mockingjayx16's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25


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might_be_may's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-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

4.25


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leguinstan's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Prior to my reading of Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), I had heard that for a book written during the Victorian era it has aged surprisingly well and I must say that by and large I think this reputation is well-earned. Compared to other novels written during this period of time, the prose of this novel is ridiculously easy to read and a lot of the comedic vignettes still hold up to this day--the scene involving the mounted trophy fish and the story of the german singer genuinely made me laugh!

However, the three main characters were so similar in personality I sometimes struggled to keep track of their conversations and as a consequence some of the comedic moments flew over my head. And while I accept that Three Men in a Boat is truly a product of its time, for the sake of honesty I must admit that its more outdated sensibilities did end up slightly souring my overall reading experience (please refer to content warnings for more details).

So while there were handful of funny moments in the story, I didn't find it consistently funny and in my opinion the author did not effectively sustain a lighthearted mood throughout the story. 

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west_99's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted relaxing medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25


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kitschbitsch's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A re read of this and I must confess I don’t remember the instances of casual racism and sexism from when I read it before but they kind of ‘thunked’ me between the eyes this time round.

Very much of its time and still enjoyable if you bear this in mind. 



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