Three Men in a Boat

by Jerome K Jerome

Originally intended as a serious travel guide, then streamlined into an amusing account of a farcical boating excursion on the Thames river, Three Men in a Boat is Jerome K. Jerome's controversially "vulgar" take on English history and recreation. A mix of social satire and Victorian wit, this book of ramblings broaches a variety of unlikely subjects, including leisure, nostalgia, and friendship. Despite telling a story where everything goes wrong, this funny travelogue offers a vivid portrait of Victorian England the reader will not soon forget.

• ISBN10: 1625581432
• ISBN13: 9781625581433
• Publish Date: 12 December 2012 (first published 1 January 1889)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Start Publishing
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 175
• Language: English

Reviews

[jamiereadthis]

Droll and lovable. It’s free on Gutenberg, so I figured if not now, when? I can see why Connie Willis co-opted not just the discarded half of the title but the whole vibe of these hapless Thames adventurers for her Oxford time travelers in To Say Nothing of The Dog.

[alessio]

La prima volta che lessi Tre uomini in barca fu ai tempi della scuola elementare. All'interno dell'edificio vi era una biblioteca e circa tre volte all'anno le maestre chiedevano a ognuno di noi di scegliere un libro e di leggerlo. Ognuno poteva scegliere ciò che più lo ispirava e io puntavo sempre sui classici: Moby Dick, Ventimila leghe sotto i mari, Piccole Donne eccetera. Poi un giorno mi capitò tra le mani proprio Tre uomini in barca e fu amore a prima lettura. Pur avendolo letto numerose volte da allora la mia opinione a riguardo non è mai cambiata.



Il libro narra delle vicende di J. Harris e George alle prese con un viaggio in barca sul Tamigi. Con questa frase ho descritto la storia dall'inizio alla fine. Non ci sono colpi di scena o finali a sorpresa, il libro è tutto qua. La storia viene poi condita da numerosi aneddoti, ricordi di avventure passate e ricche descrizioni storiche e paesaggistiche (residui della forma originale del libro, il quale era nato come guida turistica piuttosto che come romanzo di narrativa). Alcune descrizioni risultano essere esageratamente prolisse, ma possono essere tranquillamente saltate. Le parti comiche sono ben fatte, mai sopra le righe o volgari, basate principalmente su equivoci e sulle situazioni ridicole-disastrose che si vengono a creare durante il viaggio. E' comunque un libro scritto più di 100 anni fa, quindi è più che comprensibile se questo tipo di umorismo non è di gradimento a molti. Io stesso non sono scoppiato in fragorose risate a ogni pagina, ma a distanza di anni lo rileggo comunque con piacere e sempre col sorriso.

Altre recensioni sul mio blog: https://artedellalettura.blogspot.com/

[MurderByDeath]

As part of my plan to knock off TBR books quicker by checking out audio versions, I started this book just at the tail end of last year, but didn't make enough progress before holidays, so picked it back up this month.  But there were problems:   My first audio, checked out from my local library, was a popular edition with holds, so my check-out expired before I could finish it and I couldn't renew - there are currently still 2 holds on it before mine.   When I went to dig out my paperback copy to finish reading it, I couldn't find it.  I remember showing it to MT because he'd heard mention of the book somewhere, and now neither of us can find it.  Not a happy camper.   Because my library copy has numerous holds, I went to a neighbouring system I have a card with and checked out their audio edition - a different one, but it's narrated by Hugh Laurie, and he can't suck right?  Right.  But when it ended much sooner than I expected it to, I discovered it's abridged.   SO - I'm reviewing it anyway and when I get home there will be a possibly violent rummage through the house and the paperback will be found.  At which point I will figure out what I missed.  It doesn't really matter though, because the book is lovely.  Light, amusing, entertaining and often poetic.  While Hugh Laurie was brilliant, I think I have to give an extra nudge to Frederick Davidson's edition.  He adds a certain ironic gravitas to his reading that makes lightly amusing anecdotes hilarious.   Highly recommended in any form.

[Metaphorosis Reviews]

4 stars - Metaphorosis Reviews

Three men and a dog take a boat vacation on England's waterways, with amusing results.

I've always confused Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat with the nursery rhyme "rub a dub dub, three men in a tub". Knowing little of either, it took me years to realize they were different things. I thought I should make the effort to actually read the novel, once I realized there was one.

The book is much funnier than I anticipated, though it has its weak spots as well. The main conceit is a conceited, unreliable narrator. He and his fellows frequently err, though the errors are described in a dry tone that pretends to be reporting success (at least on the part of the narrator). It's very well done, and the result is not only witty but occasionally laugh out loud funny.

Occasionally, Jerome allows himself to be distracted by detailing the cities and sites they pass through, rendering the book less novel than travelogue. Wikipedia tells me it actually went the other way - originally intended to be a travel guide - in which case its success as comedy is even more surprising (though it suggests that the sappy, serious sections, were not intended to be overwritten). Even allowing for the travel guide, there's a long middle section on a historic battle that the book would have been better without. The book never really goes anywhere - the three men (and the dog) take their two week trip, and then they go home - but the trip is a fun one.

The book is dated in social attitudes (race, gender), but the great bulk of the humor holds up well. The version I read suffered from Open Road Media's often lackadaisical approach to proofreading.

Overall, a fun and funny book, worth reading.