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Three Men #2
Three Men on the Bummel
A "bummel" is a journey without end. Whether we want to or not, most of us have to settle with a return to our regular exertions.
So do these heroes of THREE MEN IN A BOAT, only on this occasion, a cycling trip through the Black Forest, it seems they may cycle on forever, such are their problems. Whether it's George attempting to buy a cushion for his aunt or Harris's harrowing experience with a road-waterer, not to mention the routine problems with language and directions, things get very confused indeed!
"A delightful excursion in a world which, alas, exists no longer--and indeed may only have been found in the author's lively imagination." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)
So do these heroes of THREE MEN IN A BOAT, only on this occasion, a cycling trip through the Black Forest, it seems they may cycle on forever, such are their problems. Whether it's George attempting to buy a cushion for his aunt or Harris's harrowing experience with a road-waterer, not to mention the routine problems with language and directions, things get very confused indeed!
"A delightful excursion in a world which, alas, exists no longer--and indeed may only have been found in the author's lively imagination." (B-O-T Editorial Review Board)
207 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1900
About the author
Jerome K. Jerome
653 books1,240 followersJerome Klapka Jerome was an English writer and humorist, best known for the comic travelogue Three Men in a Boat (1889). Other works include the essay collections Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886) and Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow; Three Men on the Bummel, a sequel to Three Men in a Boat; and several other novels. Jerome was born in Walsall, England, and, although he was able to attend grammar school, his family suffered from poverty at times, as did he as a young man trying to earn a living in various occupations. In his twenties, he was able to publish some work, and success followed. He married in 1888, and the honeymoon was spent on a boat on the River Thames; he published Three Men in a Boat soon afterwards. He continued to write fiction, non-fiction and plays over the next few decades, though never with the same level of success.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 512 reviews
October 12, 2024
Before our little jaunt into yesteryear, I must confess ... miss the irreplaceable dog, and his charismatic presence ...this sequel to , Three Men in a Boat, a hilarious story, lacks the forward charge of the indomitable animal, (more human than many) where is the fearless leader , Montmorency ? Three Men on the Bummel (stroll) has our good friends a decade later, older but not wiser, yes fatter, richer but still eager to get away again, from dear, cold England. A pleasant adventurous bicycle trip, around Germany they plan, particularly the ominous, nevertheless interesting Black Forest of mystery and myth. J. and Harris are married, their wives show no disinclination, to the idea in fact, they secretly welcome it, a pleasurable break a vacation too, for the spouses and children of the unlovable, if truth be told men... Sounds real nice, the two must be annoying husbands. Still George the bachelor, has only an old aunt, who cares... the trio, after the usual long discussions , useless talk and the procrastinating, finally get under way, two bicycles and three men, no problem, one is a tandem bicycle, they'll switch often to keep themselves fresh (it's a solemn agreement). Arriving by boat, in Hamburg, then Hanover and later going to intriguing Berlin...Staying in hotels and inns, farmer's foul barns if nothing else is available, imagine the rather strange smells , they encounter still the animals don't mind the boys, too much though...In the famous and illustrious capital of the nation, the men are quite disappointed, with the city no grandeur exists, a plain, ordinary metropolis . Germany has clean towns, somewhat humdrum, but they're fascinated by the German people, law abiding, citizens, following the rules set by their superiors, mostly the police. These men are god- like, to them, never would they dare, to disobey, the children (boys), all want to become mighty policemen...The reserved Germans, polite and remote to foreigners , love eating and drinking, becoming often so drunk, the revelers need just a little help... to get home. Even boisterous students are encouraged to do the same, a long tradition, gladly followed by the boys, at the universities. Sword dueling a tradition in school clubs , students are happiest when they receives bloody scars on the face, proud to show his friends, basking in their admiration, the girls flock to him, he is brave, a real man...In the legendary Black Forest, the clueless trio become very lost indeed, can't tell which way is north or south, or east or west, neither. Exhausted, climbing a steep hill, to get their bearings, embarrassed, seeing the village, the men just left a short time ago , yet try again the same galling results, the magical village appears once more. Hour after hour of hiking, they can't find a route out a storm comes, thunder and lightning , the rains pour down and the soaked men seeking shelter under a tree, cold and wet, miserable...The curious owner of the nearby restaurant wonders why, they didn't come in from the downpour. Better go get the odd strangers, Englishmen...everyone says , on the continent, are all mad!
