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thefourthvine 's review for:
Three Men in a Boat
by Jerome K. Jerome
This is one of my purse books; it's small, endlessly re-readable, and it can be read a few paragraphs at a time if you like. It's one of my favorite travel narratives, and maybe one of my favorite books.
It's very much a book of its time - there are what we might euphemistically term "flights of fancy" (in other words, sections that are obviously totally made up or very exaggerated in a book that purports to be true) and what I tend to think of as bouts of literature (where Jerome suddenly goes all allegorical and polysyllabic and serious on us - it's kind of like a measles of the written word). These just add to the fascination of the book, at least for me, but I wouldn't recommend this to someone who doesn't have some experience with Victorian narrators.
The book is, quite simply, the story of Jerome's week-long trip boating on the Thames in company with Harris, George, and Montmorency. (My favorite character is, quite naturally, Montmorency.) And it's funny and fun; I rank it above Innocents Abroad in the annals of early travel humor.
Worth reading for the chapter summaries alone. Worth reading multiple times for anyone who loves travel humor, Victorian times, or dogs. (And if you've read this, I recommend [b:To Say Nothing of the Dog|77773|To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)|Connie Willis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469410460l/77773._SY75_.jpg|696], by Connie Willis.)
It's very much a book of its time - there are what we might euphemistically term "flights of fancy" (in other words, sections that are obviously totally made up or very exaggerated in a book that purports to be true) and what I tend to think of as bouts of literature (where Jerome suddenly goes all allegorical and polysyllabic and serious on us - it's kind of like a measles of the written word). These just add to the fascination of the book, at least for me, but I wouldn't recommend this to someone who doesn't have some experience with Victorian narrators.
The book is, quite simply, the story of Jerome's week-long trip boating on the Thames in company with Harris, George, and Montmorency. (My favorite character is, quite naturally, Montmorency.) And it's funny and fun; I rank it above Innocents Abroad in the annals of early travel humor.
Worth reading for the chapter summaries alone. Worth reading multiple times for anyone who loves travel humor, Victorian times, or dogs. (And if you've read this, I recommend [b:To Say Nothing of the Dog|77773|To Say Nothing of the Dog (Oxford Time Travel, #2)|Connie Willis|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1469410460l/77773._SY75_.jpg|696], by Connie Willis.)