Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Three Men in a Boat
    Three Men in a Boat
    Three Men in a Boat
    Audiobook6 hours

    Three Men in a Boat

    Written by Jerome K Jerome

    Narrated by Martin Jarvis

    4/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Here is one of the greatest English comic novels read by incontrovertible king of English comic audiobook readers – Martin Jarvis. Three men, worried about their health and in search of different experiences, set off ‘up the river’ in a boat. Jerome’s delightful novel, dating from 1900, paints a vivid picture of innocent fun.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateFeb 1, 2010
    ISBN9789629545468
    Author

    Jerome K Jerome

    Jerome Klapka Jerome was born in 1859 and was brought up in London. He started work as a railway clerk at fourteen, and later was employed as a schoolmaster, actor and journalist. He published two volumes of comic essays and in 1889 Three Men in a Boat. This was an instant success. His new-found wealth enabled him to become one of the founders of The Idler, a humorous magazine which published pieces by W W Jacobs, Bret Harte, Mark Twain and others. In 1900 he wrote a sequel, Three Men on the Bummel, which follows the adventures of the three protagonists on a walking tour through Germany. Jerome married in 1888 and had a daughter. He served as an ambulance driver on the Western Front during the First World War and died in 1927.

    More audiobooks from Jerome K Jerome

    Related to Three Men in a Boat

    Related audiobooks

    Classics For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Seven Books I’ll Never Read

      Aug 7, 2018

      Seven Books I’ll Never Read
      6 min read

    • Article

      The 40 Greatest Books To Read Before You Die

      Apr 25, 2021

      Books, books, books. They will increase your lifespan, lower your stress and boost your intelligence. They will give you fuller, thicker hair. Whatever the breathless claims about reading, one thing is certain: losing yourself in a great novel is one

      14 min read

    • Article

      Odd Squad

      Jun 16, 2021

      Odd Squad
      3 min read

    • Article

      Holden Caulfield And The Culture Of Sexual Assault

      Feb 12, 2018

      Since it came out in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye has meant different things to different readers. For some, Holden Caulfield was the rebellious voice of a generation; for many today, he’s a whiny rich kid; for a pair of recent biographers, he’s the

      5 min read

    • Article

      The best-ever ROMANCES

      Jan 7, 2021

      The best-ever ROMANCES
      2 min read

    • Article

      Knowledge Before the Fall

      Mar 1, 2023

      It would be nice to be a doctor, I've sometimes thought. If you began to feel something go wrong, you could diagnose yourself. You'd know what you were in for. There'd be no surprises, and all pain and discomfort would be mitigated by an awareness of

      6 min read

    • Article

      GOING TO THE edge

      Sep 3, 2020

      GOING TO THE edge
      7 min read

    • Article

      One Last Dance

      Apr 8, 2021

      One Last Dance
      6 min read

    • Article

      Behind The Scenes

      Sep 3, 2020

      Behind The Scenes
      5 min read

    • Article

      Gut Feeling

      Jul 9, 2020

      Gut Feeling
      5 min read

    • Article

      Crash And Burn

      Aug 8, 2019

      Crash And Burn
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Year That Changed My Life

      Mar 10, 2019

      The Year That Changed My Life
      6 min read

    • Article

      Got My Back

      Aug 4, 2022

      Wilting a load of spinach, I paced the heap of green onto my plate. Instead of the huge packet going off in the fridge, it seemed I had consumed enough greens to give Popeye a run for his money – consuming it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Writing

      5 min read

    • Article

      The midlife TIPPING POINT

      Aug 4, 2022

      The midlife TIPPING POINT
      4 min read

    • Article

      A Survey of My Right Arm

      Sep 1, 2019

      A Survey of My Right Arm
      11 min read

    • Article

      Balancing Act

      Sep 8, 2022

      Balancing Act
      6 min read

    • Article

      Unstoppable At 60

      Aug 19, 2023

      Unstoppable At 60
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Last hang Over