April 16, 2018
This is the second book about the three London-based friends going on an adventure. This time, some years have passed since the boat trip, the dog is no longer with them, and two of them are married.
It's all about escaping, once again, and romping through a countryside without having the first clue but being convinced one is an expert and all others are idiots.
Thus, the three embark upon a journey to and through Germany. Their route is weird if one knows the country and not all statements are correct (Münster, for example, is neither in the Black Forest nor Alsatia) but it's not about accuracy anyway.
On their way from Hamburg via Berlin and Hannover to Constance and other places, they have the usual hilarious encounters. This time made even more funny by the usual prejudices about the nation-without-humour, a lack linguistic skills and their general almost endearing idiocy.
I couldn't enjoy the narration of this audiobook as much as the first but that might also have to do (in part) with the fact that I had to listen to this at a slower speed. The humour and mishaps, however, were as great as in the first book, this time made even a tad more enjoyable because I am German and therefore know which of the prejudices was absolutely correct so I sometimes burst out laughing. And there was some dog there near the end after all.
Oh, and the word "Bummel" is German and is not what the narrator says in the end. *lol* It's basically strolling around and looking at everything while doing so, with time to spare (or not caring about time). Most often associated with a shopping spree.
It's all about escaping, once again, and romping through a countryside without having the first clue but being convinced one is an expert and all others are idiots.
Thus, the three embark upon a journey to and through Germany. Their route is weird if one knows the country and not all statements are correct (Münster, for example, is neither in the Black Forest nor Alsatia) but it's not about accuracy anyway.
On their way from Hamburg via Berlin and Hannover to Constance and other places, they have the usual hilarious encounters. This time made even more funny by the usual prejudices about the nation-without-humour, a lack linguistic skills and their general almost endearing idiocy.
I couldn't enjoy the narration of this audiobook as much as the first but that might also have to do (in part) with the fact that I had to listen to this at a slower speed. The humour and mishaps, however, were as great as in the first book, this time made even a tad more enjoyable because I am German and therefore know which of the prejudices was absolutely correct so I sometimes burst out laughing. And there was some dog there near the end after all.
Oh, and the word "Bummel" is German and is not what the narrator says in the end. *lol* It's basically strolling around and looking at everything while doing so, with time to spare (or not caring about time). Most often associated with a shopping spree.
May 31, 2019
Magnifique!
September 1, 2013
The Bummel provides too few laughs in comparison to The Boat (say one laugh for every ten pages, instead of ten laughs for every page).
Besides, the linear narrative does not agree with the three men. Yes, the anecdotes were missed (to say nothing of the dog).
April 29, 2024
Relaxată, veselă și plină de observații hilare la adresa nemților și a modului lor de viață. Cei trei prieteni sunt, ca și în primul volum, dornici de aventură, dar fără să iasă prea tare din propriul confort.
May 15, 2021
Three Men on the Bummel is a sequel to the hilarious Three Men in a Boat. In this, the trio go on a bicycle trip to Germany without the dog. Whilst it was an endearing read, it didn't measure up to the previous book in the series.
It had its moments. Some parts were hilarious, others just fell flat. Jerome K. Jerome's writing was brilliant though.
3 stars
It had its moments. Some parts were hilarious, others just fell flat. Jerome K. Jerome's writing was brilliant though.
3 stars
September 29, 2016
Jerome’s digressive style can be amusing in small doses, but this book is almost nothing but asides. I did enjoy the parts that most closely resemble a travelogue of the cycle trip through Germany, but these are drowned under a flood of irrelevant memories and anecdotes. I much preferred Diary of a Pilgrimage.
October 12, 2017
Not as hilarious as the boat adventures but still worth a read!
December 15, 2023
Strange or perhaps not, I'm part of the minority which appreciate this novel being a far better book than its more famous older sister, Three Men on a Boat. On a boat it is a series of pathetic troubles in which three awful morons got stuck, The Bummel is mostly a travel journal.
