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Available
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Publication
Penguin Books (1994), 184 pages
Description
Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a 'T'. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather-forecasts and tins of pineapple chunks - not to mention the devastation left in the wake of J.'s small fox-terrier Montmorency. Three Men in a Boat was an instant success when it appeared in 1889, and, with its benign escapism, authorial discursions and wonderful evocation of the late-Victorian 'clerking classes', it hilariously captured the spirit of its age.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Atchoum
My father was right,: never read this book in public ! The frequent fits of irresistible laughter gave the people commuting with me in this train reasons to think I had become mad.
Besides, more seriously, if you look well, I do believe you'll realize this book holds the key to ALL questions in the
Probably the best british contribution to the world literature, ever, I'm not kidding !
Besides, more seriously, if you look well, I do believe you'll realize this book holds the key to ALL questions in the
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universe, be it practical or philosophical, starting of course with how to travel with a cheese.Probably the best british contribution to the world literature, ever, I'm not kidding !
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LibraryThing member hailelib
First published in 1889, this was a delightful read for me although there were a couple of places where one had to remember the times in which it was written. Three young men decide they need a change from their usual London routine and decide to spend two weeks on a boating holiday, traveling up
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the Thames to Oxford with the dog, Montmorency, and then back again. The process of deciding what to take and the evening of packing reminded me of a group of young Boy Scouts getting ready for a camping trip - not very well thought out planning and confused and not very competent packing with the dog always in the wrong place. This was just a preview of things to come! At one point the narrator cracked me up when describing getting ready for the day and tidying the boat he remarked that the process was "a continual labour, which was beginning to afford me a pretty clear insight into a question that had often posed me -- namely, how a woman with the work of only one house on her hands, manages to pass away her time". Show Less
LibraryThing member kaitanya64
Imagine Bertie Wooster and two pals and a fox terrier decide that to cure their general seediness and hypochondria, they will take a boat down the river Thames for a couple of weeks, camping out, cooking their own food and other wholesome entertainments. That is basically the tone and situation of
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this book. Laughed out loud at least once in every chapter. Show Less
LibraryThing member cbl_tn
Three companions, feeling tired and in need of a change, decide that a boat trip up the Thames is just what they need to perk up their spirits. Jerome's amusing account of this river trip is just the thing to perk up anyone's spirit! Jerome finds humor in everyday occurrences such as packing a
I was introduced to this book about 20 years ago and was delighted with it. I've read it at least 3 times since, and I've also listened to it on CD while traveling. I don't ever seem to get tired of it.
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suitcase, waiting for a tea kettle to boil, and hanging a picture.I was introduced to this book about 20 years ago and was delighted with it. I've read it at least 3 times since, and I've also listened to it on CD while traveling. I don't ever seem to get tired of it.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
When I was young, our family had a fishing cabin with a sign on the wall that said "I like work: it fascinates me. I could sit and look at it for hours." I burst out laughing to read the source of that saying.
Some have called this the funniest book in the English language. I would most certainly
Part travelogue of the Thames in the late 18th century, part lyrical writing about life, sometimes social critique, the book doesn't pretend to be more than it is...a chance to laugh at, and with, a couple of bumbling fellows and maybe catch an occasional reflection. It's said that Jerome once delivered the verdict on his book, "What readers ask now-a-days in a book is that it should improve, instruct and elevate. This book wouldn't elevate a cow."
It's not a long book, under 200 pages in my edition, and can easily be consumed on a summer's day. I think it's worth the time that would be spent.
Some have called this the funniest book in the English language. I would most certainly
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not go that far. It is a funny book, but you'll need an appreciation of poking fun at a slapstick group of self-satisfied, pampered Victorians (think Bertie Wooster without Jeeves' sobering influence) or else you should pass this by and spend your time elsewhere. I will say that, like Wodehouse's work, the humor does not seem dated; I never found myself saying, "The Victorians probably found this funny, but I don't get it now."Part travelogue of the Thames in the late 18th century, part lyrical writing about life, sometimes social critique, the book doesn't pretend to be more than it is...a chance to laugh at, and with, a couple of bumbling fellows and maybe catch an occasional reflection. It's said that Jerome once delivered the verdict on his book, "What readers ask now-a-days in a book is that it should improve, instruct and elevate. This book wouldn't elevate a cow."
It's not a long book, under 200 pages in my edition, and can easily be consumed on a summer's day. I think it's worth the time that would be spent.
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LibraryThing member miketroll
This short novel is hailed by many as a comic classic. Not really! – more a nostalgic icon. It represents the idyll of a sweeter, gentler England in the days before the combustion engine – long summer days, the village green, the country inn, warm ale, ducks, cows, willow and honeysuckle.
