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    The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women, and a Life-Changing Day on a River
    The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women, and a Life-Changing Day on a River
    The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women, and a Life-Changing Day on a River
    Ebook47 pages42 minutes

    The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women, and a Life-Changing Day on a River

    By Randy Kadish

    3.5/5

    ()

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    About this ebook

    From The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women:

    Now, as I approach the autumn of my life and some, though not all, of my dreams have come true, how do I describe myself? As a wife and a mother who loves her family, as an attorney who admires the law, and as a fly fisher who proudly says she learned from the greatest fly fisher she ever knew: her grandmother.

    And whether by accident or not, my grandmother, with the help of some unexpected and dark events, taught me something even more important than fishing, something that, even after such a long, long parade of days, I still cherish, like an antique fly rod, and wish to pass on.

    The lesson happened in the middle of trout season, on the first day of summer, when several incidents came together, perhaps randomly, and formed the big event of June twenty-first. I was fourteen years old and very, very hurt and angry.

    Why, you ask? ...

    e-Story Description:

    When her mother deserts her to be with a new man, Amanda is hurt and betrayed. She loses faith in the world. To soothe her pain, she retreats into fly fishing, until she learns that her loving grandmother has terminal cancer.

    Amanda struggles to find answers. Then one day she discovers that her grandmother, against the doctor’s orders, has gone fishing somewhere on the Junction River. Frightened, Amanda, along with Shana, her adopted dog, and Vernon, a grieving alcoholic, searches the river—but marches into an unexpected, terrifying event that, in a surprising way, helps her learn to forgive and to see the good in the world.

    "Kadish has carved a wonderful story full of antics that any true angler would love. His characters are fun and bold, mercurial and fast somewhat like the fish themselves. ... If you love fishing and especially fly fishing, you will enjoy this wholesome family story. It takes you back to a time before innocence is changed and the times where a child is still unafraid to speak their mind." --Seattle Post Intelligencer Online

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandy Kadish
    Release dateDec 11, 2010
    ISBN9781452465203
    The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women, and a Life-Changing Day on a River
    Author

    Randy Kadish

    I'm a native New Yorker. After a good deal of disappointment, I gave up writing. Then my mother passed away, and I found that fishing helped ease my grief. Almost accidentally, I wrote and sold a fishing article. Afterwards, my articles and memoirs appeared in many publications, including The Flyfisher, Flyfishing & Tying Journal and Yale Anglers' Journal. To me, much of my writing is about how the challenges of fishing and the beauty of the outdoors helped me come to terms with loss and with a world I can't always understand. In a sense, my writing is autobiographical, as it reflects my own gratifying, but at times, difficult journey of emotional and spiritual recovery. On the long road of my journey, I slowly learned that, even when I don't have answers, I must strive to find forgiveness and self-worth and to connect to the good in the world. (This is how I define spirituality.) I therefore love books where the main characters struggle against inner and outer conflicts and then try to do what's right. My most recent book is, The Way of the River: My Journey of Fishing, Forgiveness and Spiritual Recovery.

    Read more from Randy Kadish

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    Reviews for The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women, and a Life-Changing Day on a River

