Sunday, January 24, 2016

Book Review - Three Men on the Bummel (Jerome K. Jerome)


Another highly amusing book by Jerome K. Jerome. This one's not as hilarious as "Three men in a Boat", but it comes close. People have pointed out that the dog is missing, but I didn't feel the absence as much. 

Harris, George and the author, (predictably) in need of a change, decide to take a bicycle trip to the black forest region of Germany. The author has narrated his experiences on the trip in his very unique, British style, which you'll be familiar with, if you've read Three Men in a Boat.

There's a lot of commentary on Germany - the country, its people, its culture, food etc - that you will relate to if you've spent some time there or know people from Germany. Of course, some of that is rendered using the literary device of exaggeration (prominent in British-style humor), but some of it is accurate too. I found some of the descriptions really humorous and in a few places, the book even supersedes its predecessor. A few samples to whet your appetite, here and here.

The eccentric characters, the situation-comedy and the understated, matter-of-fact manner of humorous storytelling are all present, and this book is something that can be re-read multiple times. Overall, I felt that the book was better than sequels are generally known to be and was a perfect filler for downtime, when I just wanted some laughter therapy. Oh, and you can find a free (and legal) version of the pdf from the Project Gutenberg website. Go grab your copy and start reading it now!

Goodreads page for the book

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