      Jan 18, 2024

      The Last hang Over
      7 min read

    • Article

      Survivor’s Stage

      Sep 22, 2022

      Survivor’s Stage
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Three Men in a Boat

    4/5

    214 ratings145 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      If you'd imagined Victorian era classic would be un-relatable to reader of 21st century, you'd be very wrong. Three Men in a Boat is immensely funny, laugh out loud humourous book of three extremely lazy and good for nothing men's journey along the river. Narrative is characterized by expansive digressions which feel all too familiar. It's salute to author's writing (not at all difficult to read) or human nature, that what was funny 100 years ago is still the same today. Recommended read among humour books.
    • 5/5
      This is a timeless classic to be enjoyed over and over again. Especially read this well and with such panache.
    • 4/5
      In this classic novel of humor, three men (to say nothing of the dog) decide to cure their hypochondriac ailments by getting fresh air and exercise. They decide to travel down the Thames in a boat. The narrator jumps back and forth between humorous description of their preparations/trip and silly reminiscences of loosely connected incidents about the characters. This is the type of book where, at the end, you're not sure if there was any story in there at all, but you certainly enjoyed the trip regardless. It was a good-natured, happy sort of humor. This is a short book, and certainly worth reading if you like the classics.
    • 2/5
      Three men and their dog row a boat from Kingston to Oxford. This book was a huge seller when published in 1889. Initially devised as a means of highlighting various historical sites and places of interest along that stretch of river but it developed into more of a comedy. In some ways, sometimes, the humour is pretty clever but it generally failed to hit the mark with me but no doubt comedy tastes have changed considerably over the past 100 plus years. I preferred the limited historical details but these were islands in a sea of long digressions that gave vehicle to the authors humour. Some might still appreciate the funny stuff here but it wasn't for me.
    • 5/5
      Hilarious, and well-written in a tongue-in-cheek way. Laughed out loud several times.
    • 4/5
      Jerome K. Jerome visibly had a peculiar relation to work. Besides the fact that two members of the expedition do not seem to work at all, the third one's job seems strenuous:"George goes to sleep at a bank from ten to four each day, except Saturdays, when they wake him up and put him outside at two.",which I think is the best description you can give of a bank accountant.This is my best quotation from this book, together with"I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours."I thought this last one was too funny to have escaped being included in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. (It is indeed included. I searched the previous one at the "Bank" entry, but couldn't find it...)This book is often described in reviews as "The funniest book of English literature". I wouldn't go that far, but it's true that the atmosphere is very charming and smelling of "Olde England". British humour is in every page. Even if some stories are far-fetched and you can sometimes guess their ends, they are told so gently and in such a subtle way that this book is a real delight.
    • 3/5
      Read this a long, long time ago and decided to read it again before revisiting the Connie Willis classic _To Say Nothing of the Dog _. Using an ebook version in the iPad Kindle app.
    • 3/5
      Jerome takes us on a quaint little adventure through the British countryside. This book is lovely as it describes tongue-in-cheek the sites of the Thames as well as the historical trivia of various villages. From a modern perspective, it also gives interesting insight on the mores and habits of the day (most specifically young men!).Humour is always tricky: what will make some laugh will puzzle another. Whereas I found the comedy funny at first, I became bored with it later on: the same mechanisms were always at work, namely exaggeration, and it became tiresome. Although this book is short, I would have enjoyed it yet shorter or with a bit more variety.