None of them did make me laugh, but The Bummel has some piece of information and, most of all, an interesting description of Germany and its inhabitants. So, the choice is quite an easy one.
None of them did make me laugh, but The Bummel has some piece of information and, most of all, an interesting description of Germany and its inhabitants. So, the choice is quite an easy one.
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August 30, 20223.75|5 🚲 2022 TBR
This book was so unexpectedly funny. I don’t know if I just have an old person’ sense of humor or this is objectively good humor but this was the funnies book I’ve ever read.
This book was so unexpectedly funny. I don’t know if I just have an old person’ sense of humor or this is objectively good humor but this was the funnies book I’ve ever read.
August 29, 2011
This is the zenith, the summit, the highest peak reached by a certain kind of British humour I like.
Those who are keen of PG Wodehouse may object a couple of things to this remark and probably they have their point: the thing is that I never read anything by Wodehouse (by the way: from which book should I start?).
Anyways.
There are moments of this German bummel or escapade in which Jerome is simply impossible to stand any further. I daresay it's not legal, being that funny, sharp and witty. One could choke on a burst of laughter.
And it almost happened to me.
I simply couldn't help myself but laugh, laugh, laugh while reading about the scrupolous German dogs or the way to get rid of German cats when they don't let you sleep. And the way Jerome wrote: absolutely magnificent.
But it's not all about humour. There are also a lof of insightul observations on Germany and Germans that can now be put in perspective. When Jerome, Harris and George (without Montmorency at this time) traveled through Germany it was hard to picture the horror of Ypres in World War I and the whole dirty business of nazism, but still JKJ understood quite a lot.
The following lines may suffice:
"In Germany today one hears a good deal concerning Socialism, but it is a Socialism that would only be despotism under another name. Individualism makes no appeal to the German voter. He is willing, nay, anxious to be controlled and regulated in all things".
Now, when Jerome wrote this, Hitler was only eleven years old and I hardly doubt that he ever found any interest in having a bummel, although he later toyed with flânerie getting in and out of Munich beer halls.
This book was a divertissement, but it is also a brilliant testimony on how life went on in a serene Germany where everything was efficient but relaxed before someone decided to play the policeman of a whole nation.
Those who are keen of PG Wodehouse may object a couple of things to this remark and probably they have their point: the thing is that I never read anything by Wodehouse (by the way: from which book should I start?).
Anyways.
There are moments of this German bummel or escapade in which Jerome is simply impossible to stand any further. I daresay it's not legal, being that funny, sharp and witty. One could choke on a burst of laughter.
And it almost happened to me.
I simply couldn't help myself but laugh, laugh, laugh while reading about the scrupolous German dogs or the way to get rid of German cats when they don't let you sleep. And the way Jerome wrote: absolutely magnificent.
But it's not all about humour. There are also a lof of insightul observations on Germany and Germans that can now be put in perspective. When Jerome, Harris and George (without Montmorency at this time) traveled through Germany it was hard to picture the horror of Ypres in World War I and the whole dirty business of nazism, but still JKJ understood quite a lot.
The following lines may suffice:
"In Germany today one hears a good deal concerning Socialism, but it is a Socialism that would only be despotism under another name. Individualism makes no appeal to the German voter. He is willing, nay, anxious to be controlled and regulated in all things".
Now, when Jerome wrote this, Hitler was only eleven years old and I hardly doubt that he ever found any interest in having a bummel, although he later toyed with flânerie getting in and out of Munich beer halls.
This book was a divertissement, but it is also a brilliant testimony on how life went on in a serene Germany where everything was efficient but relaxed before someone decided to play the policeman of a whole nation.
October 25, 2023
Sequels are rarely as good as the original and this follow-up to Three Men in a Boat is no exception to the general rule. In this one our intrepid trio go on a cycling tour of the Black Forest. There are some genuinely funny set pieces mixed in with an awful lot of rather unfunny generalising about German society. As lazy national stereotyping goes it’s all fairly innocuous and good-natured (‘your German’, as Jerome somewhat unfortunately and indeed repeatedly has it, is law-abiding and efficient, but perhaps over-deferential to authority; all that sort of thing) and there was nothing here to seriously offend my delicate 21st century sensibilities. Still, it’s quite a big part of the book, and soon became more than slightly tedious. The real problem with Jerome’s humorous essaying on Germany is that most of it isn’t funny; in a comic novel this is surely the worst offence of all. To be fair, he depicts the English abroad in equally hackneyed fashion, though I’m not convinced that improves matters.
