Product 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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #161003 in Books
• Published on: 1994-10-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Customer Reviews

... to say nothing of the dog
Imagine Bertie Wooster and two of his idiot friends out on a boat... with no Jeeves. That about describes "Three Men in a Boat : To Say Nothing of the Dog," Jerome K. Jerome's enchanting comic novel about three young men (to say nothing of the dog) who discover the "joys" of roughing it.

The three men are George, Harris and the narrator, who are all massive hypochiandriacs -- they find that they have symptoms of every disease in existance (except housemaid's knee). To prop up their failing health, they decide to take a cruise down the Thames in a rented boat, camping and enjoying nature's bounty.

Along with Monty -- an angelic-looking, devilish terrier -- the three friends set off down the river. But they find that not everything is as easy as they expected. They get lost in hedge mazes, end up going downstream without a paddle, encounter monstrous cats and vicious swans, have picnics navigate locks, offend German professors, and generally get into every kind of trouble they possibly can...

Even though it was published more than a century ago, "Three Men in a Boat" remains as freshly humorous as when it was first published. While editor/playwright/author Jerome K. Jerome wrote a lot of other books, this book remains his most famous. And once you've read it, you'll see why.

Jerome's real talent is in finding humor in everyday things, like trying to erect a tent in the woods, getting seasick, or questioning whether it's safe to drink river water. Written in Jerome's dry, goofy prose, these little occurrances become immensely funny. One of the funniest parts of the book is when the boys listen to a fishermen telling of his prowess, only to accidently knock down his record-breaking stuffed fish.... and discover it's made out of plaster. Oops.

But Jerome takes a break from the humor near the end, when the boys find a drowned woman floating in the river. And here he becomes solemn and quietly compassionate: "She had sinned - some of us do now and then - and her family and friends, naturally shocked and indignant, had closed their doors against her."

But back on the funny stuff. The capstone on all this humor is the "three men." These guys are basically pampered Victorian aristocrats, who have a romantic yearning for the great outdoors. You'll be laughing at them and with them, as they struggle through the basics of boating and camping.

Funny, wacky and creepily true to life, "Three Men in a Boat" is an enduring comic classic in the vein of PG Wodehouse. Not to mention the dog!

Stands the test of time
Basically, it's a narrative of three men (and a dog) taking a boat trip down the river in the late 1800s. Filled with flashbacks and tangential stories that range from the hysterically funny to tragic and heartwarming.

"...and you look back and realize that you have been swimming for your life in two feet of water."

There is so much going on, so much jumping around that it (occassionally)is hard to keep track of where you are (in the main story or in a tangent...). So there were probably things I missed, and I may go back and read it later, because it was truly well-written and very engrossing. There were parts that made me laugh out loud, and then... there were even some rather tragic, touching moments. All blended together with well-crafted prose and great scenic description.

I will warn you that the humor is, well, a certain type of humor. It's very dry and British, so if that's not your style you probably won't find it as funny as I did. But even without that there's still enough to recommend the book.

The definition of 'Tongue in Cheek'
Where did the expression 'tongue in cheek' comes from? It must be that you cannot laugh outloud if your tongue is in your cheek--and you are biting it. If your goal is to surprise your listener (or reader) by piling absurdities on top of one another, be a trifle solomn to increase the contrast then, tongue in cheek, learn to write humor from this book. The reader starts to pile a chuckle on a guffaw until finally the milk goes up his nose, and snorting and weeping, the reader is reduced to nearly as much a simpering wreak as ... the beleagured heroes of this book. Three Victorian gentlemen rent a boat, take dog and prepare to punt gently through the English rivers. Nothing goes as planned, in part because of their confidence in their skills in nearly anything are misplaced. This is the funniest book I ever read, tempered by some lovely and romantic moments. If you liked the movie "The Gods Must be Crazy" with its set pieces of the Jeep and the Gate, the Jeep in the Tree, and the Scientist and the Picnic Table, you will love this book. If you laughed at "A Fish Called Wanda", you will love this book.