Kerplunk!: Stories

by Patrick F. McManus

Patrick F. McManus's gently comic stories about outdoor life have earned him millions of fans worldwide. With Kerplunk! , McManus delivers a collection of folksy, wonderfully wise depictions of country life worthy of Mark Twain.

In these tall tales, McManus and his buddies learn how not to net a fish, why you should never get your hair cut by someone who's mad at you, what to do when a deer wanders into camp but your sleeping bag has frozen shut, and how to avoid bird-dog flatulence.

Traveling the highways and byways of the Pacific Northwest, the delightful backcountry characters of Kerplunk! understand how a life of hunting and fishing -- and its inherent potential for misadventure -- can resonate with larger meaning. McManus's characters know exactly why it costs $500 to make a fly lure that retails for $2; why installing a boat trailer hookup can lead to divorce; and, most important, why you should always listen for the sound of your fishing line hitting the water -- because in life as it is in fishing, you don't know you're in the water until you hear the kerplunk!

These wry, curmudgeonly tales appeal to real outdoorsmen and the armchair variety alike. Often nostalgic, occasionally philosophical, and always funny, the stories in Kerplunk! reaffirm Patrick F. McManus's reputation as an American classic.

Genres: Humor, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Audiobook, Adventure, Essays, Outdoors

244 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Patrick F. McManus is an American outdoor humor writer. A humor columnist for Outdoor Life and other magazines, his columns have been collected in several books.

Reviews

[Chanin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick F. McManus is one of my favorite authors. He may not be a healthy read however. My sides are splitting. The "F" in his name must stand for funny, farsical, filarious, or somesuch wonderful name. I highly recommend this book of short stories to anyone who loves to giggle, laugh, guffaw, or just read in the bath area. ")

[Rick Presley · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say? I've been a Pat McManus fan for decades. There is not one new thing in this book that I haven't read in one form or another in his previous books. The cast of characters is all here in their glory - his friend Retch Sweeny, Crazy Eddie Muldoon, mountain man Rancid Crabtree, his family including his wife, Bun, his mom, Grandma (or Goombaw of previous book title) and everyone's favorite big sister, the Troll, his daughters, and others both real and imagined and some imagined to be real.

However, don't let the sameness put you off. While that is the chief defect of the book, it is also the strongest case for reading it. One doesn't lace up a pair of hunting boots and sling an old weather-beaten pump shotgun over the shoulder because the experience is new and unique. One doesn't fish the same old fishing hole that's been fished for years expecting something unusual and unexpected. These experiences, like reading McManus, are enjoyed for their very familiarity and regularity. It is the delight in hearing the same story told a different way or a different story told the same way that makes this book so engaging.

Pat is still hilarious, still self-deprecating in his oblique way, and still winking at us with impish hat tips. If you've never read a McManus book, it may take you a while to get his humor. If you don't fish or hunt or appreciate these pursuits, the book is not for you. But for us folks who pursue fish and game, McManus distills the essence of our souls between the pages of yet another same-old-same-old new set adventures.

[Jeff Garrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a favorite used bookstore in Wilmington, North Carolina that I often stop in when I’m home. This time I was looking to pick up another copy of Guy Owen’s The Ballard of the Flim-Flam Man to give to a cousin, along with any books by Archibald Rutledge (both Southern writers). I didn’t have any luck, but I came across a book by Patrick McManus that I had not read. I promptly purchased the book and read half of the stories that evening. All these stories had previously seen ink in Outdoor Life. They are funny and many have a good moral lesson, too. McManus has always been a bit of a curmudgeon. He longs for the days of old, when mountain trails weren’t so steep and there was more oxygen in air. He recalls hunting 80-acre section of land where the deer were seldom seen, but when he visited recently his old hunting ground, he sees that it’s not been developed into a gated community and the deer are plentiful, snacking on the shrubbery. The deer eating shrubs hit home! In these stories there are also good safety lessons, such as the purpose of hooking the safety chains on a trailer, because having your boat pass you on the highway us “one of the least pleasant sights you may encounter during your lifetime.” And McManus is also a master as self- deprecation, such as the time fishing for steelhead, his friend already had one on the line while he, having made a half-dozen casts, he hadn’t yet gotten his line in the water. As for “Kerplunk”, you’ll have to read the book to find out. I do recommend McManus’ books!

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Patrick McManus has a dry wit and lots of material for stories. Combine the two, and you get this funny book that is basically a bunch of short stories—some truth interwoven with humor. I’m not an avid outdoorsman, but I could follow the short stories well enough and was chuckling my way through. If you have any interest in hunting or fishing, I’d recommend this humorous read.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute!! Great stories of living in the great northwest. Fishing, hunting stories. So fun.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Re-read when I began working my way through all of McManus during lockdown. Which explains why so many of the stories felt so familiar. The capstone of the collection is the best piece in it, straying from McM's normally semi-autobiographical works into straight fiction, with excellent result.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, a bit shallow, welcome change.