He was, nonetheless, an unusually nimble prose stylist, at his best every inch the equal of Wodehouse, whom he clearly influenced, and his playfully digressive narrative voice is the best thing about this book. At the end of it (don’t worry, this isn’t a plot spoiler, for the very good reason that there is no plot) he claims that a bummel is a rambling and pleasant journey, short or long, without an end. I haven’t the faintest, but it’s certainly a pretty neat metaphor for the way he wrote.
This is a flawed and curious outing, to be sure. I was alternately amused and irritated by it, and sometimes I was both simultaneously. A collection of sketches in search of a structure, it lacks the satisfying formal completeness of Boat, but is by no means the complete dud some have claimed. Jerome’s sweeping observations on national identity have dated embarrassingly, while his wonderfully funny sideswipes at advertising and cycling fads - including a super-duper ergonomic saddle which is excruciatingly uncomfortable - seem bang up-to-date. It’s a bumpy ride but, during the more rewarding stretches of the trip, the present reader was left in no doubt that his genial tour guide was a comic master of the first order.
He was, nonetheless, an unusually nimble prose stylist, at his best every inch the equal of Wodehouse, whom he clearly influenced, and his playfully digressive narrative voice is the best thing about this book. At the end of it (don’t worry, this isn’t a plot spoiler, for the very good reason that there is no plot) he claims that a bummel is a rambling and pleasant journey, short or long, without an end. I haven’t the faintest, but it’s certainly a pretty neat metaphor for the way he wrote.
This is a flawed and curious outing, to be sure. I was alternately amused and irritated by it, and sometimes I was both simultaneously. A collection of sketches in search of a structure, it lacks the satisfying formal completeness of Boat, but is by no means the complete dud some have claimed. Jerome’s sweeping observations on national identity have dated embarrassingly, while his wonderfully funny sideswipes at advertising and cycling fads - including a super-duper ergonomic saddle which is excruciatingly uncomfortable - seem bang up-to-date. It’s a bumpy ride but, during the more rewarding stretches of the trip, the present reader was left in no doubt that his genial tour guide was a comic master of the first order.
June 23, 2012
As a followup to the more brilliant Three Men on a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), Jerome K. Jerome's three dimwitted Englishmen go on a bike trip to Germany, and silliness ensues. The author reminds me of a Jerry Seinfeld, able to see absurdity in everyday life. Never mind that it was written in 1900; his comments on bicycling, Germans, marriage, and tourism remain true, and make one want to call up friends and force them to listen to you read the best bits aloud.
For example, when one fellow is dreaming of finding the perfect bicycle seat, the other tells him, "'You give up that idea; this is an imperfect world of joy and sorrow mingled. There may be a better land where bicycle saddles are made out of rainbow, stuffed with cloud; in this world the simplest thing is to get used to something hard.'"
Ot, in discussing the charms of Stuttgart: "It has the additional attraction of containing little that one need to go out of one's way to see: a medium-sized pictures gallery, a small museum of antiquities, and half a palace, and you are through with the entire thing and can enjoy yourself."
For example, when one fellow is dreaming of finding the perfect bicycle seat, the other tells him, "'You give up that idea; this is an imperfect world of joy and sorrow mingled. There may be a better land where bicycle saddles are made out of rainbow, stuffed with cloud; in this world the simplest thing is to get used to something hard.'"
Ot, in discussing the charms of Stuttgart: "It has the additional attraction of containing little that one need to go out of one's way to see: a medium-sized pictures gallery, a small museum of antiquities, and half a palace, and you are through with the entire thing and can enjoy yourself."
October 18, 2024
"For the direction of German character into these channels, the schools, of course, are chiefly responsible. Their everlasting teaching is duty. It is a fine ideal for any people; but before buckling to it, one would wish to have a clear understanding as to what this “duty” is. The German idea of it would appear to be: “blind obedience to everything in buttons.” It is the antithesis of the Anglo-Saxon scheme; but as both the Anglo-Saxon and the Teuton are prospering, there must be good in both methods. Hitherto, the German has had the blessed fortune to be exceptionally well governed; if this continue, it will go well with him. When his troubles will begin will be when by any chance something goes wrong with the governing machine."
