A novel by James Dickey

Plot Summary

In the book, four ordinary suburban men take a canoe trip through the wild hills of north Georgia, hoping to get away from their regulated, sterile lives for a weekend. Along the way they are accosted by uncivilized backwoods dwellers, and the travelers soon find themselves dealing with murder, a cover-up, and more murder and deceit. With sweeping descriptions and precise details, Dickey portrays the development of the novel's narrator, Ed Gentry, as he learns the ways of the forest and the river in his fight for his own survival. As he becomes more primitive, Ed finds himself grateful for this opportunity to live life to its fullest.

Personal Opinion

Deliverance started somewhat slow for my taste, it picked up a little but not quite enough to keep me reading page after page. Over all I appreciate the detail and care this book was put together with and can clearly see the talent the author, James Dickey, has for writing.

The Motion Picture

The novel Deliverance was also made into a major motion picture. Something truly worth boasting, considering the novel was the author's first. Prior to the novel, James Dickey wrote mainly poetry. The movie was such a hit it was made in several different languages, including French and German.
Deliverance - Dueling Banjos (HQ)

Video link 2:45


The novel starts off in a large city in Georgia, but later transitions into the norther Georgian wilderness where the four characters, Ed Gentry, Bobby Trippe,

Drew Ballinger, and Lewis Medlock take a canoe trip on the fictional Cahulawassee river.

About The Author

James Dickey was born in 1932 in Buckhead, Georgia. He attended Clemson Universitie for a year before enlisting as a fighter pilot in world war two. He flew over a hundred combat missions in the pacific theatre. It was around then that he started experimenting with poetry. After the war, James spent around six years as a teacher of literature and poetry after finishing his degree at Vanderbilt University. He soon feared he wouldn't be able to hold a job in that field and began writing advertisements. After the publishing of his first book "Into the Stone" He devoted his talents and time back to poetry and literature.


Would I recommend this book? Yes, though it is a tad slow for my taste, at least at the beginning, it is still a magnificent read and will remain a classic for years to come.