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Three Men in a Boat

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Three Men in a Boat

By: Jerome K. Jerome
Narrated by: Ian Carmichael
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About this listen

Exclusively from Audible

In this comedic masterpiece, three young men, increasingly given to thoughts of hypochondria, decide to embark on a journey along the river Thames.

Confident that the fresh air and daily exercise will grant them immunity from a myriad of illnesses and diseases, they pack up their frying pans, toothbrushes, food and canine companion, Montmorency, and set off on an unexpected adventure.

As the men come up against hilarious and often avoidable obstacles on their journey from Kingston upon Thames to Oxford, Jerome K. Jerome offers listeners a unique look back at the joys of youthful naivety, comradery and playfulness.

Supremely English in nature, Three Men in a Boat, paved the way for the later works of authors such as James Thurber, PG Wodehouse and Nick Hornby.

Based on a real-life experience, Jerome's comic approach to this story transcends the passage of time as his themes and subjects remain universal. An explorer of new ideas and customs, Jerome K. Jerome developed great insight along his travels throughout Europe and the sheer plausibility of his stories serves to enhance the comedic effect of his writing.

As an international best-selling title, Jerome K. Jerome's Three Men in a Boat was met with such immediate success that it has never been out of print since its publication in 1889.

Narrator Biography

Ian Carmichael was a veteran comedy actor, best known for his roles in Private's Progress, I'm All Right Jack, Brothers in Law and School for Scoundrels.

He played Dorothy L. Sayers' gentleman detective, Lord Peter Wimsey, on television and radio and his audiobook narration of these stories can be found on the Audible website.

Ian was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts and after a brief stint in the Royal Armoured Corps during the Second World War, he graced stage, screen and radio for over 50 years.

He was and remains a national treasure and was appointed an OBE in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List.

©2007 Jerome K. Jerome (P)2014 Audible, Inc.
Classics Funny Witty British Fiction

Critic Reviews

"[Narrator Ian] Carmichael, the quintessential English gentleman, captures perfectly the delicious inanity of our intrepid heroes' conversations and the bemusement of the locals they meet along the way. He conveys beautifully Jerome's evocative, almost wistful, descriptions of Thames-side towns whose august historical pasts illustrate the glory that was Britain. This delightful performance crystallizes the author's humor and vision and is sure to enchant its audience." ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Three Men in a Boat

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A classic of English humour

Gently ironic, self deprecating, clever and beautifully evocative of times and places gone forever. Ian Carmichael is the perfect choice to read this - an absolutely divine reading of a classic light novel.

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Laugh-aloud funny

Any additional comments?

Ian Carmichael's performance is simply brilliant. However, he does have wonderful material to work with. The book is one of the funniest things I have ever listened to. The stories about the man travelling with two large, smelly cheeses and the one where the author is in a library working his way through a medical dictionary to determine what's wrong with him are just two of the priceless gems in this book. I don't think anyone would be disappointed after buying this.

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One of the funniest, droll and witty take on boating holidays

A brilliantly read story of a sadly bygone time in British boating, literature and life upon the Thames. Three men and of course don’t forget the dog, the loveliest rapscallion of them all.

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BORING!

couldnt get past chapter three.A lot of words about not much and hardly funny.

maybe it gets better but i couldnt persevere.

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Not sure

Speaker sings instead of narrating. Couldn’t understand a lot of words the narrator said. Stopped listening to this book after 20 odd mins.

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