Would you recommend this book to others? Why or Why not?

I first read this novel when I was in high school, many, many moons ago. At the time, it was a shocker.......... today it's a classic. You have to love this novel for its honesty. Hoe many authors can convey this type of journey and keep the reader at the edge of their chair. The novel has detailed observations, once in a lifetime experiences, difficulties, and even a bit of horror when the main character gets into the natural world just a little too naturally. To say out hero (?) was prepared couldn't be more untrue. He had no idea what was in store for him.

Deliverance gives the reader the opportunity to see what happens when two extremes meet head on..... when masculinity is the ultimate power one moment and nothing the next. Survival makes a great story...... natural instincts don't change, but man's ability to act on them does.

I think this is a great novel, although definitely not from my favorite genre. I have to admit though, it left a huge impression. I haven't read it in years, and your question instantly brought it to my memory......... what did you think?

I may have to re-read it this summer and see how well it has held up...... but it wouldn't be in my list of great American novels. I have many that would come before it.

I have only seen the movie and it was creepy! Still, I know people have found the book just as scary/strange! Here is the general consensus of the book,

No doubt you've seen, and likely enjoyed, "Deliverance", the movie. And in many ways, that terrific film was a faithful rendering of James Dickey's classic. Yet, as with most successful films based on successful novels, the written form allows much more interest, more depth, more nuance. "Deliverance" the novel is so well written that a single sentence can conjure 1,000 frames of film, a paragraph an entire scene. James Dickey is better known for poetry than fiction, and the lyrical quality of his prose is well evident in this journey of four Atlanta businessman down a raging north Georgia river. Told in the first person by Ed Gentry (Jon Voight in the film), "Deliverance" is a gripping adventure story, but also of one humiliation, murder, tragedy, and ultimately a soul searching study of one man's struggle with courage, morality, and ethics. Dickey offers an unapologetic and unflattering portrait of the hill people of northern Georgia, yet without malice or prejudice - simply the necessary backdrop to serve as the physical manifestation from which there can be "deliverance". Fiercely told and every bit as suspenseful as the excellent film, this great classic should be read by all lovers of American fiction.