    3.5/5

    23 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      As an older woman, Amanda tells the story of the summer she was fourteen. Her mother has left the family to be with a new man, and her grandmother is diagnosed with cancer. Against doctor's orders, her grandmother has gone fishing, leaving Amanda to believe she may commit suicide. Along with her dog Shana, and Vernon, an alcoholic fisher, they set off along the river to find her. Beautifully written this short-story is engaging and interesting. I highly enjoyed it and would recommend it to others. I would love to see more work from this author.
    • 4/5
      An easy reading short story of a grandmother who teaches life lessons through fly fishing. A young girl loses her mother, finds her self respect and grows into an adult who can forgive.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this quaint tale of a girl looking for love and enjoyment of fly fishing. Her mother abandons her and her father so her grandmother comes to live with them and provide some love and teachings about fly fishing.I liked the messages in the story and the short but gripping writing style of this book.I would definitely recommend people read this short story.
    • 2/5
      The author possesses a clean and educated writing style, but the story was lacking in a true purpose. What exactly were we and the main character supposed to learn, again? It only started to feel like I was reading a story told by a young girl, when at one point the plot turned to a very exaggerated and unbelievable scenario. I would like to read something else from the author, as there is talent but be demonstrated, but with a better plot.
    • 3/5
      a good read, did talk about God, though the girl never really accepted him but she did accept her mother back in the end. Was a nice story about a grandmother and her daughter teaching her fly fishing.
    • 4/5
      A story of two women and how a day on the river helped them to come to grips with what life had thrown at them and in their own ways they learned how to go on and face the rest of their lives. There is a spirituality in a river that if one slows down and lets it overcome all of their daily cares, it will soothe and comfort a person. That is what the grandmother knew and was on the river alone to achieve, and her granddaughter in her search for her found that comfort and was able to overcome any doubts that had been bothering her and she learned that becoming “famous” (in the eyes of the world) was not all that it was cracked up to be. With fly fishing you must become observant and alert to what is going on around you and on the river. That is the lesson that the young girl learns. Sometimes we must pass up those holes that we want to fish to achieve our goals.A very interesting a good read.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this story. It jumps right into the action and doesn’t belabor on unneeded back story. I liked the characters, the emotional aspect isn’t overdone, and the descriptions are vivid.Amanda has issues (many) to work through, but as a young girl, that isn’t unusual. This story shows the inner turmoil she feels as well as she deals with abandonment, loss, fear, and forgiveness. I especially enjoyed her friend straw hat wearing, whiskey drinking friend, Vernon. LOL The author did a fabulous job of character development in such a short story. Vernon, in my opinion, was the star of the show.I don’t feel you have to be a fly-fisherman to get into this story. There are fly-fishing terms throughout, but they don’t hinder the flow—and taught me a thing a two. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the LibraryThing Member Giveaway. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this story. It jumps right into the action and doesn’t belabor on unneeded back story. I liked the characters, the emotional aspect isn’t overdone, and the descriptions are vivid.Amanda has issues (many) to work through, but as a young girl, that isn’t unusual. This story shows the inner turmoil she feels as well as she deals with abandonment, loss, fear, and forgiveness. I especially enjoyed her friend straw hat wearing, whiskey drinking friend, Vernon. LOL The author did a fabulous job of character development in such a short story. Vernon, in my opinion, was the star of the show.I don’t feel you have to be a fly-fisherman to get into this story. There are fly-fishing terms throughout, but they don’t hinder the flow—and taught me a thing a two. Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the LibraryThing Member Giveaway. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
    • 3/5
      Article first published as Book Review:The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women by Randy Kadish on Blogcritics.Lessons in our youth are often the ones that dictate the path we choose. Everyone has those lessons, either good or bad, but something that shapes our life. In The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women by Randy Kadish, Amanda, an attorney now looks back at the formative years of her life and the special bond that helped her become the successful person she is. Having grown up with her father after her mother left and nurtured by her grandmother, Amanda has fond memories of the years gone by. She often looks back to one special day in her life when many things happened that changed her life forever.Her Grandparents were avid fly fishermen; her Grandfather had actually died on the pond. Her Grandmother was her confidant and her best friend and Amanda spent a great deal of time with her learning the art of fly-casting. Amanda’s young life changed in an instant when her Grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. She no longer spent her free time on the water fishing she stayed near her sickbed, keeping her company. When her Grandmother gave her, her fly reel and shooed her on her way to more fishing, Amanda reluctantly agreed. She took her beloved dog and spent numerous hours wrestling with the fish. It was at this time she met the fish of her dreams, the one that always got away. The beauty and delicacy of the catch, the danger of losing such a prize made Amanda make a decision, if she could only land it she would let it go. It was about the mastery, and if she were capable of this, she would be forever grateful.One morning getting ready for school, Amanda was surprised to find her Grandmother up and dressed in her fishing gear. Concerned, Amanda wanted to skip her schooling and keep her Grandmother safe. Laughing, her Grandmother assured her she was more than capable, and as Amanda hugged her to be on her way; she felt the gun her Grandmother was carrying. When asking about it her Grandmother reminded her that a woman on her own could never be too careful. In School, Amada kept thinking back to her conversation, and a feeling that something was wrong. Unable to concentrate and worried now, she leaves her school and tries to find her Grandmother.It is a day of danger and even stranger happenings. She runs into an old man, down on his luck and a friend of his grandmother, and when Amanda see’s he has her Grandmother’s fishing creel she understands her feeling of dread, why would her Grandmother give away something so dear. Shock and dismay become the tone of the day, and the old man too learns a lesson from Amanda, as he becomes her protector through this dangerous and gruesome day. Can she find her Grandmother before the unimaginable happens? Can a young girl survive the real dangers that lurk in the woods?Kadish has carved a wonderful story full of antics that any true angler would love. His characters are fun and bold, mercurial and fast somewhat like the fish themselves. Amanda is a brave young girl, searching for a hold in a world that has crumbled. Abandoned by her mother, the only other female figure in her life is her Grandmother. When she is diagnosed with cancer, Amanda’s life further erodes. The fishing soothes her feeling; the continual casting of the fly-fishing that keeps her mind from the worrisome illness of her beloved Grandmother.Her Grandmother is a wonderful character. She is someone we would all like to know, and she too is knowledgeable about fishing. It is the tie that binds their family. This is a wonder character driven book that just happens to be about fishing. This is a short story, full of bravado and a bit of cunning.If you love fishing and especially fly fishing, you will enjoy this wholesome family story. It takes you back to a time before innocence is changed and the times where a child is still unafraid to speak their mind. This book was received as a free download from the author. All opinions are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.
    • 5/5
      Wonderful storyline! While several sentences need revision, the author’s voice comes through in this writing. The search for Grandma is much drawn out but the overall flow is very nice. This sentence says it all, “Why can’t the world be like one great big Shana”. Page numbers would be extremely helpful also. Thanks for the fun opportunity to review this book.
    • 3/5
      The author has a way of creating characters that seem to pop off the page. Even though this was a very quick read, I really felt that I knew Amanda as a friend. However, I felt that this story could have been fleshed out a little better. I am sure that the author could have gone into a little more detail on the events that transpired. I don’t want to go into too much detail. As I said, it is a very short read and just mentioning too much can give the whole story away.

