Three Men in a Boat has become a worldwide example of English humor. The adventures of the immortal trio: George, Harris and "I", and not forgetting Montmorency the dog, are a common source of laughter all over the world.
Three Men in a Boat (Vintage Classics)
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Wonderfully fresh and funny, and among examples of Victorian humor I would place it high in the pantheon, right up there with The Importance of Being Earnest and The Diary of a Nobody . . . triumphantly stands the test of time, with its comic flights of exaggeration, its occasional archness, and its entirely innocent hint of the camp." —Daily Telegraph
"I fell out of bed laughing at Three Men in a Boat." —Guardian
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 62 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I was given a copy of this book about 12 years ago. It has turned out to be one the best gifts I've ever received. Jerome's witty ramblings are the funniest I've ever read. Mark Twain, who I also love to read, comes close to Jerome's style but, in my opinion, is a poor second. Jerome finds humor in the commonplace and the every day occurrences which all of us, even a good 100 years later, can identify with. Starting with his self-diagnosis of every ailment, excepting house-maid's knee, to his singular insights into his friends, self, and surroundings; I never tire of rereading this book. It becomes clear quickly that the dog, Montmorency, is the only one with any sense. Three Men and a Boat always cheers me after a cold, bleak winter. It's the best Spring tonic--I highly recommend an annual dose. I shop now for gifts to give to friends so they can share my enjoyment in this wonderfully humorous and offbeat book. Read, enjoy, and laugh often.
20 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This has to be one of the funniest books ever written beginning with the opening chapter where the narrator reads a medical book and decides he has every disease in the book. From there, he and his two best friends decide to get away from it all with a boat trip up the Thames River -- and that's the book. It's full of one hilarious episode after another with little side tidbits on the historical places they pass on the Thames. Those few who have found the book dull need to understand that the story is written at the pace of a boat trip and not a television sitcom. It's any vacation where everything goes hilariously wrong and if for once the tent doesn't fall down in a pouring rain or the boat manages to not run into another boat, the narrator remembers another trip and tells the story of carrying an incredibly smelly cheese home--Warning don't read that chapter in public. People will wonder why you're rolling on the ground laughing hysterically. There's also a dog who's idea of being helpful is bringing a dead rat to add to the stew. The only weakness of the book is that I'd like to have seen much more of the dog. On the serious side, Three Men in a Boat proves that humor based on human nature is timeless. Also on the serious side, if you want a good look at how people lived in 1890, this book actually gives a vivid picture, including the nostalgia that the narrator feels for "the good old days". He finds life in 1890 too fast paced and with too many inventions coming on too fast. It makes you wonder at what point people will look back to 2001 as "the good old days".
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I entered into THREE MEN IN A BOAT with the understanding that it was a laugh riot. At first I thought, yes it is witty in the extreme, but in places it is a tad Victorian cute, the forerunner of today's sitcoms and stand-up comics. The more I got into it, though, the more I appreciated it on many levels. Verdict: It is fresh stuff 115 years later, it is very funny, and it deserves classic, not backlist, status.
THREE MEN IN A BOAT is classified as fiction but not for the usual reasons. Had it been written after 1995, say, it would have probably been called creative nonfiction. What Jerome did was to synthesize many occasions shared with his real life pals into a "travelogue" of a boating trip taken up the Thames, from Kingston into the Reading area. This premise offers up countless occasions for mishaps, which Jerome milks for all they are worth. In those moments in which something is not happening, he tells related stories, or performs a stand-up comic riff. As he and his mates pass landmarks along the river, he offers up historical information, colored of course with his views. Apparently, England lays claim to Elizabeth I being everywhere much as the eastern United States claims Washington slept in every town. It is ironic to read his sighs over modern life: if he only knew that urban sprawl had only begun and weather forecasting has not improved that much in a hundred years. In a positively clairvoyant moment, he presages the Antiques Roadshow mania of "2000 and odd" while speculating if the lowly implements and souvenirs of daily life would become the treasures of the future. The insights into Victorian preoccupations are priceless.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Trip up the Thames River with 3 characters
This was a delightful old-fashioned book written in 1889. It is funny, dumb, ridiculous,and special. Read more
Published 2 days ago by p.rockett
Good humor
The most amazing and humorous stories I've ever read. Characters seems to be minor compared to situations there are in and what they do. Read more
Published 3 days ago by feather
Entertaining trip on the Thames
I enjoyed the tongue-in-cheek, dry British wit and humor of this book. It was fresh and approachable to a modern audience, even though the book was written in the late Victorian... Read more
Published 10 days ago by Johanna Ulrich
Laugh Out Loud Fun!
I paid $1 for this and it was worth every penny! This book showed up on a list of the best 100 novels ever. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Nancy
Order was somewhat filled, and late.
Ordered four copies of this book, from three different Amazon vendors, on 12/7/11. Shortly after that, I received one copy. Then nothing until 1/9/12, when two more arrived. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Kathryn A. Carlyle
Pieces of humor, too well-hidden
If you can page-through the many long-winded remarks about nature, etc., you still find a few nuggets of wit that are still pertinent today. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bun
Kindle Edition unacceptable
This Kindle version is not acceptable. There are extra words and missing words. It was free but don't bother with it. I bought a copy at a used book store to read the book.
Published 5 months ago by R. R. Edmunds
Funny because it's true! kinda!
Nothing ever goes the way you plan it! Three men and a dog take a trip in a boat. It is just so funny and beautiful the way the writer lays out his words. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Tickleberries
One of the best books I've ever read.
Humor, charm, poetry - this book has it all. A humorous trio of hypochondriacs decide that a leisurely boat trip up the river is just what their overworked bodies and brains need... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Annezo
Well worth the price. :-P
Okay, all jokes aside, this really is a pretty good book. It was sold to me as the funniest book of all time, and I'll humbly disagree with that statement. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ryan
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Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs):
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King John, Hampton Court, Herr Slossenn Boschen, German Emperor, John Edward, Magna Charta Island, Manor House, Southend Pier, The Pride of the Thames New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
King John, Hampton Court, Herr Slossenn Boschen, German Emperor, John Edward, Magna Charta Island, Manor House, Southend Pier, The Pride of the Thames New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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