On
The humour is mostly slapstick and laboured – frantic goings-on with oars, tent pegs and tow-ropes. The more successful jokes are often flogged to death.
But the book was popular in its time and is interesting as a document of the late Victorian age. It reveals a traditional English distaste for intellect and seriousness, but above all the great self-satisfaction of a nation at the height of Empire.
On
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closer examination TMIAB really isn’t very good. There is no plot. The unifying thread is the river Thames, on which the eponymous heroes simply potter upstream until it’s time to go home. As for character, the heroes are barely distinguishable from each other in their fat-headedness. Only the fox terrier is well drawn.The humour is mostly slapstick and laboured – frantic goings-on with oars, tent pegs and tow-ropes. The more successful jokes are often flogged to death.
But the book was popular in its time and is interesting as a document of the late Victorian age. It reveals a traditional English distaste for intellect and seriousness, but above all the great self-satisfaction of a nation at the height of Empire.
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LibraryThing member PitcherBooks
Ostensibly a travelogue for river travel on the Thames written in 1889. If all travelogues were written like this, I swear I'd read them all!
A boat holiday memoir by Jerome, he ranges from laugh-out-loud funny (as when he describes his & his buddies' rampant hypochondria and thus their need for a
I totally adored Jerome's dry wit and humorous tongue-in-cheek delivery throughout. I'm ready to take the same river trip myself with his book in hand.
I've just downloaded the sequel, Three Men on the Bummel, and am torn between reading it immediately or delaying so to allow anticipation to build thus savoring it the more!
A boat holiday memoir by Jerome, he ranges from laugh-out-loud funny (as when he describes his & his buddies' rampant hypochondria and thus their need for a
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holiday) to some lovely poetic prose as he describes the beauty & serenity of the river to downright educational (but only in the brief, non-painful, sometimes funny but usually interesting history of the sites one will pass along the river). I totally adored Jerome's dry wit and humorous tongue-in-cheek delivery throughout. I'm ready to take the same river trip myself with his book in hand.
I've just downloaded the sequel, Three Men on the Bummel, and am torn between reading it immediately or delaying so to allow anticipation to build thus savoring it the more!
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LibraryThing member Treebeard_404
Generally, I dislike Victorian authors. Many, like Dickens, were writing for serialized publication in magazines for which they were paid by the word, and it shows. JKJ, on the other hand, strikes the right balance for a modern audience. His work is just florid enough to evoke an after-dinner
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conversation with a skilled raconteur. He has a fine sense of how long he can indulge in describing a place before moving on to something happening. 3MiaB is filled with fine dashes of gentle, self-deprecating irony and occasional stabbing wit. One need not be a scholar of 19th century history or literature to appreciate its content. Show Less
LibraryThing member adzebill
Happy to have read this, only to enjoy the occasional long-winded lyrical passage and droll story, and because, sadly, this is a classic of British literature. Malcolm Bradbury put it quite well in DOCTOR CRIMINALE: "So when you thought about it 1889 was quite a year, right across Europe – the
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time of Freud and Nietzsche, Ibsen and Zola, Max Nordau and Max Weber. In fact it was the great year of Modernismus, modern thought. And in Britain that year…well, in Britain that year, the British, as the British do, were coming along just a little late. The book of the year…was Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat." Show Less
LibraryThing member BirdBrian
ROAD TRIP!!!!! WOO-HOOOOOOOOO!
Narrator J gathers a few friends, puts the dog in the back seat, and hits the open road- ready for adventure and whatever comes his way. That's one way of looking at it. Or maybe it's more laid back, less frat-boy... three good ol' boys and their scappy dog pack their
Here's the route J and the boys took. (Special thanks to Ian for suggesting a map, special apologies from me to the Internet for being surprised it contained one)
Three Men In a Boat (TMIB) is a buddy travel adventure with more bellylaughs than [book:The Road|6288], less sex than [book:On the Road|70401], and less Hobbits than [book:The Hobbit|5907].... but I still loved it! In this case, the road is the Thames river, the brewskis are Toddy (and I'm not even sure what "Toddy" is, other than to observe J and the boys get drunk on it), and J isn't a freeloading Beatnick; he's a 19th century working-class Briton. These are all minor details, however. TMIB follows J, George, Harris and J's dog Montmorency on as they enjoy the summer of 1889, navigating the lochs, canals and tributaries of the Thames River. This loose collection of anecdotes was funny to an unexpected degree, mainly because J's self-effacing and insightful narration recognizes his own follies, as well as those around him.
