Three Men in a Boat

(To Say Nothing of the Dog)

By: Jerome K. Jerome

Narrated by: Frederick Davidson

If you've never read anything by Jerome K. Jerome, you'd be well advised to heed this warning by the Glasgow Herald: "It would be dangerous to [listen to] this book in any place - - say a full railway compartment - - where the reader was not at perfect liberty to laugh as loudly and as long as he chose." The passage of time has not altered that verdict. Here is a perfect picture of those lazy summer days "messing about in boats."

After his final trip up the river Thames with his three companions - - Harris, George, and Montmorency the dog - - Jerome K. Jerome sat down to write his proposed book, The Story of the Thames. But before he could tackle the work in the serious manner intended, his humor took over and gave birth to a masterpiece of unquenchable comedy. This is a classic of English humor, justifiably loved around the world.

©2006 Jerome K. Jerome (P)1991 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Great Story, Ok performance.

If there was but one unabridged recording, I would take Martin Jarvis’ performance. This is a fun story for anglophiles the world, particularly those fond of the 19th century.

Absolutely delightful!

This book deserves its well earned reputation as one of the funniest books ever written. If you like Jeeves and Wooster (Wodehouse) you will love this one. Think of 3 Woosters plus a dog and no Jeeves on a boat for 2 weeks…
What could possibly go wrong….

Great narration

The first few times I read this book, I found parts exceptionally funny. It can be hard to recapture this as the surprise is no longer there. I found with this particular narration with the tones of the voices and the pacing of the reading, it took me back into the story and I found myself smiling and amused again.

I realise old English humour is not to everyone's taste, but I think this book is a rare gem for its tales and observations of people, and possibly of characters that you may recognise from your own circle of friends. Delightful and charming. We could do with more of these in the world!

An absolute gem of a book!

When I first saw this book, it came with the advice that one should not read it if one were in a place where sudden fits of uncontrollable laughter were frowned upon. What good advice that was. The story is an absolute stitch and the narrator perfect for it. I most heartily recommend it.

Jarring Anachronisms Aside, Pure Hilarity

I knew it was supposed to be a funny book, but I had no idea the hilarity would "keep" all these decades later. I literally chuckled and laughed aloud at several points.

There was one casual racial epithet that really took me out of the book for a minute, but other than that the satirical misadeventures of three fairly horrible hypocrites (and their dog) are pure fun all the way through.