I didn't read this, but gave it away as a gift. It is McManus and therefore promises to make you laugh and go back to a simpler time as you travel to the woods, the stream, the country side, or wherever each short story leads. You can't go wrong with this great outdoor writer.

This book contains 30+ short stories written by Patrick McManus for Outdoor Life about the mishaps and ups and downs that virtually everyone encounters in their outdoor adventures. This was the first of McManus's works that I bought/read, and after reading all the really favorable reviews thought that I was going to be in for a rare treat. After reading the collection though, my view is `eh, these are OK, nothing great'. I love reading fishing and hunting stories (particularly in the winter when I can't do too much of either), and this collection isn't on the same planet as greats such as Robert Ruark, Gordon Macquarrie, Gene Hill, or Nash Buckingham. The best stories are those with Rancid Crabtree. He is a man who lives in a shack at the edge of town who fishes and hunts all the time, he doesn't have a job, a wife, or any real responsibilities. A youthful McManus is enamored with this fellow, to the horror of his mother, sisters, and everyone else. Each story is roughly 5-10 pages, and several of them can be leisurely read in one sitting. I think that anyone who fishes or hunts (or knows someone that does) will find a few laughs here, but nothing special. You aren't going to be reading this book repeatedly, and there is no particular story that will stick with you a long time. Decent, nothing special.

McManus is great. He can spin a great tale, and keep you laughing all the way.
Describes a fun filled childhood you wish was your own.

Pat McManus once again shows why he is the funniest writer today. This collection of short stories brings back memories in anyone with a desire for the outdoor. Just look at the cover art. You really can judge this book by its cover. It is a masterpiece in storytelling.

As a long-time McManus fan, I have to admit, up front, that this is not his best collection. Still, it's all McManus which means the worst you're going to get is very, very good. It was nice to revisit some of the old characters (Crazy Eddie, Retch, and Rancid) and meet some new ones, and, yes, there were plenty of laughs.

The highlight, for me, was "The Christmas Goose." It's hard to go wrong with a Rancid Crabtree story!

Overall Kerplunk had something of a "thrown together" feel, and left me wondering if we might be losing the old Pat McManus collections to the new Bo Tully mysteries (which are wonderful, by the way.)

Regardless, if you, like many of us, are a devoted fan, you'll want to add this one to your collection. Like slightly fuzzy photos, it may not be framing quality, but it still brings back some great memories and more than a few chuckles.

-Perry

I stumbled on Pat McManus in my dad's copy of Outdoor Life, and after reading one or two more of his columns, I was hooked. This is just one of many of his books, and the short stories make for a perfect bathroom reader - and hilarious escapism from my boxed-in suburban life (and three small children). If you have any wilderness experience, or wish you had, it does not get any better than Pat!

I have collected all of his earlier books. This one is not up to his earlier standards. I only got two little chuckles while reading it. It is just pleasant reading, not funny. I laughed till I cried while reading the ones of many years ago.

Patrick McManus should only be read while sitting on the floor. That way you don't have far to fall as you laugh yourself silly.

If you have ever done any camping or outdoor activity, you will see yourself in his stories.
One of the best light reads around.

With children and now the grandchildren turning more to electonic entertainment and away from outdoor experiences and the joys that nature can provide, I embrace Patrick McManus's unrivaled humor to create a sense of anticipation in our family for family campouts, fishing, and hunting trips. Our children graduated from Dr. Seuss to McManus for bedtime stories. They loved McManus. Now my ten year old grandson always asks for McManus stories when he visits. He laughs himself into apoplexy then begs for me to stop so he can gather himself for the next paragraph. He loves to go on hikes and fishing trips and wants to do an overnight campout this summer. Ahhhh, McManus, Thank you so much!

As in all of his books, Pat McManus writes about simpler times that never really existed. Nevertheless, most of us would trade all of today's conveniences to live the charmed life he claimed as a boy in Blight, Idaho, or even his fantastical adult life where nothing goes right.

His self-effacing hyperbolic humor has just enough of the ring of truth (not too much truth, to be sure) that anybody who grew up in a small-town or rural environment can relate - and can continue to wonder why Bun puts up with him!

Read it. You'll smile at least once (per page), and if you haven't read any of his other works, you might warn your significant other to have the paramedics on standby. Otherwise, you might truly die laughing.

I ordered several of the Patrick F. McManus books for my oldest son and he thinks they are great. If you are looking for pure clean fun look no further!

and for folks that need reasons not to go out. (At least you'll laugh about the problems you are missing.)

McManus is one of those authors whose books don't need to be read in any particular order, and since I have a "complete" collection, I thought I would review his output on the occasion of the most recent addition.

It started out pretty well for McManus over 40 years ago when he was in college:

"When I entered his office, the dean glanced up at me sternly, a faculty countenance with which I was not unfamiliar.

"Oh, it's you, McManus," he said, brightening. "I just wanted to tell you I enjoyed very much that little story of yours in the literary magazine about the lady who kept things. Quite good! Excellent, in fact!"

"I'm unsure what field of scholarship the dean pursued, but probably not literary criticism. Nevertheless, the dean's nugget of praise has remained in my psychic poke for forty years and more, and from time to time I take it out and bask in its healing glow. Never ignore or forget any bit of praise for your writing, deserved or not. Praise possesses excellent restorative properties, particularly for the writer of humor."

[Great advice, frankly. Is it any wonder I treasure every Helpful vote, and mourn each Unhelpful vote here on Amazon?]

It's impossible to rank McManus's books in any particular order. Even the weakest are relatively weak only because there are less laugh out loud moments. There are always some, that's for sure. Here are a few favorites:

A Fine and Pleasant Misery -- "Personally, I miss the old-fashioned misery of old fashioned camping."

They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? (Owlet Book) -- "Not wishing to embarrass them any more than was absolutely necessary, Retch and I just let on as if everything was normal and if that scarcely a day went by that we didn't see people in funny costumes hammering nails into rock."

Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing -- ""Your smoking them is bad for my health."

"That's because you're a panty-waist," he said. "This is a fine cigar, and if you had any taste at all, you'd appreciate its lovely aroma. Hemingway always brought me a couple boxes from Cuba when he came up to hunt with me in Idaho. Now. there was a man! They don't make men like Hem anymore, yourself being a case in point."

The Bear in the Attic -- ""Now, Buck, this is probably something you don't know, but cute is one of nature's devices for preserving its young. It doesn't apply to just animals either. Many a dumb and useless human being has survived and prospered for no other reason than the good luck of being cute."

McManus is as close as we'll get to a living Mark Twain. A treasure indeed.

Robert C. Ross 2009

Another collection of Patrick McManus' short stories. This review is a bit premature, since I've not yet read the book (It's not Christmas yet). BUT, Patrick McManus' stuff is consistently good enough that I ordered me and my dad a copy of this book. I introduced my dad to McManus's work years ago when he was recuperating from a hernia operation. He laughed and laughed, but still fussed at me for making his stitches hurt. If you like camping, hunting and/or fishing, or like reading about boys and the mischief they get into, you'll love Patrick McManus!

McManus is my favorite humorist. This book is a compilation of his articles in Outdoor Life. Not quite up to his other books, but he still gets some good ones off.