Play Audiobook Sample
Three Men in a Boat Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.00) - 13,515 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
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.
Download and start listening now!
"This is one of the funniest books I had ever read. I had a good laugh by reading this. Very witty and entertaining. The adventures of the "three men" are very hilarious and sometimes even stupid, but it will give you smiles. Jokes will still apply today, as if the book were written only a few years ago. Although, in the latter part of the book, I have skipped several pages because of a long historical event described by him that to me, is irrelevant to the narrative. Still, it is highly recommended for everyone. This is one classic you'll never get bored in reading."
— Kenneth (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Wonderfully fresh and funny…Jerome’s writing triumphantly stands the test of time.”
— Daily Telegraph (London) -
“The book was meant to be a serious travel guide…but Jerome’s rambling anecdotes and humorous take on travelers J., Harris, and George—and J.’s feckless fox terrier, Montmorency—turned it into something far rarer: an honest account of male friendship.”
— Guardian (London) -
“The trio of Jerome K. Jerome’s comic 1889 novel are in that honorable tradition. They are indolent, upper-class and rather dim…They have several comic mishaps, including a disastrous encounter with a tin of pineapple, but they also, in some of the book’s loveliest passages, absorb a bit of the history and the beauty of their country.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“I'd warn against reading this book in public: you may get arrested for breach of the peace. I would be a little stunned if it doesn't become on of your favorites.”
— Julia Stuart, author of The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise -
“Perhaps the greatest of all Victorian comic novels.”
— Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize–winning book critic
Three Men in a Boat Listener Reviews
-
" my romance is Jerome Klapka's Three Men in a Boat! "
— Wendy, 2/15/2014 -
" Good. Quite funny. Reminds me a bit of HG Wells' "The Wheels of Chance". "
— Todd, 2/13/2014 -
" The funniest book ever written! "
— Bill, 2/10/2014 -
" This is about a person who, along with two of his friends and his dog decide that they are too sick to work in the city and undertake a boat journey up the Thames. It is quite hilarious in most parts while the description gets quite a bit wordy and lengthy sometimes. I would recommend it to all very highly and put it on the read list of every English reading person above the age of, say, 13. "
— Divakar, 2/10/2014 -
" I love this - and reading it again, I was struck by how good he is at punctuation, which makes sense: timing is the essence of comedy, and punctuation is how you time your writing. "
— Louise, 2/8/2014 -
" I read this book while reading Connie Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog since her book was heavily influenced by this one. While it helped me understand Willis' book better, Three Men in a Boat is great all by itself. I was laughing out loud repeatedly. I love the writing style and sense of humor and could see myself reading this again when I need a good laugh. "
— travelgirlut, 2/5/2014 -
" This is a difficult book to describe. Jerome started out to write a travelogue, and it morphed into a fiction novel about a humorous river journey. There are the historical bits that reflect the original purpose of the book, the hilarious river hijinks, some random side stories, and even a sad and moving segment about a woman who threw herself into the river in despair and died because of the cruelty of her "friends" and family. "
— Emily, 2/4/2014 -
" This was really humorous and light but clever as well. I am afraid that things like this don't get published anymore. "
— Julia, 2/3/2014 -
" After starting off brilliantly, the book began to lose steam about 100 pages in. I don't know if it needed to be so long, even though it wasn't a long book, 169 pages. However, it was an enjoyable read and glad that I finally broke down and read it. "
— Mike, 2/1/2014 -
" This is a very funny book. The humor reminds me of Bridget Jones Diary. There is no mystery or romance, it is the observations and stories of 3 men while boating on the Thames. Besides the humour, what I found interesting is the fact that while this book was written over 100 years ago, not much has changed in human nature and society. It is a quick and fun read. "
— Lisa, 1/29/2014 -
" This is a very humorous book, originally published in 1889, about rowing on the Thames. It was a nice light read for summer. "
— Rick, 1/27/2014
About Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome K. Jerome (1859–1927), English humorist, novelist, and playwright, was born in Staffordshire and brought up in London. After a series of jobs including clerk, schoolmaster, actor, and journalist, he became joint editor of the Idler in 1892 and launched his own twopenny weekly, To-Day. His magnificently ridiculous Three Men in a Boat (1889) established itself as a humorous classic of the whimsical. His other books include Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886); Three Men on the Bummel (1900); Paul Kelver (1902); the morality play The Passing of the Third Floor Back (1907); and his autobiography, My Life and Times (1926).
About Frederick Davidson
Frederick Davidson (1932–2005), also known as David Case, was one of the most prolific readers in the audiobook industry, recording more than eight hundred audiobooks in his lifetime, including over two hundred for Blackstone Audio. Born in London, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and performed for many years in radio plays for the British Broadcasting Company before coming to America in 1976. He received AudioFile’s Golden Voice Award and numerous Earphones Awards and was nominated for a Grammy for his readings.