*stares directly into camera*
--
This was not just almost as funny as the first book; it was also FASCINATING in a lot of ways that I totally didn't expect. Can't wait to review this one! ...someday, when I have the time.
*stares directly into camera*
--
This was not just almost as funny as the first book; it was also FASCINATING in a lot of ways that I totally didn't expect. Can't wait to review this one! ...someday, when I have the time.
April 26, 2015
At a time when I desperately needed to inject some raw humour into my depressed system, I was fortunate enough to read JKJ's Three Men in a boat.And when the need arose again last week, I knew where to look.That wry and dry British wit, that subliminal sarcasm, that hysterically comical narration, all in unlimited supply again.But underlying all the riotous humour, there are a lot of passages which clearly indicate how profound a guy Jerome really was. Most of the digs he takes at the Germans throughout the book were accurate British sentiments of the pre-war times.The real spine-chilling moment for me came in the final chapter when Jerome accurately predicted what could go wrong with the German way of social functioning which can lead to a global catastrophe - the book was published in 1898, a good 15 years before WW1 and 40 years before WW2!
February 7, 2017
The book had tremendous potential, especially as it was building up on the hilariously great book ''Three men in a boat'' as we revisit the characters and what new shenanigans they are getting themselves into this time around. Sadly, this doesn't really take off like in the previous books, and while it has its moments, they don't match up to the previous book. It's more observational in its humour, playing on cultural differences rather than the more situational humour of the first part. Not a bad read at all, but the sheer expectations from it turned out to be its bane.
June 10, 2024
Забавничко 😊
September 24, 2011
Highly enjoyable and very funny (especially if you are a history geek) comic novel that satirises beautifully the Edwardian craze for cycling as well as giving a fascinating insight into how the English viewed the new young state of Germany. The book is really a series of sketches and observations, some like the throwing things at cats and the German attitude to grass are laugh out loud moments, others strike you as wry and strangely modern observations on such things as young children's habit of getting up at the crack of dawn or the limitations of journalism. I also learned after whom the cartoon cat and mouse Tom and Jerry were named thanks to a line in this book.
Near the end, there is a chill for the modern reader on reading JKJ's warning about the direction Germany could go in if they were governed by bad rulers.
A good piece of Edwardian comic writing well worth whiling away an afternoon reading seated in a deckchair with a glass of cold lemonade.
Near the end, there is a chill for the modern reader on reading JKJ's warning about the direction Germany could go in if they were governed by bad rulers.
A good piece of Edwardian comic writing well worth whiling away an afternoon reading seated in a deckchair with a glass of cold lemonade.
January 1, 2016
While this is a decent enough book by itself, it does suffer in unfavourable comparison with Three Men in a Boat. The first book had some fantastic setpieces and a line of funny anecdotes, both of which are relatively fewer in this one. Those few, mind you, still do the job in making this a fairly enjoyable read in that understated, self-deprecating and pompously funny way that the first book was so popular for.
There are quite a few long passages, though, that read more like a travelogue trying too hard to be funny. It describes 19th century Germany in what's supposed to be an exaggerated tone playing up to the common stereotypes of the age, but doesn't quite come off as funny enough often enough.
Verdict: Fairly good read, but could have done with more anecdotes. And the dog!
There are quite a few long passages, though, that read more like a travelogue trying too hard to be funny. It describes 19th century Germany in what's supposed to be an exaggerated tone playing up to the common stereotypes of the age, but doesn't quite come off as funny enough often enough.
Verdict: Fairly good read, but could have done with more anecdotes. And the dog!
April 21, 2022
This is the sequel to Three Men in a Boat and it is really rather good, especially when the three men - George, Harris and J - are travelling around the middle of Europe interacting with the locals and passing judgment on their surroundings as they move from Hamburg to Berlin and Dresden and their destination The Black Forest.
A bummel is a journey either long or short without a specific end date. It strikes me everyone should go on a bummel occasionally.
