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4.0 out of 5 stars
On land or sea, Feb 17 2008
Imagine Bertie Wooster and two of his idiot friends out on a boat... with no Jeeves.
That about describes the antics in "Three Men in a Boat : To Say Nothing of the Dog" and its drier sequel "Three Men on the Bummel." Jerome K. Jerome paints his little books with gloriously goofy antics, as we watch three upper-class Englishmen try to rough it -- on land and on water.
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.
But our valiant outdoorsmen aren't done yet. Some years after the first book, the boys are feeling stifled by domesticity. So they decide to take a vacation from home, hearth, and some equally stifled wives -- by taking a bike trip in Germany. Naturally, they have trouble even before they leave -- hard bike seats, a history of leaving wives behind, and a dog that eats ball bearings.
But eventually they get to Germany, and promptly cycle their way through towns, cities, and the Black Forest. Our narrator reflects on German personalities, customs, and geography... and when he isn't, they are rained on, get lost, get into linguistic battles over cushions, encounter more odd dogs, and finally the most important question: what is a Bummel anyway?
As you'd expect, the first book is an absolute riot of comic disasters, written in Wodehousian prose. The second... not so much. But even though they were published more than a century ago, Jerome K. Jerome was uproariously funny -- he was able to wring humour from any subject, be it poetry, bicycles, pets, plaster fish, or the woes of setting up a tent successfully.
Jerome's real talent is in finding humor in everyday things, like trying to erect a tent in the woods, fighting the weather, or trying to fix one's own bicycle. Written in Jerome's dry, goofy prose, these little occurrances become immensely funny. And for stuff that is funny anyway -- like an anatomically correct bike seat -- it becomes hilarious ("it was like riding on an irritable lobster!").
The second book does get a bit dry at times, as Jerome spends a lot of time musing on Germany rather than conjuring wacky hijinks. And the first book's end has its solemn, compassionate moment when the boys find a drowned woman: "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 and not too many brains. You'll be laughing at them and with them, as they struggle through the basics of boating and camping.
Wacky, self-mocking, and full of odd people, "Three Men in a Boat" and its slightly less funny sequel "Three Men on a Bummel" are still fresh and funny a century after they were written.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Roaringly Funny, May 28 2002
I have been reading some good, but bleak literature lately, so I decided to turn to something a bit lighthearted. I think there is nothing better to fit that bill than Jerome K Jerome's hilarious "Three Men in a Boat." This Penguin edition also adds "Three Men on the Bummel," a worthy sequel that Jerome wrote roughly ten years later. I cannot believe I'd never heard of these gems before. This is, without a doubt, one of the funniest books I've ever read. Despite the fact that Jerome is writing to us from the Victorian era, the humor is timeless. The writing style could be a bit touchy for some, but for me, that is what added extra dimensions of humor to the stories. It's the intricate way Jerome conveys his acidic comments that leave you in stitches."Three Men in a Boat" is certainly the more humorous of the two. In this tale, three friends, J., George, and Harris, with Montmorency the dog in tow, decide to take a jaunt down the Thames for rest and relaxation. What ensues is a wild stream of hilarious tales and misadventures. Often, the trip takes a backseat to the stories, as J. talks about an assortment of topics. My favorite stories concerned the cheese, the weather, and the German singing the "humorous" song. Another favorite is the descriptions of how the three learned to sail and row. I don't want to give away any of the details of these stories because they are just too hilarious; I would also kill the humor if I tried to relate them. This story also gives some detail to historical places along the river. The introduction to this book shows how historical accounts of river travel were quite popular. Jerome set out to write such an account, and the publisher dropped much of this material and left the funny anecdotes intact. "Three Men on the Bummel," written in 1900, reunites the three (minus Montmorency) for a biking excursion in Germany. While still funny in spots, it lacks the vigor of its predecessor. I found the tale about the water hose a hoot, but Jerome tends to spend more time on travelogue. His observations about the German people are eerily prophetic, as you'll see when you read the book. The language is still acid sharp, and Jerome has an interesting eye for details that make this story a joy to read. If you don't mind roaring at the misfortunes of others, and enjoy wry sarcasm, you will delight in these two stories. Also, you are lying if you don't recognize Uncle Podger in your own family. As I write this review, I'm chuckling over the memory of some of the stories. In fact, you may want to be careful while reading this; you'll continue to laugh later as more layers of Jerome's humor emerge in your mind. A great book for a rainy day!
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5.0 out of 5 stars
a classic !, April 15 2002
This book actually contains 2 books: the first and the more famous of the two is " Three men in a boat " , a very Very funny book, and the second " three men on a bummel" wich is the overlooked sequel. it's maybe overlooked but it's a very wothy book, masterfully written, just as funny as the first.
Three men on a boat tells the story of 3 young friends who go for a 2 weeks vacation in a river boat on the thames.
This vacation takes place in the last years of the 19th century in England but don't expect British gentelmans in hamburg hats politely nodding each other at their clubs while sipping their port. oh no - this 3 chaps although being friends, annoy each other to the degree of internal haemorrhage, as any people would do if locked togather fo too long, and the peatty grudges they hold against each other is the funniest thing you'll ever read. that grudge is ofcourse forgotten at once when someone from the outside comes along to ruin their cruise,and immediately they hate him instead.
The essence of the book is what we all know to happen on vacations and trips- we moan and grumble at the food, the prices the weather and everything else, but as we look back at it when we return home, we say we had a great time.
The author has an aproach to life that kind of takes after "Merphy's law" only he is so much funnier.
The second book is about the same 3 chaps and was written after the first book was recieved with great success.
This time they go on a "bummel" ( wich is the german word for trip ) on bysicle across germany.
As i said before, this book is less known, but it's also a must, and although they were both written many years ago, both the writing and the characters are still fresh , precise and unbelivingly amusing.
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