Review by Booklist Review
Here's McManus' latest collection of previously published material, including his first piece of published fiction, a witty short story with an O. Henry ending that most readers will see coming but that probably seemed quite a bit fresher back in 1957, when he wrote it. The nonfiction pieces you have to use quotation marks when you talk about the author's humorous writing include tales about fishing, hunting, birding, and other manly pursuits (yes, bird-watching, according to McManus, is a manly pursuit). McManus' friend Retch Sweeney puts in a few appearances, as does his magnificently monikered mentor, Rancid Crabtree, and the author's darling wife, Bun, who, for some reason, expresses doubt that McManus' distinctly unathletic appearance hides the rock-hard body of a world-class athlete. (Whose? Bun replies.) Like Garrison Keillor, McManus writes about people and situations that, even if they are made up, are so vividly and entertainingly presented that they might as well be real. For the author's many fans, and for lovers of humorous essays in general, this one is a must-read.--Pitt, David Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
McManus (Kerplunk: Stories, 2007, etc.) repackages some of his magazine writing into a handy collection of stories loosely based on life. Some of these first-person narratives are more loosely based than others. McManus identifies "$7,000 TV Historical Extravaganza" and "Wild Life in a Room with a View" as "factual articles" that "pretty much represent the highpoint of my article writing." Another piece, "A Bit About My Writing Life," may even be autobiographical, discussing as it does the protagonist's family life, education and marriage to Darlene (who appears as "Bun" in other tales). Here we learn that Milton Pederson, an instructor at Washington State College, once told the narrator to "look for the telling detail." McManus often works on the far side of memoir, where truth and untruth sometimes blend into fiction. In this delightful region, we meet the "ghost b'ar" that might have killed Ginger Ann's pig and two boys who intrepidly stalk the woods in the freezing twilight, then hide from wolves that appear where once there was a log pile. Other memorable characters on the far side include the old woodsman Rancid Crabtree and boyhood chums named Retch Sweeny and Barney Wapshut. McManus' is a world of canoeing adventures, fishing tales, hunting trips and harrowing adventures with chain saws. Then there's the tale of Harold and Emma and what happened after she pickled the goldfish. McManus finally returns to the story of life with Bun, having thoroughly confused us as to what actually happened and what he made up just for fun. A nice opportunity for nonmagazine readers to catch up with this engaging humorist, who never met a tall tale he didn't like.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
