Three Men in a Boat

Around 3 weeks ago, I borrowed a book from AUA library. Its name is Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

Like its name, this book is a story of three friends – and one dog - who decided to spend their holiday together taking a trip along Thames River. The story is told via the main character’s words, ‘J’ whose name is never mentioned in any chapter but in the introduction.

All three men are indolent and unwilling to do any work like what ‘J’ says, “I like work, I find it interesting… I can sit and look at it for hours.” Their imagination, clumsiness, and humor turn their ordinary boat trip into an adventurous journey. They fall into the river, are soaked by pouring rain, eat a distasteful meal cooked by one of them, tell each other the story they have previously experienced, plan their tomorrow schedule and fail to follow it, and even imagine the conversation between Montmorency, their dog, and a strange cat. At last, they end up with taking a train home in stead of shipping back because of the unendurable events they themselves always make.

The reason I borrowed it is that its cover seems interesting and funny but I’ve found this book not very enjoyable since I had finished the forth chapter (out of 16). The performance of three men is absurd; their comedy isn’t funny for me and they do silly things such as they fail to open a can just because they lost the tin-opener. However, I learned more western culture from this book; what do people do in their holidays, how do they dress from the pictures in the book, and how can a photographer make money from the people having their vacations.

Next time, I'll not judge a book by its cover again.