Book Review - Three men in a Boat (Jerome K. Jerome)

Ah, British Humour! This book is straight from the Wodehousian school of humour (although Wodehouse started writing later, in the early 20th century). If you are a Wodehouse fan, you will definitely like this book. Originally intended to be a travel guide, it is the author's digressive (and highly humorous) musings on a wide variety of topics that win it for the book. Unless you are a boating enthusiast or a history buff, the historical discussion of various towns along the route might not be very appealing. However, the author regularly will invoke a (slightly tangential) humorous discussion on everyday items/activities such as the accuracy of weather forecasts, sharing inn-space with a couple in love, German language etc that are sure to get your ribs tickled. The best part about the book is that the humour is still relevant today and does not require an understanding of 19th century England (as some other parts of the book might). A sample, from a passage where the author talks about his friend George and his occupation: “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” . At a few places, the book seems to drag on but its a fairly short read (~120 pages) and a hilarious anecdote is always around the corner, so overall the book does a very good job of administering some jaw exercise. For fans of British humour, this is a must-read, and for those not particularly enamoured by the genre, still give it a shot. It will not disappoint! Goodreads page for the book