A very cursory list of favorite parts would include:
1) J's hypochondria when reading medical textbooks. Every disease he reads about, he ends of thinking he has. Eventually, he presents himself to the family doctor, ready to avail his amazing medical history (i.e. "the man who has everything") to serious medical study. In today's era of pharmaceutical advertising, it's easy to imagine how poor J would fare."Ask you doctor is Placebozil is right for you, if you have one of the following:
-occasional irritation or frustration with minor matters
-aversion to prolonged loud sounds
-feelings of intense hunger after a mere 24 hour fast
-occasionally feeling fatigued or "down".... &c.
2)The story of J's uncle, who requires a mere six hours and nine assistants to accomplish the hanging of a framed picture in his Aunt's living room. The task involves severe collateral damage to the drywall, but all involved agree this was unavoidable.
3) J's observations about how many pubs, inns, and churches claim to have had Queen Victoria pass through on one of her many visits to the countryside, and his speculation about what the landscape would look like if his friend Harris were somehow able to attain the office of Prime Minister!
4) The anecdote about the mounted trout proudly displayed at the country inn. Every local who J and friends meet claims to have caught the trout, and tells them a different story about how it all happened. I won't even spoil the end of that story with a spoiler!
5) J's alternate views of powercraft drivers, when he is in a sailboat- and his view of sailors when he is aboard a steamship.
6) The odd case of Harris and the swans.
Haha- good stuff. Naturally, J's deadpan British delivery only makes the material funnier. Here's a taste of what I'm talking about:(#363)(about the speed of his boat):
"...we started off at a shamble what would have done credit to the swiftest steam-roller ever built."
or
(#527)(of an inaccurate barometer indicating "Sunny" weather during a downpour):
"...It tried its best, but the instrument was build so that it couldn't prophesy fine weather any harder than it did without breaking itself."
or
(#762)(of a tunic George bought):
"...George put it on, and asked us what we thought of it. Harris said that, as an object to hang over a flower-bed in early spring to frighten the birds away, he should respect it; considered as an article of dress for any human being [however], it made him ill."
Reading that in bed, I woke my wife up when I burst out laughing. She is a patient and understanding woman.
Lest I leave you with the impression this whole work is just a corny jokebook, let me point out some of the text's finer points. For one thing, there are places where the language is downright poetic. No fratboy roadtrip sitcom is going to yield up passages like this:"We fall asleep beneath the great, still stars, and dream that the world is young again-
young and sweet as she used to be ere the centuries of fret and care had furrowed her fair face, ere her children's sins and follies had made old her loving heart -sweet as she was in those bygone days when, a new-made mother, she nursed us, her children, upon her own deep breast -ere the wiles of painted civilization had lured us away from her fond arms, and the poisoned sneers of artificialtiy had made us ashamed of the simple life we led with her, and the simple, stately home where mankind was born so many thousand years ago."
Beautiful.
Also, the book has times where J. seems to be making an ernest stab at creating an honest-to-goodness travelogue of real places of interest along the Thames. In fact, this book could be used to plan a fun tour of England... hitting such places as
-(#1787)
"...Tennyson was married in Shiplake Church."
-(#2127)
".. Henry I lies buried at Reading, in the Benedictine abbey founded by him there, the ruins of which may still be seen; and, in this same abbey, great John of Gaunt was marred to the Lady Blanche.
-(#2314)
"...Wallingford, six miles abouve Streatley, is a very ancient town, and has been an active centre for the making of English history. It was a rude, mud-built town in the time of the Britons, who squatted there, until the Roman legions evicted them; and replaced their clay-baked ovens by mightly fortifications, the trace fo which Time has not yet succeeded in sweeping away, so well those old-world masons knew how to build."
and
-(#2337)
"Abbingdon is a typical country town of the smaller order- quiet, eminantly clean, and desperately dull."
By the end of this, who knows? I may have even gotten a taste of what life was like for the working-class 120 years ago in the UK.
How did I go so long without hearing about this book? It is only through Karen's Readers' Advisory that I even discovered it now.