    • 3/5
      Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this, but I found it very fidgety and kind of stressful to read.
    • 5/5
      Light funny and entertaining as well as giving you a history lesson as J and friends travel up the thames. I now want to get a fox terrier :-)
    • 3/5
      Loved listening to this book on audio. The narrator had great comedic timing and an even better british accent. I think I underestimated this book being solely comedic, but no, you not only learn about the hilarious adventures of three men and a dog while on a boat, but you learn about geography and history and human nature. Very insightful in a great format. I loved this and it should be a must-read for everyone!
    • 5/5
      "People who have tried it, tell me that a clear conscience makes you very happy and contented; but a full stomach does the business quite as well, and is cheaper, and more easily obtained"This book had me in tears of riotous laughter. I had to keep tissue handy to dab away the water from my eyes and muffle my hysterical giggling. If you have ever been sailing, rowing, fishing, camping, owned by an ornery dog, packed for a trip or vacationed with friends you will heartily appreciate the humor herein."One of them rubbed the cushion with the forefinger of her glove, and showed the result to the other, and they both sighed, and sat down, with the air of early Christian martyrs trying to make themselves comfortable up against the stake."And yet, this book is also full of profoundly beautiful observations of nature:"And the red sunset threw a mystic light upon the waters, and tinged with fire the towering woods, and made a golden glory of the piled up clouds. It was an hour of deep enchantment, of ecstatic hope and longing." And of mankind (well Englishman, at any rate): "After a cup of tea (two spoonsful for each cup and don't let it stand more than three minutes), it says to the brain, "Now, rise, and show your strength. Be eloquent, and deep, and tender; see, with a clear eye, into Nature and into life; spread your white wings of quivering thought, and soar, a god-like spirit, over the whirling world beneath you, up through long lanes of flaming stars to the gates of eternity!"Really one of the most remarkable little books I've ever enjoyed.
    • 5/5
      As Three Men in a Boat opens, J. airs out his various ailments with his fellow invalids (re: closest friends), George and William Samuel Harris, and with his canine companion, Montmorency. According to a book J. discovered in a library, he is a veritable hospital packed with every disease known to mankind—with the notable exception of housemaid's knee, much to his chagrin. As a remedy, the gents decide to head out on the River Thames for a fortnight's worth of adventuring in a bid to cure one another of the general malaise of the nineteenth-century. Of course, the river has other plans in mind for our wandering heroes…Between navigational challenges and mealtime disasters, and between epic battles with vicious swans, tea kettles, and an impossible tin of pineapple, the three men struggle to survive their pleasant jaunt along the river while offering a glimpse into the delightful pandemonium afforded by life on England open waters.Jerome K. Jerome proves to be the King of Conversational Tangents, and he has a flair for exaggeration—it's often his extravagant descriptions of river-based anger and cursing that put me over the edge, and his ability to distract with side stories is impressive to witness. I thought Victorians were a stiff and stilted lot, but Jerome has proven me daft and wrong. In fact, all who do not read said book will have to be firebomed. I would apologize, except that it is the right thing to do.Ideal for: Former deniers of Victorian literature; Fans of P.G. Wodehouse and other clever, silver-tongued British authors; Readers in need of a meandering, episodic jaunt (both literary and nautical).
    • 3/5
      Having joined the kindle revolution I have downloaded as many classics as possible, what with them being free and all, with the express intention that I WILL one day be familiar with all the 'books you should read before you die'. Ergo, Three Men in a Boat slotted into my e-collection and, knowing absolutely nothing about it, I gave it a try.

