Jennifer Olsson had a busy life in Bozeman, Montana. Mother to a young son and running a tackle shop alongside her husband, she was also much in demand as a fly-fishing guide. Then a letter arrived from a Swedish river-keeper named Lars. He had found Jennifer's name in a brochure and thought that inviting this well-known American fishing guide to visit his stretch of river---once nearly ruined by logging and now making a comeback---might be a terrific public relations coup. At first, Jennifer considered tossing the letter ...
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Jennifer Olsson had a busy life in Bozeman, Montana. Mother to a young son and running a tackle shop alongside her husband, she was also much in demand as a fly-fishing guide. Then a letter arrived from a Swedish river-keeper named Lars. He had found Jennifer's name in a brochure and thought that inviting this well-known American fishing guide to visit his stretch of river---once nearly ruined by logging and now making a comeback---might be a terrific public relations coup. At first, Jennifer considered tossing the letter out with the junk mail. Reasons not to go were legion, beginning with a fully booked guide season and no extra shop help. Besides, what did Sweden have to offer a fly fisher from the hallowed trout waters of the American West? Lars, however, was persistent. Late one night, in apparent ignorance of the time difference between Sweden and Montana, he called to follow up. Listening to his voice on the answering machine, Jennifer made one of those decisions that change life instantly and forever. She picked up the phone and said she would come. This wonderful memoir provides us with a true "and then . . ." story. Jennifer went to Sweden and fell in love---with the country, the river, and with its keeper. Jennifer and Lars Olsson venture into a cross-cultural fly-fishing life, beginning with an attempt on Jennifer's part to wade the chilling but bracing currents of rural Sweden. Here people speak sparingly (if at all), paint their houses in one of two colors (one predominates), and seem curiously immune to mosquitoes (in numbers beyond counting). They are passionate about berry picking, barn dances, moose hunts, and a delicacy called surstromming, or sour herring---so toxic that it is best eaten only where there is ample ventilation and a ready source of fresh water. When she isn't fishing the river for grayling (a cousin of the trout), Jennifer explores her village, discovering a place and its inhabitants that time almost forgot. When she gets invited to participate in the annual moose hunt, Jennifer knows she has truly been accepted. "Fly Fishing the River of Second Chances" is about starting over, about navigating our way when our choices take us in over our heads. Delightful, sometimes bittersweet, often hilarious, and always deeply affectionate, here is a portrait of Sweden and a memoir about second chances that no reader will forget.
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