Three cheers for Karen!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Narrator J gathers a few friends, puts the dog in the back seat, and hits the open road- ready for adventure and whatever comes his way. That's one way of looking at it. Or maybe it's more laid back, less frat-boy... three good ol' boys and their scappy dog pack their
Show More
boat with plenty of brewskis for two weeks of fishin', drifting around and telling each other lies. Here's the route J and the boys took. (Special thanks to Ian for suggesting a map, special apologies from me to the Internet for being surprised it contained one)
Three Men In a Boat (TMIB) is a buddy travel adventure with more bellylaughs than [book:The Road|6288], less sex than [book:On the Road|70401], and less Hobbits than [book:The Hobbit|5907].... but I still loved it! In this case, the road is the Thames river, the brewskis are Toddy (and I'm not even sure what "Toddy" is, other than to observe J and the boys get drunk on it), and J isn't a freeloading Beatnick; he's a 19th century working-class Briton. These are all minor details, however. TMIB follows J, George, Harris and J's dog Montmorency on as they enjoy the summer of 1889, navigating the lochs, canals and tributaries of the Thames River. This loose collection of anecdotes was funny to an unexpected degree, mainly because J's self-effacing and insightful narration recognizes his own follies, as well as those around him.
A very cursory list of favorite parts would include:
1) J's hypochondria when reading medical textbooks. Every disease he reads about, he ends of thinking he has. Eventually, he presents himself to the family doctor, ready to avail his amazing medical history (i.e. "the man who has everything") to serious medical study. In today's era of pharmaceutical advertising, it's easy to imagine how poor J would fare."Ask you doctor is Placebozil is right for you, if you have one of the following:
-occasional irritation or frustration with minor matters
-aversion to prolonged loud sounds
-feelings of intense hunger after a mere 24 hour fast
-occasionally feeling fatigued or "down".... &c.
2)The story of J's uncle, who requires a mere six hours and nine assistants to accomplish the hanging of a framed picture in his Aunt's living room. The task involves severe collateral damage to the drywall, but all involved agree this was unavoidable.
3) J's observations about how many pubs, inns, and churches claim to have had Queen Victoria pass through on one of her many visits to the countryside, and his speculation about what the landscape would look like if his friend Harris were somehow able to attain the office of Prime Minister!
4) The anecdote about the mounted trout proudly displayed at the country inn. Every local who J and friends meet claims to have caught the trout, and tells them a different story about how it all happened. I won't even spoil the end of that story with a spoiler!
5) J's alternate views of powercraft drivers, when he is in a sailboat- and his view of sailors when he is aboard a steamship.
6) The odd case of Harris and the swans.
Haha- good stuff. Naturally, J's deadpan British delivery only makes the material funnier. Here's a taste of what I'm talking about:(#363)(about the speed of his boat):
"...we started off at a shamble what would have done credit to the swiftest steam-roller ever built."
or
(#527)(of an inaccurate barometer indicating "Sunny" weather during a downpour):
"...It tried its best, but the instrument was build so that it couldn't prophesy fine weather any harder than it did without breaking itself."
or
(#762)(of a tunic George bought):
"...George put it on, and asked us what we thought of it. Harris said that, as an object to hang over a flower-bed in early spring to frighten the birds away, he should respect it; considered as an article of dress for any human being [however], it made him ill."
Reading that in bed, I woke my wife up when I burst out laughing. She is a patient and understanding woman.
Lest I leave you with the impression this whole work is just a corny jokebook, let me point out some of the text's finer points. For one thing, there are places where the language is downright poetic. No fratboy roadtrip sitcom is going to yield up passages like this:"We fall asleep beneath the great, still stars, and dream that the world is young again-
young and sweet as she used to be ere the centuries of fret and care had furrowed her fair face, ere her children's sins and follies had made old her loving heart -sweet as she was in those bygone days when, a new-made mother, she nursed us, her children, upon her own deep breast -ere the wiles of painted civilization had lured us away from her fond arms, and the poisoned sneers of artificialtiy had made us ashamed of the simple life we led with her, and the simple, stately home where mankind was born so many thousand years ago."
Beautiful.
Also, the book has times where J. seems to be making an ernest stab at creating an honest-to-goodness travelogue of real places of interest along the Thames. In fact, this book could be used to plan a fun tour of England... hitting such places as
-(#1787)
"...Tennyson was married in Shiplake Church."
-(#2127)
".. Henry I lies buried at Reading, in the Benedictine abbey founded by him there, the ruins of which may still be seen; and, in this same abbey, great John of Gaunt was marred to the Lady Blanche.
-(#2314)
"...Wallingford, six miles abouve Streatley, is a very ancient town, and has been an active centre for the making of English history. It was a rude, mud-built town in the time of the Britons, who squatted there, until the Roman legions evicted them; and replaced their clay-baked ovens by mightly fortifications, the trace fo which Time has not yet succeeded in sweeping away, so well those old-world masons knew how to build."
and
-(#2337)
"Abbingdon is a typical country town of the smaller order- quiet, eminantly clean, and desperately dull."
By the end of this, who knows? I may have even gotten a taste of what life was like for the working-class 120 years ago in the UK.
