Rating: 
Summary: You don't have to be an outdoorsman...
Review: Patrick McManus is one of the few authors I know who can make me laugh after reading only the first sentence of one of his stories. His writing teems with belly-aching ineptitude about the great outdoors and life in general. This book and others by him are sure to bring tears to the sensible (or maybe not so sensible) reader.
Rating:
Summary: a real tear-jerker
Review: Patrick McManus is one of the few authors I know who can make me laugh after reading only the first sentence of one of his stories. His writing teems with belly-aching ineptitude about the great outdoors and life in general. This book and others by him are sure to bring tears to the sensible (or maybe not so sensible) reader.
Rating:
Summary: No Comparisons This Time
Review: This is the second collection of stories by Patrick F. McManus that I have read, and while he is compared to many notable names on the jacket, and I compared him to other humorists I like the first time I read his work, he deserves to stand on his own. It is not an issue of his being as good, nearly as good, or better than another humorist. He is unique and very special, Mr. McManus is an original.I think the title of this collection, "Never Sniff A Gift Fish", is unfortunate for no such activity takes place within the book. Not unlike the dozens of stories on hunting and fishing, all he generally brings back from an outing is new humor; he apparently catches and shoots virtually nothing. As I mentioned after reading his first book, his friends will stop by and ask that he not even think about whatever it is they are off to hunt or fish while they are off doing it. He has said he is so bad entire states have banned him, as he can single handedly destroy tourism for a state, and no one will lend him small motorized machines as he invariably causes them to cease to function. This collection is much earlier than the first that I read, and the stories contain wonderful bits about his childhood, and also as a new husband and a father. These are great stories, many that include his young family and virtually everyone is G-rated, place them on film and they would probably be made by Disney. This is great reading, great fun and wonderful humor totally lacking in pretense or show. If this man records his stories on tape I might break a rule that has never been broken, that of listening to an author as opposed to reading his book. And I don't hunt or fish, neither activity is necessary to enjoy these tales as they are about human behavior, his humans are just generally outside.
Rating: 
Summary: I really enjoyed this book......
Review: This was the best humor book that I have ever read. If you enjoyed this try reading the last page of all the Outdoor Life magazines. These stories have entertained me on may exciting hunt that I decided to take a breather so it could slow down a bit. In other words I hadn't seen hide nor hair of a deer all day.
| 
