Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome

Three Men in a Boat

By Jerome K. Jerome

  • Release Date: 2010-10-19
  • Genre: Fiction & Literature
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 65 Ratings

Description

Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), published in 1889, is a humorous account by English writer Jerome K. Jerome of a boating holiday on the Thames between Kingston and Oxford.

The book was initially intended to be a serious travel guide, with accounts of local history along the route, but the humorous elements took over to the point where the serious and somewhat sentimental passages seem a distraction to the comic novel. One of the most praised things about Three Men in a Boat is how undated it appears to modern readers – the jokes seem fresh and witty even today.

Reviews

  • I first heard of this

    5
    By Eschiss1
    in the middle of a review of Connie Willis’ “To Say Nothing of the Dog” (its title is the subtitle of this novel. I’d read her time-travel novel already. I don’t recall if it has a Montmorency, Harris, etc.) As to this novel it’s terrifically witty and insightful, and I’ve read it better late than never.
  • Funny and very funny

    5
    By Cubanoso
    What a delight to read this classic. Sometimes I thought that I had read the passages before, but it must be that the jokes have been copied and retold. Every chapter is an adventure—even the historical ambulations. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
  • Too many side-tracks, not my humor

    2
    By jcmidnte
    If their boat trip was condensed down to just the boat trip, this book would only be 2-3 chapters long. The rest of the book is full of “this reminds me of the time” and “I remember when” side stories. A side-story reminds him of another story, and that reminds him of another, etc, etc. Finding the woman in the river seemed out of place & unnecessary. The dry, British humor isn’t my “cup of tea” so most of the humor just comes off as annoying & forced at times. The good: Considering the year this was written, it is a smooth & easy read.
  • Very mediocre

    3
    By archilny
    Very dry, even by British standards, and not funny or entertaining.