How did I go so long without hearing about this book? It is only through Karen's Readers' Advisory that I even discovered it now.
Three cheers for Karen!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
There are loads of reviews on this work, so this is only to say, I loved this book. It is one I will be seeking in hardcover so that I may read it again. I had the ebook version, and although the story was still wonderful, the illustrations were tiny. I need to hold this book, flip the pages back
This one had me laughing out-loud frequently. Not hysterical laughing, but amused laughing. Much of it felt modern, but certain passages made the reader aware of the times the book was written in. I took my time reading this, because I wanted to appreciate it. It is farce, comedy, poetic, philosophical, and retrospective. Good, clean fun. The only thing which could make it better for me, is if I had been on a boating trip on the Thames, but the author describes it in such a way, that I feel I have been.
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and forth, reread passages, underline some of them and make notes in the margins. I want to have a relationship with it and I can't do that with an ebook. There are not many books I feel that way about.This one had me laughing out-loud frequently. Not hysterical laughing, but amused laughing. Much of it felt modern, but certain passages made the reader aware of the times the book was written in. I took my time reading this, because I wanted to appreciate it. It is farce, comedy, poetic, philosophical, and retrospective. Good, clean fun. The only thing which could make it better for me, is if I had been on a boating trip on the Thames, but the author describes it in such a way, that I feel I have been.
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LibraryThing member tloeffler
George, Harris, J., and Montmorency (the dog) pack up supplies and take off for a boat trip down the Thames. This may be one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. The philosophy was right up my alley. The "blurbs" at the beginning of each chapter were almost as funny as the chapter itself.
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I thought Jerome did a wonderful job of interspersing stories from the past with what they were doing as they went along. I laughed and laughed. A perfect antidote to real life. Show Less
LibraryThing member edgeworth
Three Men In A Boat is a humourous novel from the 1880s detailing the trip that three young, wealthy, Wooster-style gadabouts take from London to Oxford, up the Thames by rowing skiff. The novel is actually based on Jerome’s honeymoon, I believe, with his wife replaced by two friends to make the
It reminded me, inevitably, of the shaggy dog story travelogues of Mark Twain, though Jerome is far more readable than Twain. They follow the same sort of style – firmly tongue-in-cheek, constantly diverted by anecdotes, and with the strong sense that neither man would let the truth get in the way of a good story (although Jerome at least classified his as fiction). It’s not without its flaws – certainly some of the amusing stories can become long-winded and unfunny, as was the style at the time, and the humour is curiously interspersed with patches of sentimental writing in which Jerome genuinely appreciates the beauty of the Thames. Nonetheless, Three Men In A Boat is a short and pleasant novel which remains one of the more accessible pieces of writing from the 19th century.
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novel more amusing. It’s a perennial classic which has never been out of print, and it’s easy to see why. Jerome has a surprisingly modern writing style, and the book feels undated to the point where the appearance of horse-drawn carts feels anachronous. It also never stopped feeling odd when Jerome would compare the peacefulness of bygone eras with the hustling, bustling modern world of “the 19th century.”It reminded me, inevitably, of the shaggy dog story travelogues of Mark Twain, though Jerome is far more readable than Twain. They follow the same sort of style – firmly tongue-in-cheek, constantly diverted by anecdotes, and with the strong sense that neither man would let the truth get in the way of a good story (although Jerome at least classified his as fiction). It’s not without its flaws – certainly some of the amusing stories can become long-winded and unfunny, as was the style at the time, and the humour is curiously interspersed with patches of sentimental writing in which Jerome genuinely appreciates the beauty of the Thames. Nonetheless, Three Men In A Boat is a short and pleasant novel which remains one of the more accessible pieces of writing from the 19th century.
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LibraryThing member EllaBelakovska
Having joined the kindle revolution I have downloaded as many classics as possible, what with them being free and all, with the express intention that I WILL one day be familiar with all the 'books you should read before you die'. Ergo, Three Men in a Boat slotted into my e-collection and, knowing
I really was pleasantly surprised. In trying to explain it to a friend I realised that there is no plot to speak of and nothing really happens for the entireity of the novel. It really does do what it says on the tin! There are reams of anecdotes throughout, to highlight the monumental silliness of the three central characters (and the dog) and silly for me is akin to fun; a really daft bit of escapism from the dourness of a wet, cold September in recession-hit Britain. I rarely laugh out loud at a book and when I saw that other reviewers had made this claim, I was skeptical, but I have to admit, I did indeed chuckle audibly throughout.
