Product Description

The bestselling author of They Shoot Canoes, Don't They? is at it again with more of his zany spoofs of The Great Outdoors .

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125941 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-20
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

From AudioFile
The audio format is the perfect medium for these colorful escapades of McManus, as a boy and an adult. If only all tales of the outdoors and the trials of growing up could be so hilarious. and told with such delight by an uncle or family storyteller. George Irving takes on each of the unforgettable characters with great energy, including McManus's wife, Bun, and childhood acquaintances Rancid Crabtree and Rupert Scraggs A judicious use of accent and characterization strikes a balance which brings each story alive but doesn't overplay it: a rare treat which will keep whole family listeningand laughing. R.F.W. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Review

Ingram
A collection of spoofs on outdoor life explains how to construct a grasshopper trap, the many uses of a skunk ladder, and how to become a human fuel pump. Read by George S. Irving. Book available.

Customer Reviews

Strange Encounters of the Bird Kind
The title of these comments is from one of the tales in this third collection of short stories I have read by Mr. Patrick F. McManus. The author has been writing the yarns and his versions of his childhood "true" stories for decades, and has now produced 12 collections of these essays in book form. Many of the stories are about being outdoors and failing miserably as a hunter and fisherman, but one gets the impression that to the extent he fails, he does with seeming intent. It's the outdoors he loves, not harming it or its inhabitants. When he does speak of a successful outing with his friends he complains so much about the "success" that again you can tell coming home empty handed is his real goal. A collection of stories is what he is after.

The best stories here range from his childhood when speaking of why an 8 year old is perfectly competent to own his first knife, while even one day short of the 8th anniversary would be nothing less than a felony were a knife to be given to such an infant. He goes on at length as to how men delude themselves in to their thinking they have convinced their wives how their gun collections multiply without a single purchase. And in a story entitled, "A Hunker Is Not A Squat", he explains how with the correct posture, a stick and a dirt floor, The United Nations would be unnecessary, and world conflicts would end.

Mr. McManus writes for everyone who enjoys a good laugh, uncontrived humor, and just simple observations about human nature. He does not preach about the solutions to world problems, claim a cure for the common cold, or how to get rich. He just gives the reader the gift of laughter, an invaluable gift.

A Delight!
A book filled with humorous stories, this compilation of experiences was a treat to read! The Grasshopper Trap is only the second book I've read by Patrick McManus but now I want to track down all of his stories. McManus writes humor without the obscene, offensive language that seems so common everywhere these days. It's a refreshing, fun read with stories that entertain as well as remind us of a simpler, less frantic way of life.

If you don't like laughing, DON'T READ THIS BOOK!
This is just one of those books that's great when, well, anytime