The Good Samaritan Strikes Again by Patrick F. McManus

The Good Samaritan Strikes Again Reviews

• 
  Charles van Buren

  The Mark Twain of the outdoors
  
  Patrick McManus is one of the funniest writers I've ever read. A modern day Mark Twain. When he's really on his game he can make you laugh before he even gets to the punch line. For instance in SNAKE, the reader knows that Pat's friendly snake is in the crawl space beneath the cabin. The two handy men, also in the crawlspace, don't. When they happen to need a piece of rope my eyes began to water, my body to shake and I could barely get to the next pages and the finale.
  
  I used to read his work aloud to my wife while she drove. If "me and Retch Sweeney" appeared anywhere near the beginning of any tale, she started laughing and driving erratically before I could get any further. Some of his collections are funnier than others. In addition to this one, I recommend THE NIGHT THE BEAR ATE GOOMBAW and THE GRASSHOPPER TRAP.
• 
  Anthony Whitt

  If you like the outdoors and need a good laugh this is the book for you. If you don't like the outdoors and need a good laugh this is the book for you.
• 
  Gilbert Stack

  Patrick McManus is a good cure for a bad day. His essays about his crazy childhood and his hunting and fishing adventures never fail to bring a smile to my face. If I was smarter than I am, I’d start each day off by reading one of his essays. McManus could cure a cloudy day.
  
  If you liked this review, you can find more at
  www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
• 
  Jim B

  Not his best collection, but still some side-splitters in there.
• 
  Jay French

  I was introduced to Patrick McManus' writing through the audio cassettes of his stories performed by George S. Irving. The recordings are over-the-top hilarious, at least to me. McManus' books are obviously a little more work, but they have caused me to laugh frequently and to read passages to my wife. This is how I found out that McManus is not for everyone - they are more aimed at nostalgic former small town boys with at least passing interest in the outdoors and a sense of humor. This collection had only one Rancid Crabtree story. In my mind, these stories of the grizzled skunk trapper are the highlights of McManus' oeuvre. In this story, "Rancid Crabtree and the Demon Bat", the boys build a kite large enough to lift a person, with the expected consequences. Overall the stories reflect the wordplay that McManus is known for, and I will be reading more of them.
• 
  Amy

  Humor is so different for everybody. I once read a PG Wodehouse book that had me laughing so hard that my daughter came up from the basement to make sure I was OK. I lent it to a friend thinking they would also find it funny and they returned it with the comment that there were a few sections that made them chuckle. I think Patrick McManus's stories are probably a lot like that. Some of the stories in this book I thought were hilarious. All of them at least made me laugh or chuckle a few times.
• 
  John Wiswell

  A humorous collection of anecdotes and conversations from the famous outdoorsman's life and career, broken up into three categories: home life, sporting life, and childhood. His sense of humor is similar to Mark Twain, though nowhere near as effective or cruel to its subjects. The humor largely comes from the ignorance of McManus' subjects (often himself), though it's never offensive or edgy. Modest and tame, this collection is pretty easy to share with grandpa.
• 
  Josh

  The very first McManus I ever read. Still have a soft spot for these stories. But it helps that it's vintage McManus goodness. Also read in 2016.
• 
  James Biser

  Once again Patrick McManus is hilarious. His stories are funny and well designed. His imaginary world is an endless collection of laughs.
• 
  Kim

  Short stories of down home humor. Did I chuckle? Occasionally. Did I laugh? No. Maybe this style is not for me.
• 
  Joan Barton

  This author is a truly funny funny guy .Don't miss out!
• 
  Jim

  Laugh-out-loud funny
• 
  Lawanda

  Audiobook performed by Norman Dietz.
• 
  LynnB

  Made me laugh.
• 
  Sarah Piper

  Okay I think this is my favorite so far ... The Good Samaritan ... The Fly ... The Flashlight Man ... The Kelly Irregulars Learn To Cry
  
  Freaking hilarious!!! All of them!!
• 
  Dave Koch

  Very enjoyable. Great humor blended with stories of youth and out of doors adventures. McManus is always good for a lighthearted read break.
• 
  Joel

  Not his best work, but some chuckles.
• 
  Anthony

  Humorist and outdoorsman Patrick F. McManus shares twenty-four stories of madcap laugh out loud tales, that are sure to strike a funny bone in the reader.
• 
  Melody

  good little stories; humor and fun
• 
  Tamra

  One of my best best friends suggested I read McManus' A Fine and Pleasant Misery, which I disliked quite a bit. But I felt guilty about that, since I really like this friend and she really liked the book. So when I saw The Good Samaritan Strikes Again on another friend's bookshelf, I decided to give McManus a second chance. ESPECIALLY when I saw that Misery was McManus' first book. Usually people get better at their craft.
  
  And he did. I really enjoyed Samaritan, and even read several parts outloud to my husband, so we could chuckle together. Like the British hunting wear. And the parts where he says people keep saying his face is messed up, when nothing happened to it.
  
  A lot of my complaints about Misery were resolved in Samaritan. In Misery I wanted McManus to flesh out his stories more. I wanted to hear more about what he didn't talk about, and less about what he did talk about.
  
  I also felt that he didn't cross the exaggeration line too much in this one. In Misery I got really really tired of the exaggeration--he was trying to be funny, and I was just getting annoyed. I think Samaritan had a better balance.
  
  And this book isn't straight outdoorsy stuff. I mean, it's outdoorsy-centered, but I think it's easier to appreciate even if you haven't been pheasant hunting, for instance.
  
  So, high marks, McManus. Thanks for the stories.
• 
  Philip Cosand

  I was in the mood for a humor book and I'd already tackled some Fulghum this year. It got me thinking back to twenty or so years ago when several folks in my family were ready McManus.
  
  Well, if this really is his "Eighth and funniest book", then I don't see the appeal. Oh, I may have laughed out loud once, perhaps twice. But for a humor book, that isn't enough.
  
  Probably the humor is too specific. It tends to focus on outdoors and hunting. I like outdoors. But even so, he never fully won me over.
  
  I think I am just not the target audience for this supposed sharp-shooter.