I can appreciate that this won't be to everyone's taste - I have recently read that it was actually written as a children's book so this probably says more about my immature sense of humour than anything else! If, like me, you enjoy linguistic slapstick with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek, you will probably find this to be a very amusing way to pass the time.
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absolutely nothing about it, I gave it a try.I really was pleasantly surprised. In trying to explain it to a friend I realised that there is no plot to speak of and nothing really happens for the entireity of the novel. It really does do what it says on the tin! There are reams of anecdotes throughout, to highlight the monumental silliness of the three central characters (and the dog) and silly for me is akin to fun; a really daft bit of escapism from the dourness of a wet, cold September in recession-hit Britain. I rarely laugh out loud at a book and when I saw that other reviewers had made this claim, I was skeptical, but I have to admit, I did indeed chuckle audibly throughout.
I can appreciate that this won't be to everyone's taste - I have recently read that it was actually written as a children's book so this probably says more about my immature sense of humour than anything else! If, like me, you enjoy linguistic slapstick with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek, you will probably find this to be a very amusing way to pass the time.
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LibraryThing member wenestvedt
OMGOMGOMG I love this book! *squeal*
I don't think there's a page in this book that I can open to without giggling. I've read the spine off of mine, and have to hold the pieces together with one hand whenever I open it -- which is pretty often.
Three friends leave London to row up the Thames for a
I smile just thinking about all the joy this book has brought me, and I frown when I see it quoted elsewhere without attribution.
The follow-up book, "Three Men on the Bummel" wasn't as good, but is still pretty funny if you like this.
I don't think there's a page in this book that I can open to without giggling. I've read the spine off of mine, and have to hold the pieces together with one hand whenever I open it -- which is pretty often.
Three friends leave London to row up the Thames for a
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weekend trip (with, of course, Montmorency, the dog of the title). Misery, hilarity, and travel through "miserable Reading" ensue.I smile just thinking about all the joy this book has brought me, and I frown when I see it quoted elsewhere without attribution.
The follow-up book, "Three Men on the Bummel" wasn't as good, but is still pretty funny if you like this.
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LibraryThing member whitreidtan
I have long had this book sitting on my shelf. Actually, it's been sitting on the "recommended for a laugh" shelf for years now. And I scraped a price tag off of it that tells me I bought it way back in 2001. So for an appallingly long time, I haven't touched a book that came highly recommended,
Written in 1889, this novel is an hilarious travel narrative peppered with small amounts of English history. Jerome, two of his equally hypochondriac friends, and Montmorency, a fox terrier, decide to scull up the river Thames for a fortnight. They are looking for a bit of a rest from their apparently strenuous lives, lives the reader soon discovers are mostly indolent and non-taxing in the extreme. The fresh air will certainly cure them of their imagined ills. And so they head off on their boating holiday. As they row upriver, Jerome takes the opportunity to tell brief bits of important (and sometimes not so important) history that occurred in the towns on the banks of the river. But in and amongst these serious pieces of information, he also chronicles the misadventures of their inept, bumbling, and lackadaisical trio using the sort of ascerbic and dry wit that is a hallmark of a certain kind of British humor. From J., George, and Harris's slapstick occurrences on this present trip to flashbacks of previous trips and completely tangential but hysterically funny stories (I defy you to read about the stinky cheese without worrying you're going to wet your pants laughing), the tale is entertaining and, despite its age, completely accessible. The three main characters are irritable and crotchety, averse to hard work, goofy, and yet incredibly adroit at telling appealing and laugh-inducing tall tales. Their teasing and good natured interactions with each other, despite all the bollocksing up they do is delightful and the humor is ultimately self-effacing, gentle, and wonderful. The book, designed to be a travelogue rather than a plot-driven read, is pleasant, funny, and marvelous and now that I know what a small gem I have on my shelf, I fully intend to take it down and enjoy it again and again.
