Customer Reviews

A Fine and Pleasant Misery

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I picked up "A Fine and Pleasant Misery" one day purely by chance. I was bored in an outdoor equipment store. I opened it to a random page, and began to read...

Within a page I started to grin. By the second page I gaffawed (I noticed a couple customers nervously glance in my direction). At the third page I burst out in peals of hysterical laughter, tears rolling down my face. Everyone in the vicinity was openly staring at me. I slammed the book shut and made a beeline to the cash register.

I have been a devoted fan ever since. Buy this book, and you will be too. Trust me on this. Only...read in the privacy of your home. It's less embarassing that way :)

Best Regards, Eric Lee

I have a friend who's never been hunting, has fished, I think, exactly once in his life, and who has nonetheless gleefully read every book McManus has ever written. He gave me a McManus book for my birthday over twenty years ago, and I've been a devoted fan ever since.

McManus has a way of painting a verbal picture that manages to stretch the bounds of good taste without ever quite going beyond them. More than one of his stories has conjoured up an image I don't think I'll ever get out of my head- and that still makes me laugh today.

Buy this book. Buy *any* McManus book. They're all hilarious.

My father gave me this book when he thought I needed some cheering up. It was a life changing experience. Now I am on a quest to collect anything he has ever written. Caution to first time McManus readers: When you find your eyes are tearing up and you can't catch your breath, wait a short time before continuing. I nearly passed out from back to back fits of hysterical laughter caused by reading his passages too quickly.

The first time I ever read a McManus story was at Girl Scout camp 4 years ago. My group was on an overnight away from camp, and we had the absolute worst time imaginable. Sleeping in a poisen oak bed, mosquitoes the size of bats, and, to top it off, a fire that would be accurately described as an "inferno" to cook our food with. As it so happens, the first story I was to read of Pat's was the story of the "smudge" and "inferno"(I snuck the book from the unknowing counselor). Coincidence? I think not. Read this book, and I guarantee you, you will be stock-piling Patrick McManus' books faster than you can say "Gee, isn't that, um, funny! The sun is rising in the West now, guys, hehe."

Patrick Mcmanus is an awesome writer! I could hardly put the book down. It was so FUNNY! His way of describing real life outdoor situations is hilarious. He is definitly one of the best outdoor humorists of all time!!!

I started reading Pat's stories when I was about twelve years old (1974/75)while we lived in a logging camp. The first story I remember reading was "Cigars, Logging trucks and Know-it-alls" and I remember trying to finish the story through laugh tears. We even named a later dog of ours after the dog in the part about the cigars(Rupert). Another one of my favorites is "Whomper" about a slingshot. My Grandpa lived on the Humptulips river near us and helped us make slingshots, so I could really relate. Keep up the great work!!!

I just started this book. I like to read every evening, just after I go to bed in order to help myself fall asleep. This book is my "anti-routine." It makes me laugh so hard, I can scarcely finish a paragraph. Tears are running down my cheeks, the bed is shaking for all its worth, and going to sleep is the last thing I can do. Patrick F. McManus has a masterpiece with these oh-so-funny accounts of his outdoor experiences. Read it yourself, and weep!

This book is Pat at his best. Of course once you buy this one you'll want the rest, so you might as well take advantage of the reduced shipping and just order them all. Get the hard bound versions otherwise you'll wear the binding out from re-reading the stories in these books.

My favorite line about his bike, was "built by a fiend with his own 3 hands, traded to my mother for the price of a good milk cow." The seat was like a hatchet, put a doily on it for padding.

Pat just sets you up, and then drops it on you, the next minute everyone in the room is looking at you as you are laughing and rolling on the floor tears streaming from your face.

I will say that some people just don't get it. Dave Berry calls them humor impared, and well there is no cure. But for the rest of us, if you've ever spent any time fishing, camping, or just messing around outside as a kid, these are the books for you.

One other note: You can't lend these books out, they don't come back! So I keep a pile of them in my closet as gifts.

A Fine and Pleasant Misery written by Patrick F. McManus was a good book. He used Humor in it, which made it more interesting. He wrote of the adventures he had when he was younger, along with the adventures that he still enjoys today. The book has its dull times, but over all it is an exciting book. Many times through out the book I was confused only because I didn't know what some of the terminology meant in such subjects as fishing. If you are interested in camping, fishing, hiking, rafting, or anything to do with the outdoors, I would recommend this book!

mcmanus knocks your socks off while explaining how to camp the oldest and most uncomphortable way. hes awesome. the book was halarius