Home Waters: Fishing with an Old Friend: A Memoir

by Joseph Monninger

Joseph Monninger thought the worst when Nellie, his loyal golden retriever, became ill.   Home Waters is the story of the road trip that Monninger decided to embark on with Nellie, traveling out West to revisit their favorite mountain haunts and trout streams.  Expecting this to be their final excursion together, Monninger maps a course that includes the Wind River Range in Wyoming, the Bighorn River in Montana, and Henry Ford's River in Idaho.

Painting a loving portrait of his canine companion and the joys of fishing, Monninger recalls the life events that Nellie has seen him through and describes how, oblivious to her presumed health problems, Nellie contentedly watches bison at Yellowstone, chases a coyote, and falls head over heels for a Chesapeake retriever named Chunky.  Combining the charm of John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley with the unsentimental storytelling of A River Runs Through It , Home Waters is a delightful story of a beautiful friendship--one that is, in the end, renewed rather than ended.

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1999

About the author

Joseph Monninger was an American writer and Professor of English at Plymouth State University. He lived in Warren, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Courtney Niederer]

I love Joseph Monninger's books. This one is his story about fly fishing, mainly out West, with his dog, Nellie. Nellie is an older dog who had some lumps removed before their trip. As Monninger figures this will be their last trip together, he makes the most of it. It was a good book, but as I'm not a fisherman, the details bogged me down a little. I can see where a fisherman would really dig this book.

[Sarah Straz]

I bought this memoir for my husband, who fly fishes and loves dogs with such ferocity that I screened it before giving it to him. A sad dog book, no matter how well written, would not be much of a gift. Though I love exploring the great wide open, especially with a pup at my heels, I know nothing about fishing of any kind. Yet I loved this book. It's simple, sweet, and at times, poetic... and touching, but not sad. I'm sure a fisher-person would appreciate the lure (sorry) of it all the more.

[Kurt]

I admit I might be biased--I know Joe Monninger and I knew Nellie--but that doesn't change the fact that this is a beautiful and moving tribute to the love Joe felt for his dog and mirrors how all of us who have invited a dog into our families feel as we see their ends coming. It's a book I've read several times over the years and I recommend it to anyone who loves the outdoors and time spent with their loyalist of friends, their dog.

[john a allison]

I have it 5 stars because I can't give it 10. I found this book at an outlet store for $3.50 and took a chance, and it will easily go down as one of my top 10 of all time. If you fly fish, or love dogs or like me, both, do yourself a favor and buy this book. I felt like I was right there with them on their trip, Joseph writes that good. After looking my dog a year ago, I needed this book.

[Olgalijo]

I gave this book three stars only because I don't think that many people would get into it. It's pretty slow and basically nothing happens. But in truth I really enjoyed it because I think that it depicts very well the way of thinking of people who really love their pets, and how many small details become vey important.

[Carol D]

Ok I admit it, the dog on the front cover made me think it was more about the dog. It wasn't. It was more about fly fishing out west and the author took his best friend, his dog, with him. If you like to read about trout fishing and tying your own Zug Bugs then this is the book for you.

[Jason]

A memoir of a man on a fishing trip with his dying dog! Holy cow, it may as well have been Old Yeller!

[Sandy Swain]

Not the kind of book I normally read but got it as a gift and gave it a chance. Beautiful and lyrical writing that had me wiping away tears at some points.

[Jane Seevers]

I am a huge fan if Joseph Monninger but I didn't really care for this book, mostly because of the topick - flyfishing!

[Amanda L.]

For the love of a dog... keep a box of tissues close by.