There are some amusing anecdotes - George tries to buy a pillow / cushion for his aunt but ends up with a peck on the cheek from an embarrassed shop assistant (the difference between kissen and kussen). Harris tries to stop a man watering a road in Hanover and ends up wetting everyone in sight in his struggle to wrest the hose from the man's grasp. J steals a bike from a train under the mistaken impression it was Harris's bike and not a complete stranger's bike and ends up having to explain himself to the police who believe him to be a thief.
There are some excellent insights into the male character, for example on a man's sense of direction:
"My instinct is correct enough; it is the earth that is wrong. I led them by the middle road....If the middle road had gone in the direction it ought to have done, it would have taken us to where we wanted to go."
and a great reason why English spread through Europe and beyond
"But the man who has spread the knowledge of English from Cape St Vincent to the Ural Mountains is the Englishman who, unable or unwilling to learn a single a single word of any language but his own, travels purse in hand into every corner of the Continent."
A bummel is a journey either long or short without a specific end date. It strikes me everyone should go on a bummel occasionally.
There are some amusing anecdotes - George tries to buy a pillow / cushion for his aunt but ends up with a peck on the cheek from an embarrassed shop assistant (the difference between kissen and kussen). Harris tries to stop a man watering a road in Hanover and ends up wetting everyone in sight in his struggle to wrest the hose from the man's grasp. J steals a bike from a train under the mistaken impression it was Harris's bike and not a complete stranger's bike and ends up having to explain himself to the police who believe him to be a thief.
There are some excellent insights into the male character, for example on a man's sense of direction:
"My instinct is correct enough; it is the earth that is wrong. I led them by the middle road....If the middle road had gone in the direction it ought to have done, it would have taken us to where we wanted to go."
and a great reason why English spread through Europe and beyond
"But the man who has spread the knowledge of English from Cape St Vincent to the Ural Mountains is the Englishman who, unable or unwilling to learn a single a single word of any language but his own, travels purse in hand into every corner of the Continent."
October 30, 2024
I loved Three Men in a Boat, so I fully expected to enjoy this one as well. Unfortunately, I was bored to tears and it was a chore to finish. There were some great one liners, but I wasn't interested in most of the anecdotes. It's supposed to spoof a travel book, but a lot of the jokes just didn't land for me. Also, I was really missing Montmerency.
August 27, 2022
Depois da viagem de barco (no primeiro livro) os três amigos vão fazer uma viagem pela floresta negra, na Alemanha. Uma viagem que, para quem conhece os personagens, sabe que será cheia de peripécias, confusões, desenganos e algumas considerações mais sérias.
Não gostei tanto como o primeiro livro mas lê-se bem e os personagens são divertidos.
Não gostei tanto como o primeiro livro mas lê-se bem e os personagens são divertidos.
December 2, 2012
Hilarious. Rip-roaringly hilarious. Had been meaning to read this one after 'Three Men and a Boat', but only now have I managed to do it.
Granted, the original is drop-dead funny, but this one doesn't disappoint either. My landlord must have been pretty concerned with my quite frequent outbursts of laughter today! Jerome K. Jerome is a master at that old favorite - pompous British prose, through the lens of which even normal everyday events seem alarmingly funny.
George and Harris are their usual selves, and 1900s Germany comes to life, though in an understated way, and the book could be seen as a portrait of pre-war life in Europe.
Goes on my list of all-time favorites and will have to endure several re-reads..!
Granted, the original is drop-dead funny, but this one doesn't disappoint either. My landlord must have been pretty concerned with my quite frequent outbursts of laughter today! Jerome K. Jerome is a master at that old favorite - pompous British prose, through the lens of which even normal everyday events seem alarmingly funny.
George and Harris are their usual selves, and 1900s Germany comes to life, though in an understated way, and the book could be seen as a portrait of pre-war life in Europe.
Goes on my list of all-time favorites and will have to endure several re-reads..!
September 12, 2022
I only gave this four stars because it wasn’t as riotous as three men in a boat. It as still very funny, and very observant. Very much enjoyed it.
October 30, 2022
The Bummel?