[Diane Ferbrache · Rating 5 out of 5]

Patrick McManus is known for his humorous essays about the outdoors. This is a collection of some "tall tales" about hunting, fishing, and growing up in rural eastern Washington. He spins yarns featuring his odd assortment of friends that will make you laugh and cringe. Some are laugh out loud hilarious, some will make you cringe, some will evoke an eyeball roll at their absurdity. All in good fun! The audiobook is an entertaining diversion, and since it's short stories/essays it can be enjoyed in short spurts. A great read/listen for a road trip to your favorite fishing/hunting site.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Audiobook). Well, this was just delightful. A nice, slow, low key humorous series of essays about human nature and outdoor pursuits. I’m not a hunter, and I’ve only been fishing a couple of times, but I found the stories relevant enough, and certainly relatable in the human foibles department. Like Erma Bombeck if she suddenly decided to be outdoorsy. The story about the dog tagging along on his date had me howling. Too funny.

[Jamieson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The late Pat McManus had tons of great stories across his several short story collections. The third story in this book, "Silent but Deadly" is a hysterical story about dog flatulence. However, despite making it through the first three stories, I was unable to finish. I think it boils down to the audiobook. While the narrator was fine, it's not the same as hearing my Dad read these around the campfire. I suspect that reading the print version would be more enjoyable for me.

[Heydi Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m a 34 year old city girl (but country girl at heart), so I’m probably not McManus’ target audience, even so, I loved this book and all of its many quirky characters and adventures. I will definitely read more by this author. I want to give a huge thanks to my husband’s friend for recommending McManus to me. Hilarious stuff!

[Kara of BookishBytes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Patrick McManus. He is one of the few reliably funny authors I've found. His early books are his best, but even mediocre Patrick McManus is better than almost anyone else at making me feel good. This is really a three-star book, but I'm rounding it up to four stars for sentimental value and for making me feel light-hearted on a rough day when I needed to smile.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy these stories, but overall they weren't as funny as some of his other books. Some of the chapters were exceptionally funny (Bed and Breakfast, Winter of 18 Months). Many of the others made me smile, but I didn't hurt my stomach laughing as I have with some of the others. I would still recommend this for anybody who has spent time in outdoor activities.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thirty-six tales of belief, disbelief, tall-tales, and outright outrageously humor and laughs. Pat McManus takes the reader on a wild ride as he shares this collection of outdoor stories of hunting, fishing, camping and various other stories that will keep the reader amused, and at times scratching their head until the end.

[MisterFweem · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a lifelong fan of McManus -- so it was kind of sad to see this book have its best hits the same way Pirates of the Caribbean 2 tried to riff off the best jokes from the first movie and have those riffs be the best part of the sequel.

I'd have been better off reading some of his older books, tbh.

[Katie Burger · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice break after a few duds, but it was slow and cheesy overall. I listened to the audiobook, which felt like getting cornered by someone’s well-meaning uncle at a party. I was happy to sit and listen, but I couldn’t help glancing at the clock, wondering when he’d say something worth remembering. The stories were pleasant, just not all that exciting, interesting, or funny.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun collection of essays by McManus, expertly read by Dick Hill. I was in the mood for something light and funny. The narration by Hill was perfect.

Good for people who hunt, fish, enjoy the outdoors.

[Garth Slater · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like the out of doors, you gotta love McManus's style of writing. We've all had experiences where they seem larger than life and as time goes on the stories become even better. Easy, fun read and guarantees several chuckles.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had never read this author before, and while fishing and hunting isn't exactly my thing, the lifestyle is familiar from my grandpas and dad. Therefore, the humor really was funny to me! It was well written, so it would probably be funny to anyone. I'll have to read more.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite story in this collection was “A Creek Too Far” about three fishing buddies who end up on a perfect fishing trip … because they died when meeting the logging truck on the road. This is only hinted at, until we meet there dead friend at their campsite in the last sentence of the story.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a while since I’ve read new McManus essays, and it was pleasant to discover he has lost none of his touch and humor. Rancid, Quagmire, and Retch all make appearances. It was like a mini reunion. If you liked McManus’ previous work, you will enjoy this.

[David Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's odd when you listen to a number of audiobooks by an author all read by the same person, and then for some reason a book is narrated by someone else. There was truly nothing wrong with this narrator, other than the fact that he felt completely wrong in every way. The book was good though.

[Victoria Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowing audiobooks on Libby is leading me back to a lot of old favorites. Patrick McManus story collections have always been great roadtrip books. This one was no different, made a six hour drive fun.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collection of stories by one of my favorite authors. Pat McManus was a longtime contributor to the last page of Outdoor Life, and I began reading him as a teenager. If you like the outdoors and a humor column, he's a good one to read.

[Carolyn McKeehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by this author, not sure what I expected. But I totally enjoyed it, laughed out loud more than once at the humor. Not a hunter or fisherman, but you don't have to be to appreciate the stories.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I liked fishing at all, this would have been more appealing.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gentle humorous tales of fishing and hunting. Nice escape from the real world.

[Anne Beardsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let us make two things clear:

1) McManus is always wonderful.

2)Most of this material is not new.

Oh well, I still had a good time. Like an evening with an old friend.

[Dawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious quick read. A collection of essays about a pwh (person who hunts) and fishes and is an all around boy. So funny! This would be a great audio boom for the whole family on a road trip!

[Karen Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hilarious!!