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lfsalden's review against another edition
5.0
Lucky me, it is being *read* to me, one wonderful, hilarious chapter at a time.
Update: We read it as slowly as we could, the further to savor. Grace read me every word, sometimes several time, as I often fell asleep and we had to go back to the last thing I remembered.
This. Is. Peerless.
Might have to name something Montmorency.
Update: We read it as slowly as we could, the further to savor. Grace read me every word, sometimes several time, as I often fell asleep and we had to go back to the last thing I remembered.
This. Is. Peerless.
Might have to name something Montmorency.
cultneophyte7's review against another edition
5.0
I have had this for years now, for as long as I can remember. Don't know why I didn't read it earlier. Hands down the funniest and the most cheerful book I have read in my life. A must read, of course. You won't find anything more refreshing at all!
katieinca's review against another edition
3.0
I've been meaning to read this ever since I first read[b:To Say Nothing of the Dog|77773|To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)|Connie Willis|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1436397341s/77773.jpg|696]. It feels surprisingly fresh for a 125 year old book. For example: "...had a fight with the kettle during tea-time, and came off a poor second." Wow that joke is even older than I realized. And various bits about things like the unreliability of weather forecasts, and reading about illnesses and deciding you have them all, feel like they could have come straight out of '80s standup.
The "oh, tra la, we are so witty and lazy" succession of anecdones wore on me after a bit - because that's really all this is. There is no plot to speak of, nor really any characters. Except maybe the dog. But then I took a side trip to Wikipedia and discovered that a) the author had in fact been penniless and worked real jobs and b) critics and actually posh folk REVILED the thing when it came out, deeming it as vulgar and ...common (*shudder*!). Once I knew that some people would have found the humor offensive that made it funnier. Such is life.
The "oh, tra la, we are so witty and lazy" succession of anecdones wore on me after a bit - because that's really all this is. There is no plot to speak of, nor really any characters. Except maybe the dog. But then I took a side trip to Wikipedia and discovered that a) the author had in fact been penniless and worked real jobs and b) critics and actually posh folk REVILED the thing when it came out, deeming it as vulgar and ...common (*shudder*!). Once I knew that some people would have found the humor offensive that made it funnier. Such is life.
kbkittyb's review against another edition
5.0
I've read this a few times now and it never fails to make me laugh. An excellent summer read about 3 grumpy men and their dog.
It was one of my grandads favourites and one of mine too.
I just love everything about it. I only wish I knew the characters in real life, I'd never stop laughing.
Please read it!
It was one of my grandads favourites and one of mine too.
I just love everything about it. I only wish I knew the characters in real life, I'd never stop laughing.
Please read it!
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Three friends decide to spend a fortnight going up the Thames in a skiff - even if it kills them, which it just may do. Their misadventures are humorously recalled in this "travelogue" which has withstood the test of time. There are some laugh-out-loud moments, but it's slow going in places. Made me really sympathize with their struggles to row (or tow) UP stream. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this very British memoir that was first published in 1889. Glad I finally read it, but I won’t be raving about it.
ketutar's review against another edition
4.0
Very amusing :-D
With parts that weren't funny, like the story of the poor woman, or the dark forest. Nevertheless, enjoyable.
With parts that weren't funny, like the story of the poor woman, or the dark forest. Nevertheless, enjoyable.
libraryzen's review against another edition
1.0
I stopped reading this 25% through. Absolutely boring. I thought this was supposed to be funny?
salmonite's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
pazfauxster's review against another edition
2.0
DNF.
Can a book be too funny to be enjoyable? Perhaps it can. Feels like it’s the case with this one. The gags and the omnipresent irony are fun at first but soon get really, really tiring.
Can a book be too funny to be enjoyable? Perhaps it can. Feels like it’s the case with this one. The gags and the omnipresent irony are fun at first but soon get really, really tiring.