A FINE AND PLEASANT MISERY

Written by Patrick F. McManus. Cover Illustration by Bob Jones.

SUMMARY:

Released by Owl Books (an imprint of Holt, Rinehart & Winston) in 1981, this 209-page paperback is a reprint of the publisher’s original 1978 hardcover edition.  Taken from Field & Stream Magazine, the gamut of these Patrick “Pat” McManus” short stories first appeared from 1968 through 1978. 

Bouncing back and forth between his post-World War II youth growing up in Northern Idaho and his present-day experiences, McManus shares his Pacific Northwest anecdotes about:

• Camping, fishing, and hunting, now and way back then;
• Proper methods for panicking in the great outdoors;
• How to get yourself lost on a hunting trip with your buddies;
• His less-than-prototypical family dog, Stranger, growing up; 
• Dubious life lessons taken from his crochety pre-teen mentor and local mountain man, Rancid Crabtree;
• A wild rafting trip with his old crony, Retch;
• His youthful ‘Big Safari’ capers (aka camping overnight in the backyard), and later his teenage ‘Big Trip,’ where a week’s cross-country hiking trip with a friend becomes a full-blown survival course; 
• Ever in search of cheap and practical camping gear, the ‘treasures’ McManus finds at his local army surplus store;
• A makeshift bicycle (“death on two wheels”) from the author’s childhood;
• Taking one’s family to explore a national park;
• Perpetually feuding with cows for his favorite fishing hole;
• and several other related tales.  

McManus views outdoor misadventure as not only a hobby, but as a lifelong passion – no matter how much reality gets in the way.

REVIEW:

For outdoor die-hards and fans of TV parodies like The Red Green Show, the guy humor McManus exudes is timeless.  The kicker is this book’s surprising appeal to non-outdoor enthusiasts.  Given some patience, skeptics will likely find themselves chuckling as McManus repetitively treads topics like youthful fantasies gone awry, repercussions of childhood poverty, ornery relatives and neighbors, wacky friends, or the local scam artist posing as a reputable retail businessman.  Embellishments are a given, but McManus knows exactly how to land an anecdote’s punchline.

If anything, this collection of McManus musings offers some welcome fresh air for anyone justifiably exasperated with the tech-savvy 21^st Century.  This kid-friendly title may also be an ideal alternative for today’s generation to tune out television and the internet long enough to give his book a fair chance.  Getting back to some hilarious aspects of down-to-earth nature makes A Fine and Pleasant Misery well worth discovery, if not re-discovery.  

Note: No matter his emphasis on the supposed glories (let alone the necessities) of fishing and hunting, McManus doesn’t depict grisly details. On second thought … one tale does mention his wife’s horror upon unexpectedly finding one of his ‘catches’ stuffed in his hunting jacket. 

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

McManus briefly offers his acknowledgements.  Jack Samson, then-Editor of Field & Stream, presents a six-page introduction offering insight re: why this assortment of McManus stories was compiled as a book.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:           7½ Stars