      I really was pleasantly surprised. In trying to explain it to a friend I realised that there is no plot to speak of and nothing really happens for the entireity of the novel. It really does do what it says on the tin! There are reams of anecdotes throughout, to highlight the monumental silliness of the three central characters (and the dog) and silly for me is akin to fun; a really daft bit of escapism from the dourness of a wet, cold September in recession-hit Britain. I rarely laugh out loud at a book and when I saw that other reviewers had made this claim, I was skeptical, but I have to admit, I did indeed chuckle audibly throughout.

      I can appreciate that this won't be to everyone's taste - I have recently read that it was actually written as a children's book so this probably says more about my immature sense of humour than anything else! If, like me, you enjoy linguistic slapstick with a good dose of tongue-in-cheek, you will probably find this to be a very amusing way to pass the time.
    • 5/5
      Embarrassingly funny. I had to move to a secluded spot to read this book because people kept asking me what was so funny. I did not identify with the characters but the tale is truthful in a comical way. Good read!
    • 4/5
      A lovely little rambling story about a trip three friends took down the Thames in a boat... You find out about the authors views on Steamboats (Both For and Against, depending on situation), his view of how work is divided up, and all sort of other things that is works well in today's world. Interspersed between the witty insights of human nature, there is a less enjoyable description of the towns and land that Jerome K. Jerome is boating through. These tend to be rather annoying. If the book didn't include these, it would be a 4.5 star book.My one big complaint is the description of the boat... being from the Land of 1000 lakes, I really couldn't visualize it, even after Googling it :) Since a portion of the book describes the process of pulling, towing, and sailing this boat, I was a bit lost.
    • 4/5
      Three Men in a Boat is the funniest book I have read in years. It is also a pleasant look at 19th century recreation and a travelogue of the sites between London and Oxford and their histories.Three young men, all loungers and hypochondriacs, resolve to take a boat trip up the Thames for the sake of their health. From their preparations to the journey's end, it is one zany episode after another. Much of the humor is slapstick: erecting a tent, running aground, and coping with the elements. Other episodes are parodies of human nature: fishermen's tall tales, girls towing a boat, and the "etiquette" of the river.On the somewhat more serious side, we do learn a lot about what young men (and women) in the 1880s did for recreation. It was a time when fresh water boating had ceased to become a means of transportation (thanks to the railroad) and was becoming, as it is today, a major leisure industry. Jerome also gives us some mini-lectures on the history of the towns and villages through which the trio pass. He provides a vivid, and devoutly serious, description of what it must have looked like the day the Magna Carta was signed at Runnymede. He is less serious when he describes an artifact at a riverside church: 'There is an iron “scold’s bridle” in Walton Church. They used these things in ancient days for curbing women’s tongues. They have given up the attempt now. I suppose iron was getting scarce, and nothing else would be strong enough.'Jerome's mock-serious tone of self-parody closely resembles that of Mark Twain. Three Men in a Boat is simply great fun. But this is a book to avoid reading in churches, libraries, funeral parlors, or any other place where silence and solemnity must be maintained. You are liable to injure yourself in the attempt.
    • 3/5
      3.5. Ah, British humor! This book was a bit strange, oscillating between that sort of dry ridiculous British wit that had me laughing out loud, to clever snickery observations, to places that lost me a bit through their overly thorough tediousness, & even big chunks of history & a VERY moving farewell essay, of sorts, to a "fallen woman" who committed suicide. But, truly lovely writing throughout. I'm giving it a 3.5, I listened to it on audiotape & feel that may have enhanced the tedium of certain passages. Worth a read if you like this kind of thing! And, the full title is "Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)" which is SO funny & why I had to read it! :)
    • 4/5
      If Monte Python and Oscar Wilde were to collaborate, I think they might have writen this book. The official title is "Three Men in a Boat: to say nothing of the dog" and it took me the good first half of the book to realize that Montmorency was the dog and not a companion along for the jaunt.
    • 4/5
      What a joyful book.Not at all what I expected, as although humourous, it is written in a "shaggy dog" story style, with reminiscences, recollections and imagined historical retellings of history (especially at Runnymede with the Magna Carta).This is a travel book about a boat trip up the Thames from Richmond to Oxford.The boat is either rowed by two of the three men or pulled along. It is a fascinating story, which I imagine is half based on fact.A delightful sunny book (although it does rain on the return trip, which realistically hastens their return to London).It was strange to read references to the nineteenth century as modernity.I read a beautifully illustrated Folio Society edition, well worth getting as the numerous pictures perfectly capture the mood.
