A review by hadeanstars
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

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.