• The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories

  • By: Patrick F. McManus
  • Narrated by: Sean Pratt
  • Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (390 ratings)

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The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories  By  cover art

The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories

By: Patrick F. McManus
Narrated by: Sean Pratt
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Editorial reviews

Sean Pratt’s lively delivery of Patrick F. McManus’ humorous collection The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories creates a strong rapport with the listener. His pleasant voice is well suited to the funny material. McManus’s stories cover his personal history (including his friendships with Rancid Crabtree and Retch Sweeney), as well as his obsessions, most recently with hoarders. He tells of the problems of keeping a horse in the garage, and confesses to an instance where he traipsed around naked outdoors while he had guests.

Publisher's summary

The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories is a hilarious addition to Patrick F. McManus’s existing work in humor. The author weighs in on his childhood, everyday life, and outdoor tales with his typical exaggerated commentary that will elicit a belly laugh from all types of listeners.

Read about the antics of Patrick’s friends Rancid Crabtree and Retch Sweeney in such stories as “Shaping Up for the Hunt” and “Bear Hunters”. McManus plays off the recent obsession with hoarders in his surprising story “The Lady Who Kept Things”. In the titular story, meet Patrick’s horse, Huckleberry, and enjoy the experience of all the problems that come along with owning your own horse - or keeping him in the garage.

Other great stories include “Catch-And-Eaters”, about the importance of a forked stick when fishing; “$7000 TV Historical Extravaganza”, a look at one director’s loose interpretation of historical accuracy and political correctness; “A Lake Too Far”, concerning the woes of Patrick and his wife, Bun, on a fateful birding trip in Australia; and “Chicken Chronicles”, which involves Patrick’s memory of wandering around naked in the chicken yard when guests came to call.

So pull up a chair, sit back, and enjoy laughing to the hilarious adventures of Patrick F. McManus in The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories.

©2012 Patrick F. McManus (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Horse in My Garage and Other Stories

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

The Most Laughs from McManus' books despite flaws

This audio book by Patrick McManus generated the most laughs throughout than any of the other books of his that I've listened to.

However, even though the Introduction explained that this compilation came from a stack of unpublished stories, and that some of the stories would be similar to previously published stories, there was still what appeared to be a serious flaw in editing or proofreading. Yes, some stories were recognizable, although told differently - showing how an writer can use different takes on the same concept. However, I was baffled to hear what seemed to be the same story twice in this audio book.

After listening to a number of Patrick McManus' books narrated by Norman Dietz, in the voice of an older man, slightly gravelly, it was a bit disconcerting to hear these stories, some of which seem to be told in the format of a man recalling his youth, told in the voice of a younger man. While Sean Pratt did an admirable job, with good timing to get the laughs, his voice has such clarity and lacks age, so it was sometimes a strange fit.

I really enjoyed the fire watcher article and the story about making a history film documentary on a low budget. Of course, the rest of the characters were just as enjoyable as ever.

Lots of laughs were evenly scattered throughout, and much appreciated too.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Loved it!

I think this was the last (or one of the last) books by Patrick McManus. I have read/listened to EVERY one of his books several times! The stories never get old. It is good, clean humor that my sons and I have enjoyed together for years! if you like fishing, hunting, camping, basically any outdoor stuff, you will love these too. I wish he was still around to give us more...The world lost a truly funny man and national treasure when he passed. I preferred Norman Dietz (in all the other books) as narrator versus Sean Pratt....Deitz WAS the voice of Patrick McManus and all his hapless characters. Since I was use to Deitz, I couldn't really get used to someone else substituting. No one else could replace him, especially for Rancid Crabtree, my favorite. However, this is still one to add to the collection.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I loved it

These are short, witty, and funny. I could have listened forever! You can pick it up for 10 min or 5 hours!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Nostalgic Humor for Nature Lovers

I wish I had discovered this book while my father was still alive because he would have loved it. Enjoying it was a little like listening to his own humorous stories.

If you relish tales by authors like Jean Sheppard and Ray Bradbury, if you used to listen every week to A Prarie Home Companion, this book is for you. If you are lucky enough to have grown up in a small town or rural area with parents who enjoyed outdoor pursuits like hiking and fishing, if you spent childhood summer days wading creeks and climbing trees, you will enjoy it even more.

This book blends a love of the outdoors with wit, humor, and what I can only call Americana. It's a funny, nostalgic collection that may well bring back memories of your own first camping trip or most hilarious misadventure.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

WE REALLY ENJOY PATRICK MCMANUS!

As much as I like Mr. McManus, I just could not finish listening to this book. I tried several times. I think the reader would be great with a novel, but after hearing other McManus books read out loud, this was just droll and boring. We've read all of his books out loud as a family so I was hoping for a winner. I'm sorry, I really tried to enjoy it. Read it yourself and laugh out loud!

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    4 out of 5 stars
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McManus is a Treasure

Picking up McManus' books in the 1980s (in high school) was a pleasant experience with lots of laughter that ultimately led me to a deeper dive into the humor of Robert Benchley (one reviewer called him the "Robert Benchley of the outdoors) and others, including W.C. Fields. So it is fun to read and enjoy McManus again. Some of these newly collected stories (which are a mix of older and newer over a course of 50 years), are some of his best, others are a bit further down the list, but all are enough to make me smile and cheer me up a bit. Thanks, Pat, Retch, Rancid, Bun and others.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

review

this book was the best commodity book I have ever heard. I recommend 10/10

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Delightfully funny stories. Wonderful narrator.

The stories have that quality that lazy afternoon on the front porch or sitting around a campfire feel that is seldom seen in contemporary, so-called entertainment. It is storytelling at its finest. Mr. Pratt, the narrator, has great comedic timing and a storyteller's rhythm that brings the printed word to life.
These are the kind of stories that you could hear dozens, maybe hundreds of times, each time enjoying the story, and looking forward to the wry comments and dry humor nuggets that sneak up on you each time.
Mr. McManus is a storyteller's storyteller, a master of the ever-rarer art form..Thank you for preserving this delightful sample.

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Good Clean Fun

I really recommend if you just want to relax, shut your mind down, and let some of the stress float away.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Book!

I am a fan of McManus and this is a great book. The stories really take me back. I love the way that McManus delivers the humor in his stories. Sometimes it is subtle, while other times it is right in your face. Wonderful writing!

I think that the narrator did an amazing job reading this book. I really like the way that he conveyed the different characters in the stories. You can tell that he read through this book before recording by the way that he seamlessly changed emotions and acted out the different parts. Well done!

I highly recommend this book!

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