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about which I occasionally hear very positive things even from people not inclined to read a whole lot. I don't know whether I was afraid it wouldn't live up to everything I'd heard or what exactly had slowed me down from reading it, but I have to say to anyone else out there with Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat sitting neglected on a shelf: take it down and settle in to a very enjoyable read, one that will make you smile and chuckle and even break out into a full fledged laugh that will make others in public look at you strangely and move their seats as far from you as possible.Written in 1889, this novel is an hilarious travel narrative peppered with small amounts of English history. Jerome, two of his equally hypochondriac friends, and Montmorency, a fox terrier, decide to scull up the river Thames for a fortnight. They are looking for a bit of a rest from their apparently strenuous lives, lives the reader soon discovers are mostly indolent and non-taxing in the extreme. The fresh air will certainly cure them of their imagined ills. And so they head off on their boating holiday. As they row upriver, Jerome takes the opportunity to tell brief bits of important (and sometimes not so important) history that occurred in the towns on the banks of the river. But in and amongst these serious pieces of information, he also chronicles the misadventures of their inept, bumbling, and lackadaisical trio using the sort of ascerbic and dry wit that is a hallmark of a certain kind of British humor. From J., George, and Harris's slapstick occurrences on this present trip to flashbacks of previous trips and completely tangential but hysterically funny stories (I defy you to read about the stinky cheese without worrying you're going to wet your pants laughing), the tale is entertaining and, despite its age, completely accessible. The three main characters are irritable and crotchety, averse to hard work, goofy, and yet incredibly adroit at telling appealing and laugh-inducing tall tales. Their teasing and good natured interactions with each other, despite all the bollocksing up they do is delightful and the humor is ultimately self-effacing, gentle, and wonderful. The book, designed to be a travelogue rather than a plot-driven read, is pleasant, funny, and marvelous and now that I know what a small gem I have on my shelf, I fully intend to take it down and enjoy it again and again.
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LibraryThing member RDeck
It's hard to believe that a 130-year-old humorous account of a boating trip on the Thames could be as fresh today as when it was written. But it remains hilarious.
The three men are based on the author himself and two real-life friends, and and a totally fictitious dog, Montmorency, who is as much a
"I forget the other ingredients, but I know nothing was wasted; and I remember that, towards the end, Montmorency, who had evinced great interest in the proceedings throughout, strolled away with an earnest and thoughtful air, reappearing, a few minutes afterwards, with a dead water-rat in his mouth, which he evidently wished to present as his contribution to the dinner; whether in a sarcastic spirit, or with a genuine desire to assist, I cannot say."
The three men are based on the author himself and two real-life friends, and and a totally fictitious dog, Montmorency, who is as much a
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character as the three men. One of the funniest moments in the book is when the three men decide to make an Irish stew by using pretty much all the food they had on hand. The dog decided to help:"I forget the other ingredients, but I know nothing was wasted; and I remember that, towards the end, Montmorency, who had evinced great interest in the proceedings throughout, strolled away with an earnest and thoughtful air, reappearing, a few minutes afterwards, with a dead water-rat in his mouth, which he evidently wished to present as his contribution to the dinner; whether in a sarcastic spirit, or with a genuine desire to assist, I cannot say."
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LibraryThing member sharlene_w
I enjoyed listening to this short (3 cd) book on audio. A pleasant, old-fashioned story of the misadventures of three men and a dog on a boat trip on the Thames.
LibraryThing member iftyzaidi
A greatly entertaining tale of three friends taking a holiday and travelling up the Thames by boat (to say nothing of the dog!) This was laugh out loud funny at times. Some may find that the humour throughout is a little same-y but since I read it over the course of a couple of weeks, I didn't find
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this to be so and I was always entertained when I picked it up. Show Less
LibraryThing member NarratorLady
Three friends decide to travel the Thames in a boat. We know from the beginning that this venture will be problematic: all three, Harris, George and "J" (the author) are hapless fellows, each more intent on watching the other two do the work than anything else. J tells the story, and his ramblings
The dog of the subtitle is Montmorency. About him, J tells us: "fox-terriers are born with about four times as much original sin in them as other dogs are."
The book was written in 1889 and wears very well, despite its heroes being from a vanished aristocracy: J and Harris live on inherited money it would seem, while George works, sort of: "George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day, except Saturdays, when they wake him up and put him outside at two." While the escapades about outlandish fish stories, getting lost in the maze at Hampton Court and insulting a German professor are very Wodehouse-ian, there are elements of the travelogue amid the anecdotes, which remind me of Mark Twain's "A Tramp Abroad", written at about the same time. Both have that tongue-in-cheek attitude while actually giving real information about the places visited.
For a book to be in print for 120 years is amazing; for three versions of the audio book to be available is astounding. I had the choice of listening to Ian Carmichael (Lord Peter Wimsey), Hugh Laurie (Bertie Wooster) or Martin Jarvis. I chose the latter because he is a narrator extraordinaire and I didn't want to be reminded of the characters that I link to the other two actors. But I don't think you could miss with any of them. This book is a must for all lovers of British wit.
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about the sparkle of the water and the glories of nature generally end in disaster, since he is often in charge of rowing or steering while waxing poetic. He often digresses into stories of human nature and loves pointing out the foibles of the other two. They are no less generous about his failings. It's all pretty hilarious.The dog of the subtitle is Montmorency. About him, J tells us: "fox-terriers are born with about four times as much original sin in them as other dogs are."