    Book preview

    The Bad, The Good and Two Fly Fishing Women, and a Life-Changing Day on a River - Randy Kadish

    THE BAD, THE GOOD AND TWO FLY FISHING WOMEN

    A Life-Changing Day on a River

    Randy Kadish

    author, The Way of the River My Journey of Fishing, Forgiveness and Spiritual Recovery

    Smashwords Edition Copyright © 2010 by Randy Kadish

    https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/randyflycaster

    Smashwords Edition, License Notes

    This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

    CHAPTER 1

    Now, as I approach the autumn of my life and some, though not all, of my dreams have come true, how do I describe myself? As a wife and a mother who loves her family, as an attorney who admires the law, and as a fly fisher who proudly says she learned from the greatest fly fisher she ever knew: her grandmother.

    And whether by accident or not, my grandmother, with the help of some unexpected and dark events, taught me something even more important than fishing, something that, even after such a long, long parade of days, I still cherish, like an antique fly rod, and wish to pass on.

    The lesson happened in the middle of trout season, on the first day of summer, when several incidents came together, perhaps randomly, and formed the extraordinary event of June 21st. I was fourteen years old and very, very hurt and angry.

    Why, you ask?

    A year had passed since my grandfather died of a heart attack while fishing a nameless, but very beautiful, pool on the Junction River. My grandmother and father came to believe that if someone had been with him he might have lived.

    But in spite of their belief, my grandmother often told me, Amanda, be thankful he at least died doing what he loved. Besides, I know he’s waiting for me. Maybe by the time we meet again he’ll stop burping at the table.

    I tried to see it my grandmother’s way, but couldn’t. Deep down inside the truth was I desperately wanted him back so he could hug me and tell me fishing stories I knew weren’t all true. Besides, he lived close by, so he was the one I often ran to when the fighting between my mother and father—sometimes about all the money my mother was spending on pot—got real bad.

    Whom did I blame for the fighting? I guess both of them even though I knew my father was only trying to stop my mother from getting high. And I wanted her to stop. I hated the smell of marijuana. The smell meant my mother watched television with a stupid grin on her face, a grin saying silently, but loudly: don’t even try to get me to help you with your homework.

    To make things worse, I couldn’t look forward to my father coming home because that usually led to another fight and to me running to my room, slamming the door and putting a pillow over my head. The pillow filtered out most of the words, but the anger always found a way through, and made me pray for my mother to stop getting high.

    She didn’t. So every

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