Our companions from Three Men in a Boat set out on a new journey, to cycle through the Black Forest, one on a bicycle and the other two sharing a tandem. It’s about twelve years since we met them last, and they’re older and to some degree wiser. George is still a bachelor, but J. and Harris are both married men with children, so their first task is to persuade their wives that a little break will inevitably lead to greater connubial bliss on their return. To their surprise, the wives seem quite happy at the notion of surviving without their husbands for a few weeks, informing the men that they will take the children off for a little holiday of their own at the seaside.
While this is a perfectly pleasant travel memoir, it doesn’t compare in any way to its hilarious prequel. It often feels as if Jerome is trying to recapture the joyous tone of the earlier book, but failing, leaving it feeling contrived and a little false, especially in the dialogue between the men. However, there are enough mildly amusing adventures and mishaps to keep it entertaining.
It’s interesting to read Jerome’s impressions of Germany and the Germans in 1900, before the two wars that would change the kind of cousinly friendship between the two nations into bitter enmity for a large part of the twentieth century. I actually found it quite a strange experience reading from the other end of that century as Jerome described pretty towns and handsome cities that then had no war-time resonances for him but did for me – Dresden, Berlin, Potsdam, etc. It gives his account a kind of innocence and a pathos, reading it now, that obviously it wouldn’t have had for contemporary readers. He stereotypes the Germans (or does he? Was he perhaps the originator of the stereotypes? I don’t know…) as tidy, hard-working, stolid and rather unimaginative burghers. He does the usual Brit abroad thing of suggesting British superiority to all “foreigners”, but he knows he’s doing it and mocks himself for it too, which takes the sting out of it. He also mocks the Brit abroad, suggesting that the stereotypes Europeans use about us may not be undeserved! Occasionally, again looking back with hindsight, I found some of his observations on the German character and culture rather chillingly prescient, though I suspect he didn’t see it that way himself and was being reasonably light-hearted about it.
In fact, the bike ride through the Black Forest is only a minor part of the book. Mostly the men spend their time visiting towns and cities, travelling by train, and since their visits to each are short there’s not a great deal of depth to the descriptions of them. Jerome himself says he sees no point in replicating what can be found in guide books, but this left me wondering what he was trying to do instead. In Three Men in a Boat, the humour covers up for any lack of hard information, but with less humour in this one, it all feels a little superficial. Perhaps it’s because of the too-high expectations set up by the previous book, but overall I found this one somewhat disappointing. Still, it filled a few hours pleasantly enough.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Our companions from Three Men in a Boat set out on a new journey, to cycle through the Black Forest, one on a bicycle and the other two sharing a tandem. It’s about twelve years since we met them last, and they’re older and to some degree wiser. George is still a bachelor, but J. and Harris are both married men with children, so their first task is to persuade their wives that a little break will inevitably lead to greater connubial bliss on their return. To their surprise, the wives seem quite happy at the notion of surviving without their husbands for a few weeks, informing the men that they will take the children off for a little holiday of their own at the seaside.
While this is a perfectly pleasant travel memoir, it doesn’t compare in any way to its hilarious prequel. It often feels as if Jerome is trying to recapture the joyous tone of the earlier book, but failing, leaving it feeling contrived and a little false, especially in the dialogue between the men. However, there are enough mildly amusing adventures and mishaps to keep it entertaining.
It’s interesting to read Jerome’s impressions of Germany and the Germans in 1900, before the two wars that would change the kind of cousinly friendship between the two nations into bitter enmity for a large part of the twentieth century. I actually found it quite a strange experience reading from the other end of that century as Jerome described pretty towns and handsome cities that then had no war-time resonances for him but did for me – Dresden, Berlin, Potsdam, etc. It gives his account a kind of innocence and a pathos, reading it now, that obviously it wouldn’t have had for contemporary readers. He stereotypes the Germans (or does he? Was he perhaps the originator of the stereotypes? I don’t know…) as tidy, hard-working, stolid and rather unimaginative burghers. He does the usual Brit abroad thing of suggesting British superiority to all “foreigners”, but he knows he’s doing it and mocks himself for it too, which takes the sting out of it. He also mocks the Brit abroad, suggesting that the stereotypes Europeans use about us may not be undeserved! Occasionally, again looking back with hindsight, I found some of his observations on the German character and culture rather chillingly prescient, though I suspect he didn’t see it that way himself and was being reasonably light-hearted about it.
