The Last Guide

The Last Guide: A Story of Fish and Love by Ron Corbett is a nostalgic look at the history and lore of guided fishing in and around Algonquin Provincial Park in north-central Ontario, Canada, and more specifically about Frank Kuiack, the last guide.
Ron Corbett, a reporter following a lead on recent DNA testing of wolves in Algonquin Park indicating they were of the red wolf species instead of the previously assumed timber wolf, was referred to Frank Kuiack. Kuiack was as knowledgeable as anyone about the wolves in the park, Corbett was told, so he set up an interview.
When Corbett arrived at the sixty-something-year-old man’s house, he could tell immediately from the canoes in the yard and the fishing gear in the house that Kuiack had been a guide. Corbett asked him when he had retired and Kuiack surprised him by saying he wasn’t retired; he still guided.
At the end of the wolf interview, Corbett asked to go fishing with the older man. Kuiack said he was booked solid until the end of the season, and he would take him then.
It wasn’t until near the end of this multi-day fishing trip that Corbett learned his would be the last long guided trip. During the course of the trip, Kuiack’s story unfolds and we see why the spry sexagenarian was planning to only take short day trips for fishing from then on. Interspersed with Kuiack’s personal history are the biographies of the famous guides who went before him.
This is an enjoyable read for anyone who likes reading nature stories or biographies of down-on-your-luck but resilient people. Four Stars!

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What an engaging book! It was difficult to put this one down, I felt like I was right there...I could smell the air, feel the fish, hear the people talking. To say I loved this book would be an understatement. This would be a great camp book, a wonderful gift for the fisherman or fisherwoman in your life, or even the perfect book to read in the depths of winter when the snow and dark closes in.
Heck, read it anytime and read it often. I know I will!

A really fun, charming, warms-your-heart read. It's about an old fishing guide in the Algonquin Provincial Park in north-central Ontario named Frank Kuiack, Frank has been a guide since before he became a teenager (and he was born in 1935!). He witnessed the glory years of the Park's fishing lodges, and still continues guiding today.
The story is told through the author's eyes, as he goes fishing with Frank on one of his last, extended trips. Lots of great stories about fishing in "the old days", as well as some good bonding moments today.
The biography of Frank will make you laugh, as well as make you tear up. A formerly hard-drinking, hard-living man, Frank has no problem telling the author of his many mistakes over his life. And of his turning his life around with the help of friends and AA. The love he had for his wife, over his later years, is very touching.
All in all, this is a feel good book. I read it, on my Kindle, while on a canoe/fishing trip in the Boundary Waters last week. It really touched my heart.
I would recommend it to any fisherman, outdoorsman, or nature-lover.

A fascinating insight into another lifetime and lifestyle.
Well written and researched and I could really connect with the characters and would loved to have been able to go fishing with Frank myself, he sounds such a interesting person with a lot of story's to tell.
Thank you Ron for writing this story, and thank you netgalley for letting me read and review this book

Oh my, where to begin. The Last Guide is a wonderful book. My husband is an avid fisherman and he loves to read stories told about the times when life and fishing was easier. We read this book together and we both loved it. Its so heartwarming and charming. We both highly recommend this sweet book to all,

THE LAST GUIDE: A STORY OF FISH AND LOVE is the true story of a man known as the last remaining guide in Algonquin Park in northern Ontario where he lived for the entirety of his life; except for a brief period.

Frank Kuiack (pronounced “kwee-ack) loved fishing as far back as he could remember, and had dreamed of becoming a fishing guide for just as long, eventually getting an opportunity to do so even in his youth as opportunity presented itself.

Author Ron Corbett met Frank near the end of his career, and when a friendship was formed Frank agreed to take Ron to many of his favorite places on a guided trip, and filled the author in on his life and career, and was very open about his personal struggles and relationships affected by his alcoholism, followed by his abrupt decision and commitment to sobriety, and the positive change it made in his life and for those around him in his community from that point forward.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and for many reasons; particularly Frank’s being brutally honest about his personal life, mistakes, and the beautiful moments as well, another reason is my love for Ontario that began in my youth and my grandfather’s cottage near the Georgian Bay where much of the beauty the author describes so well felt familiar to me.

Heartwarming and encouraging, this story leaves a reader with a sense of the simple and practical wisdom of a man who’s greatest pleasures are both being alone with the woman that he loved for a majority of his life, and his love for the quiet times alone in the wilderness & on the water.

5 stars.

Part nature story part biography, this book is absolutely fascinating. We learn not only about the last guide, but of guides that came before. Beautiful photos and easy to read anecdotes make this a very enjoyable read. A little slice of history, accessible to anyone who wants to pick up this book.