Riverman: An American Odyssey

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars | 629 ratings

Price: 15.75

Last update: 08-09-2024


Top reviews from the United States

Tyler
5.0 out of 5 stars Just pick it up.
Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2024
It’s a great book. Get it.
Paul Mitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars A Labor of Love
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2022
After a chance encounter with an enchanting stranger, Mr. McGrath embarks on an obsessive quest to understand the depths of the stranger's life. This is a meticulously researched account of one Dick Conant and his remarkable life. In the telling of this story the author reveals much about himself and in some ways explores the hidden thoughts of us all. It made me ponder that delicate balance between insanity, eccentricity, and genius. Congratulations to Mr. McGrath on his first book.
Mark Kro
5.0 out of 5 stars Title says it
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2023
A fascinating, well written, well researched narrative of a rarity in human kind. Thank you Ben McGrath
JLS
3.0 out of 5 stars Eminently readable but content thin
Reviewed in the United States on April 29, 2023
I bought this based on the strong reviews; I expected more. The author writes well and this is an easy and at times interesting read. The author does a commendable job of recreating the life of Dick Conant, a man who lived on the edge of society - via the latter's journals and through interviews with the large number of people he met. Mr. Conant must have been charismatic in real life given the strong impression he left on the many different, frequently picaresque characters he intersected with. Insights into small river towns were also of interest. However, I found myself thinking there are more compelling individuals to read about and, at least for me, no major life lessons/insights emerged. I'd rate it between 3 and 4 stars.
G. L. Ellzey
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Narrative
Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2023
One of the best books I have recently read. I wonder what actually happened to him. A magnificent story well told.
Pat
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting book, but I wanted more
Reviewed in the United States on April 12, 2022
Having read Into the Wild, the plot is known- this isn’t going to end well. What this book then documents meticulously is not just the canoeing, but the evolution of this man, his impact on others, and the wider community of iconoclasts living on the edges of society. It is also a travelogue of a journey, conducted by preserving food in pickle juice, scrounging for clean water, and reading the weather in the clouds and current. You will find no better sourcing in book form than this author: from Dicks own book drafts and scribbling, the author has unearthed hundreds of people, sometimes just brief acquaintances that van verify one of his incredible stories. And so many of these people were genuinely touched by this man. So please read and meet this fascinating man.
What I dearly wanted was some synthesis at the end. What did the author think was responsible for Dicks trajectory from popular student to homelessness? Why was he simultaneously so open to people and yet hesitant to the point of seeming isolationism? Of the other nonconformists in the book, some are just wierd, some appear horrible, others affable loners like Dick. What are we to make of this unseen population?
Bravo to the author for bringing Dicks life into our worlds.
Leslie
5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I had known him...
Reviewed in the United States on January 14, 2024
Thank you Ben McGrath for having the determination to research Dick's life. I felt that I was leaving one reality only to discover another reality.
Elvis B.
5.0 out of 5 stars My kind of book. Great job by the author in telling this story.
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed the story of Dick Conant and his many miles, adventures and many friends collected along the way. All while paddling our nations waterways.
I’ll be paddling the South Holston River this coming week in remembrance of Conant. The author Ben McGrath did an excellent job in his research and sharing Dick’s story. So much so, I hated finishing the book. Thank You!

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