The book was written in 1889 and wears very well, despite its heroes being from a vanished aristocracy: J and Harris live on inherited money it would seem, while George works, sort of: "George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day, except Saturdays, when they wake him up and put him outside at two." While the escapades about outlandish fish stories, getting lost in the maze at Hampton Court and insulting a German professor are very Wodehouse-ian, there are elements of the travelogue amid the anecdotes, which remind me of Mark Twain's "A Tramp Abroad", written at about the same time. Both have that tongue-in-cheek attitude while actually giving real information about the places visited.
For a book to be in print for 120 years is amazing; for three versions of the audio book to be available is astounding. I had the choice of listening to Ian Carmichael (Lord Peter Wimsey), Hugh Laurie (Bertie Wooster) or Martin Jarvis. I chose the latter because he is a narrator extraordinaire and I didn't want to be reminded of the characters that I link to the other two actors. But I don't think you could miss with any of them. This book is a must for all lovers of British wit.
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LibraryThing member cappybear
A delight from start to finish, and laugh-out-loud funny. My wife and I only have to say "come and see the skulls!" to start giggling. It has its serious moments (the tale of the dead girl, for example) but whenever I think of the book, I smile.
LibraryThing member elliepotten
Quintessentially British, this little novel-c*m-memoir exudes a Wodehouse-ish humour that is quite charming with a cup of tea of an afternoon. Jerome based his book on a journey he made with two friends (but no dog) up the Thames from Kingston to Oxford in a wooden skiff.
In the book J, George,
The book is certainly very amusing, and I read most of the first half with a stupid smirk on my face. But I don't know whether it was my own 'winding down to Christmas' tiredness or the book itself, but it enchanted me less and less towards the end. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing, perhaps it was the same thread of humour growing thin, who knows. The final verdict: quite funny, yet also quite beautiful, with evocative descriptions of life on the river that reminded me of the narrowboating holidays I've enjoyed over recent years. Well worth a read, and I'll be reading 'Three Men on the Bummel' soon...
In the book J, George,
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Harris, and the endearing Montmorency the dog, set off for Oxford in order to boost their health and wellbeing after a fearful bout of terminal hypochondria. Taking turns rowing and towing their little boat, they share meals and memories, arguments and laughter. They explore the pretty riverside villages and spend the clear nights camping in the boat. Of course there are scrapes aplenty given their hopeless ineptitude and fearsome laziness...The book is certainly very amusing, and I read most of the first half with a stupid smirk on my face. But I don't know whether it was my own 'winding down to Christmas' tiredness or the book itself, but it enchanted me less and less towards the end. Perhaps it was too much of a good thing, perhaps it was the same thread of humour growing thin, who knows. The final verdict: quite funny, yet also quite beautiful, with evocative descriptions of life on the river that reminded me of the narrowboating holidays I've enjoyed over recent years. Well worth a read, and I'll be reading 'Three Men on the Bummel' soon...
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LibraryThing member stacey2112
3.5. Ah, British humor! This book was a bit strange, oscillating between that sort of dry ridiculous British wit that had me laughing out loud, to clever snickery observations, to places that lost me a bit through their overly thorough tediousness, & even big chunks of history & a VERY moving
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farewell essay, of sorts, to a "fallen woman" who committed suicide. But, truly lovely writing throughout. I'm giving it a 3.5, I listened to it on audiotape & feel that may have enhanced the tedium of certain passages. Worth a read if you like this kind of thing! And, the full title is "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)" which is SO funny & why I had to read it! :) Show Less
LibraryThing member craso
A humorous series of anecdotes on human nature strung together within the framework of a story about three men, to say nothing of the dog, taking a boating trip.
This novel wasn't what I expected. I thought it would have the normal dialog and narrative structure of a modern novel. Instead, the
This novel wasn't what I expected. I thought it would have the normal dialog and narrative structure of a modern novel. Instead, the
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author interrupts the story to tell hilarious tales about each situation. This threw me off in the beginning but I became used to it as I read. The book was written in 1889, but since the humor is about human foibles we can relate to it even today. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mromano
A travel writing detailing three men's travels through England. This forms the basis for the anecdotal asides which are oftentimes funny. However, the humor is not sustained and the pattern grows tiresome. Usually there is a brief discussion about travels and then the author will say something like
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"that reminds me of a time" therein launching into a story. As such, the work reads like loosely bound humorous vignettes without any read tie as many of the asides have little or nothing to do with travel. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1889
Physical description
7 x 0.5 inches
ISBN
0140621334 / 9780140621334