The Healing Stream

This book is a bit of a shame. It takes a very brave person to open their soul to the public but somehow it just misses the point. The author seems to spend a lot of his fishing life consuming vast amounts of alcohol on the riverbank then bursting into tears. We never find out the cause of his depression and after a while it all wears a bit thin. It really needs a much deeper insight into his private and working lives for the reader to get a better understanding of the problem. At the end of the book when the inevitable breakdown happens, the story is disjointed and the only clue we get is that the final trigger was perhaps a phantom illness. I suspect there are far deeper issues at work which usually cause alcoholism and depression to go hand in hand. From a fishing point of view there is nothing here of much interest unless you fish the Eden or Wharfe. It's all a bit "caught a fish here and fished a pool there" but I did agree with his views on catch and release and hope modern anglers take note. I suspect this is not really a book about fishing but the mental health issues could have been handled with a much better insight into it all. Towards the end I was bored with the whole thing and just wanted to get onto another book. A great pity as the potential was here for a very moving book.

My husband very much enjoyed this book. It was a surprise gift.

Engaging and candid account of dealing with mental health issues with the constant consolation of fly fishing by an elegant and endearing author

A wonderful read and recommended to all who love the countryside with a rod in pursuit of river Trout and Grayling.

A great book, heart-felt and honest

Laurence Catlow’s latest book is an exceptional and remarkably candid autobiography. His love of fishing and shooting is accompanied in this volume by his open and honest account of the disabling influence of mental illness. At first it took him from his beloved northern trout streams as he withdrew under the cloak of depression. However, ultimately it was the solace he gained from returning to these streams that proved his salvation. The elegance of his writing and his evident courage in sharing his experiences with the reader mark this as an exceptional book. Highly recommended.