthologized in numerous publications. 10% of all proceeds from the sale of Little Rivers will be donated to Casting for Recovery . REVIEWS “This splendid collection of essays, reprinted from periodicals like the New York Times, Rod & Reel , and Trout , is remarkable especially because Page is able to be lyrical while writing matter-of-fact prose. . . . The book’s charm is enhanced by [her] personal history.” Publishers Weekly “As lovely, lyrical, and irresistible as a spring creek . . . a graceful intertwining of fishing yarns with meditations on the sorrows and pleasures of life.” author Jerry Dennis “One of our most respected angling writers ... Margot Page can’t write an ungraceful sentence.... I’ll take this elegant book any day.” Fly Rod & Reel Magazine “The kind of lucidity, wit, and passion that makes writing that endures ... Margot Page has the freshest, most original eye fly-fishing literature has been blessed with in years.” novelist W.D. Wetherell “ ...this gorgeously illustrated, tight-knit little collection of essays is a joyous book, full of rich generational dimensions, and informed throughout by the life of water. The essays range widely and are full of wonderful anecdotes....” poet John Engels “Gracious and gracefully written ... notable among angling books ... Page seems to know where to draw the line and when to put the snapshots back in her wallet. At her best, she writes in a well-schooled lyric realism that reminds me of Gretel Ehrlich of The Solace of Open Spaces , one of the finest recent books about the West.” Fly Fisherman Magazine

128 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1995

About the author

A writer, author, and editor living in southwestern Vermont, Margot has nearly thirty-five years in the publishing/communications field and has worked as a freelance nonfiction editor, writer, and communications specialist since moving to Vermont from New York City in 1985.

The author of three nonfiction books, she is a former contributor to The New York Times and her writing on fly fishing has been anthologized in numerous publications. She has edited several national magazines and dozens of nonfiction books, ranging from fine art publications and practical how-to books to corporate histories.

Margot is proud of her work with Casting for Recovery, a national nonprofit organization that provides support and educational programs for breast cancer survivors at no cost to them.

Reviews

[Lianne Kurina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend recommended this book and I really enjoyed it. The author did a great job framing the challenges of balancing family, work, and interests and embraced the importance of the latter as well as the first two.

[Jeffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking for a fishing book by a female author that would blow my mind. I'm still looking.

Manufactured passion.

I am reading a book by a female author. Supposedly from a long line of smug and accomplished fly anglers/writers espousing the intricate snobbery fly fishing entails.

I like female authors. I like female singers. I like female artists. I like the idea of the fairer sex being enthralled by the angling lifestyle and being able to ably put it to paper.

The book I am reading now reads more like a audition, more like a love letter to her man than a book of stories that express her love for fishing. It's as if she is trying her damndest to impress her man with jargon and myriad of cliches that surround the fly fishing lifestyle. It's rather aggravating. :)

Manufactured passion is a big seller these days. We see it, we are drawn to it, and we are bludgeoned with it daily. It is easy for me to see right through and disregard it, nonetheless society reeks of it.

You cannot manufacture passion. The woman who pretends to love professional sports in order to have a deeper connection with her man is as sad as the man who has to ask permission from his spouse to go fishing. What a sorry lot indeed. :)

What I ask, so I can have a deeper understanding, are there any decent female angling authors about? Who are they? Are there examples that don't include manufactured passion? Or am I missing something?

[Barbara Glass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving, insightful and wonderful

Full disclosure, I went to high school with Margot but knew little of her life since then. Wonderful revelations- with fly fishing, the great outdoors and relationships that make for a captivating read.

[Kyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good to read before bed.