Fred "Bogus" Trumper is a wayward knight-errant in the battle of the sexes, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, he stubbornly clings to the notion he'll make something of his life.
-Random House
Reader from Pittsburgh, PA:
First, few books make me laugh out loud. This is one of them. It's also one of the three books I don't go anywhere without. More importantly, it's a book about growing up (whether you want to or not), about taking responsibility for your past mistakes, and about having the courage to get at the root of your problems so that you can stumble, however blindly, toward what the future might bring you. The writing is brilliant. It is true that the chapters go back and forth in time; however, this is done to underscore the fact that Bogus Trumper is about to repeat some of his most disastrous mistakes. And if the chapters detailing Merrill's attempt to teach Bogus to ski and Bogus' "duck-hunting" escapade can't make you laugh, nothing can.
Reader from USA:
My sister so loved the hero of this novel, Bogus Trumper, that she named her cat after him. And while I'm not a fan of the cat, I do love this novel. No other book has made me laugh so hard. One scene in particular had me gasping for breath (I won't ruin it by describing it-- suffice it to say that it involves a prophylactic and attempted infidelity and that you will know it when you read it. The Water-Method Man is far from perfect; I don't suppose it will hold up as well as The World According to Garp. But some books you love despite all their flaws and limitations. God knows, Irving made me very happy for awhile..
