MASH Goes to London

M*A*S*H #5

by Richard Hooker, William E. Butterworth III

This time those incorrigible members of the medical profession--Hawkeye, Trapper John, Hot Lips and the rest -- bring mayhem to Merrie England. The crazy goings-on they get involved in include skirmishes with an opera singer, an oil baron and the entire Bayou Perdu Council of the Knights of Columbus and are enough to make every Briton's stiff upper lip go limp with shock. "Land of Hope and Glory' will never sound the same once you've read about MASH's maniacal adventures.

Genres: Fiction, Humor

207 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 1975

About the author

Richard Hooker is the pseudonym of Hiester Richard Hornberger Jr. who was born February 1, 1924 and died November 4, 1997. He was an American writer and surgeon. His most famous work was his novel MASH (1968). The novel was based on his own personal experiences during the Korean War at the 8055th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. It was written in collaboration with W. C. Heinz. The novel took 11 years to write. In 1970, and then again from 1972-1983 it was used as the basis for a critically and commercially successful movie and television series of the same name.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.
Richard^Hooker

Reviews

[Christopher Rush · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as good as the earlier books - the new characters tend to overshadow too much, especially toward the end, but still has its moments. This is the first to use footnotes and refer to previous books by name directly. The beginning of the book is perhaps the most enjoyable part - not the aboard ship part, but the scene of Boris and Hassan fishing, with Boris getting a fly caught in his backside, thus forcing him to seek medical aid in Spruce Harbor. The quiet times in Spruce Harbor, especially with Mary Pierce, Nurse Flanagan, and, rarely, Spearchucker and Duke, provide enjoyable continuity throughout the series, even more than the recurring support characters - especially when Horsey and Boris are sometimes drawn inconsistently from book to book. The familiar "boy meets girl" sub-plot is in effect, though, for a nice change, the main focus is on the boy, Woody, this time.

2021: better this time around. Angus and Florabella are better developed characters than many of the other romance-type supporting characters.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with the other entries in the series, the cast of MASH is merely a framing device upon whixh the real story and the original characters are hung. Deceptive advertising, sure. Would I have been pissed about it in the 70's, almost definitely, but the tales themselves are so well done as to conquer these flaws and still entertain 40 years on.

[Denise Schlachtaub · Rating 1 out of 5]

Found in a really old book box - In fairness, if I had read this closer to the date it was published, I would probably have given it two stars. It's badly outdated, though. It's also pure fluff, with absolutely no substance whatsoever. It did make me chuckle a few times, for purely nostalgic reasons, and really hard core M.A.S.H. fans might enjoy it for a trip down memory lane with Hawkeye, Trapper, and Hot Lips, but anyone else should skip it.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3

Nice easy read, found the humour dated but just right for me at the moment.
Did like the ridiculous way everything escalated during the story really piling coincidences and stupid stuff on top of what is happening already.
Definitely not for everyone but more enjoyable than I expected tbh

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hawkeye, Trapper, and Hot Lips are back. They are secondary characters, here just to establish the contrived narrative. As in everything after “MASH Goes to Maine,” it is the new characters who are the stars of this story.

[silviu · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others mentioned this is not as good as the first books in the series but then again this is not some literary masterpiece. This is the reading equivalent of fast food - it's fun, it's light.

[Jayne Tegge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun and silly. Love these characters!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some lovely side characters. Hawkeye and Trapper John were at it, yet again!

[Chris Shedlick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author can't tell the difference between cannabis and airplane glue.