    • 5/5
      George, Harris, J., and Montmorency (the dog) pack up supplies and take off for a boat trip down the Thames. This may be one of the most enjoyable books I have ever read. The philosophy was right up my alley. The "blurbs" at the beginning of each chapter were almost as funny as the chapter itself. I thought Jerome did a wonderful job of interspersing stories from the past with what they were doing as they went along. I laughed and laughed. A perfect antidote to real life.
    • 3/5
      A Victorian era collection of anecdotes about three impractical friends who decide a two-week boating holiday up the River Thames would be perfectly sublime. Little do these hypochondriacs suffering from 'overwork' take note of the practicalities involved. Along with fox-terrier Montmorency they wrestle with ropes, inclement weather, lack of a tin opener and other mishaps in this classic comedy. Fabulous to know that they were just as mad in 1889 as we are today!
    • 4/5
      This book is such a pleasant reading. It’s well written, with an interesting story telling, a lot of small funny threads told by the characters, lovely dog :)There are three friends sitting and having discussion about their life and health. As a result of it they decide to take a boat trip, rowing trip from London to Oxford. They also don’t forget about the dog – Montmorency, full of energy and zest for fighting. There is a lot of adventures on the way, they need to deal with different accidents, deal with the boat, river, food, cloths, people, dog and so on. And they survive all of them, but…On the way home they need to row 2 days under the rain and this fact is bringing them close to the emotional and physical limits. Will they manage to finish the trip, how the rain will influence their decisions, how it will finish?The story is interesting enough to spend some time reading it. All the characters (including the dog) are funny, with human (or animal) vices, but also interesting one. It’s a good reading, especially if you read it in original, then there is an added value of the literary English language.
    • 4/5
      This is a look at the misadventures of three men and their dog on a two week voyage on the Thames in the 19th century. I laughed quite a bit and often pictured the men as the three stooges. A fun romp!
    • 4/5
      Since this book was an influence on Connie Willis' fabulous and funny novel, I figured I should read it and see what she was getting at.
      It's a short, comic Victorian novel. The humor is based on the fact that none of the events of the book are of any importance whatsoever, but that the narrator makes every little thing out to be practically an incident from a heroic epic.
      It's very short, and it is funny - but I think it's good that it's short, because I don't think that it could have been sustained much longer.
      (Willis is funnier.)
    • 5/5
      Absolutely fabulous listening. Martin Jarvis is a national treasure indeed!
    • 4/5
      He put his leg into the jam, and he worried the teaspoons, and he pretended that the lemons were rats, and got into the hamper and killed three of them before Harris could land him with the frying pan.This is the first point in Jerome’s witty travelogue at which I was reduced to slightly hysterical snorting; there were two more, but I forget the bits that caused it. Harris, George and ‘J’ (to say nothing of Montmorency) take to the river with their various ailments, hampers, and reminiscences. Dryly and deprecatingly humorous, in a soggy setting, this a gentle book to be enjoyed for its language and satirical eye; perfect, in fact, for floating down a river with (with, not on) and a snapshot of an era when people could swear at one another from their respective boats without getting shot.
    • 4/5
      Three Men in a Boat is exactly what it says on the cover -- a travelogue of three young men, plus the terror dog Montmorency, going boating on the Thames for a fortnight. Interspersed with stories from other boating holidays, stories closely or tenuously linked to the river or the towns passed through, and the odd Reflection on Life, this is a slow moving, poetical, and frequently comical ramble. Unlike many 'classics of English literature', which this book is advertised as on the back cover, this is not a horrid story about horrid people. I don't think that George, Harris, or the narrator would be people I would want to spend much time with, but they do appear to have a friendship that holds together despite the frustrations of their time together.
    • 5/5
      You haven't read this yet? Do it. Witty, funny, very enjoyable. If you're a fan of British humor (or humour), you'll enjoy this book.
    • 4/5
      Such a funny little book. Jerome puts me in mind of a British Mark Twain. If it weren't for how respectful everyone seems, it could have been written in this century. I loved his little jabs at his friends as they were also pointed self-deprecating humor, leaving no one off the list - to say nothing of the dog! No wonder it has never gone out of print. Delightful.