Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)

By Jerome K. Jerome

A clever, easy-read; one which might be better enjoyed at the beach. Jerome captures the visual comedy style similar to Monty Python, if not a little less shocking, but with the same amount of hilarity (it's what I imagine Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance would be like: philosophical, but funny). It begins with the three men, who all have forgettable names and a dog, who decide to have a holiday. They agree to go boating up the Thames and run into problems from the start; Getting themselves packed and on the boat brings hiccups of hilarity.

Of course once they do start their ride down the Thames, I found it delightful reading about the landscape and their bumbling ways. It's typical British dry humor, but there are a few laugh-out-loud moments. I enjoyed this story and it was a fairly quick read so those who find themselves struggling to skip pages, it is quite unnecessary. It's disappointing there isn't more fiction like this out there; although I still have P.G. Wodehouse to look forward to.

To update, the movie version is quite entertaining, as well and with a cast consisting of Michael Palin and Tim Curry, one is properly occupied with the nuttiness of their situations, but I must admit I preferred the story over the movie so would definitely suggest just reading it if debating between the two and then watching the movie.