Book : Three Men in a Boat Writer Jerome K. Jerome
Publisher: J. W. Arrowsmith Pages:224 Price: 174 INR
Three men in a boat is a delight. A complete send up from start to finish of three “chaps” in the true sense of word. A very English form of humor full of the self-deprecation that goes with the humor of that period.
Jerome K. Jerome was an English writer and humorist best known for the comic novel. This book gave him worldwide fame. This was intended to be a serious travel guide hut turned out to be a comic novel.
It was published in 1889. This 19th century novel was written for middle class Victorians. Yet, the 21st century appreciates the humor and laugh at the wittiest jokes that increased the target readership.
The cover included a book paper cover with a sketch of boat and three men that gives us the insight into what the character are about to experience.
It is a story of three men who need a vacation from their “overwork” and daily humdrums of life. A story that revolves on Thames from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford and back to Kingston.
Jerome, often called ‘J’ along with his real life two friends George and Harris and fictional character dog: Montmorency, go on to a two week long sea voyage. The three of them concur of being overworked are in a dire need of a vacation. They start off on Saturday, rent a boat from Kingston and while picking up George from work they head out on a boating trip.
Between this, story propels into a comical sketch of boating and hilarious mishaps. This is a story of everything but nothing.
Jerome(the narrator) is the central character who is a freelance journalist and is always confident and jovial he believes his other two friends are boring. The way he describes his two friends fill the readers with laughter. The other character George is a banker who follows strict routine.
He is boring at times but in the boating expedition, he is always boisterous carrying a banjo. The third is Harris who has a printing business in London and is even more boring, who did nothing except to get excessively drunk and lacks romance and poetry.
The dog is the best character, the little things he do brings laughter and craziness.
The most humorous incident was when Jerome describes her Aunt Podger week long refuge to her mother’s home when Uncle Podger is busy with “little things” in house. The description of Hampton court maze is the most perfect English piece of humor.
The appeal of the book lies in its humor. The appeal is a spirit of good friendship and loyalty among member of group, for youth to understand the importance of good humor and bonding.
All in all, the book is a must read. Every line and every page brings with it a plethora of joyous moments and a wide grin on face. It id a story of youth camaraderie, thrill and of course perfect humor.
Written by: Diya Bedi , Uttarakhand, India
