Reviews

I've read this while in college and it doesn't get old. It's still a treat despite the fact that it takes place in Victorian England and some definitions, concepts and setting are a bit difficult to grasp for us modern readers.

The humor is biting in that special way that only British humor can be. Dispersed between raucous narratives of the joys of boating on the Thames, are nuggets of historical facts which makes this memoir a fascinating read. Yes, this is a memoir even if it reads like historical fiction.

The plus of this edition is the preface as well as end notes which gives an in depth explanation of the life of the author and the times he evolved in.

I really recommend this to those who are avid of Victorian England and its peculiar quirks.

prusche's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

dreamingofspaceships's review against another edition

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4.0

It took me the longest time to read this book. I have tried to start it some 4 times over the last decade and this is the first time it has stuck. It's funny but also a bit much/repetitive at times. The writing - not just the words but the style and the sense of humour - all feel so modern that it's genuinely hard to remember when all of this is happening. I also felt like I lacked a lot of context for some of the boating things that were happening and there are paragraphs and paragraphs of descriptions that my eyes glazed over in the middle. But all said, still a very solid book and one that made me want to go on a slow paced riverboat journey.

littleclerk's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

hadeanstars's review against another edition

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4.0

This story was more or less completely hilarious, such that it had me laughing out loud on several occasions. It is so consistently humorous, and has such an urbane style about it, that I fail to see how anyone could not find it to be delightful. It's very much a Victorian 'grumpy old men' with slightly aristocratic pretensions. Beyond this there are passages of sublime writing that verge on the ethereally beautiful, proving that Jerome was somewhat more than a one trick pony. They are rare however, and mostly the novel is just brilliantly observed and wickedly ludicrous. What I especially love about it, is the way that the human condition is so mercilessly and gently observed through the narrator's eyes. You could write a similar novel that would not be half as generous, indeed it might be acerbic and occasionally vicious, but there is not a moment of harshness here. Yes the characters are self-absorbed, selfish, human, but their failings are recorded from such a warm-hearted perspective that you cannot help but understand and feel affection for them.

If you had to make a criticism, well, you can say it's not Hemingway or Dostoevsky. It's necessarily light and gentle, but for what it is, it's brilliantly done.

nopenotfinn's review against another edition

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3.0

I actually loved the story this book followed but for whatever reason my focus while reading this book absolutely falthered and I feel like I had to reread so many parts that I couldnt enjoy it to the fullest. I’ll reread it some time.

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