For the direction of German character into these channels, the schools, of course, are chiefly responsible. Their everlasting teaching is duty. It is a fine ideal for any people; but before buckling to it, one would wish to have a clear understanding as to what this "duty" is. The German idea of it would appear to be: "blind obedience to everything in buttons." It is the antithesis of the Anglo-Saxon scheme; but as both the Anglo-Saxon and the Teuton are prospering, there must be good in both methods. Hitherto, the German has had the blessed fortune to be exceptionally well governed; if this continue, it will go well with him. When his troubles will begin will be when by any chance something goes wrong with the governing machine. But maybe his method has the advantage of producing a continuous supply of good governors; it would certainly seem so.
In fact, the bike ride through the Black Forest is only a minor part of the book. Mostly the men spend their time visiting towns and cities, travelling by train, and since their visits to each are short there’s not a great deal of depth to the descriptions of them. Jerome himself says he sees no point in replicating what can be found in guide books, but this left me wondering what he was trying to do instead. In Three Men in a Boat, the humour covers up for any lack of hard information, but with less humour in this one, it all feels a little superficial. Perhaps it’s because of the too-high expectations set up by the previous book, but overall I found this one somewhat disappointing. Still, it filled a few hours pleasantly enough.
"A 'Bummel'," I explained, "I should describe as a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point from which one started. Sometimes it is through busy streets, and sometimes through the fields and lanes; sometimes we can be spared for a few hours, and sometimes for a few days. But long or short, but here or there, our thoughts are ever on the running of the sand. We nod and smile to many as we pass; with some we stop and talk awhile; and with a few we walk a little way. We have been much interested, and often a little tired. But on the whole we have had a pleasant time, and are sorry when 'tis over."
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October 30, 2021
This was a free read for Kindle from Amazon. Not today but maybe sometime again. Makes you wonder why the parents picked Jerome's name. Of course there's plenty of Bill Williams and John Johnsons around too.
Written in 1900, he makes some predictions about Germans while he's traveling among them. "Hitherto, the German has had the blessed fortune to be exceptionally well-governed; if this continue, it will go well with him. When his troubles will begin will be when by any chance something goes wrong with the governing machine."
What does Bummel mean? "to go or wander around at a leisurely pace : stroll, saunter." Here the men ride bikes (one a tandem) on a vacation sans wives...who are probably having their own vacation without the men.
This is a sequel to Three Men in a Boat and although a dog doesn't travel with them, there is an episode of an energetic terrier in a pub.
Me, I liked the story of the good and bad sheep!
"I put a golf-ball in my pocket, and selecting a driver, strolled out into the paddock. A couple of sheep were browsing there, and they followed and took a keen interest in my practice. The one was a kindly, sympathetic old party. I do not think she understood the game; I think it was my doing this innocent thing so early in the morning that appealed to her. At every stroke I made she bleated:
"Go-o-o-d, go-o-o-d ind-e-e-d!"
She seemed as pleased as if she had done it herself.
As for the other one, she was a cantankerous, disagreeable old thing, as discouraging to me as her friend was helpful.
"Ba-a-ad, da-a-a-m ba-a-a-d!" was her comment on almost every stroke. As a matter of fact, some were really excellent strokes; but she did it just to be contradictory, and for the sake of irritating. I could see that.
By a most regrettable accident, one of my swiftest balls struck the good sheep on the nose. And at that the bad sheep laughed - laughed distinctly and undoubtedly, a husky, vulgar laugh; and, while her friend stood glued to the ground, too astonished to move, she changed her note for the first time and bleated:
"Go-o-o-d, ve-e-ry go-o-o-d! Be-e-e-est sho-o-o-ot he-e-e's ma-aa-de!"
I would have given half-a-crown if it had been she I had hit instead of the other one. It is ever the good and amiable who suffer in this world.
Truth. And a fact--
Written in 1900, he makes some predictions about Germans while he's traveling among them. "Hitherto, the German has had the blessed fortune to be exceptionally well-governed; if this continue, it will go well with him. When his troubles will begin will be when by any chance something goes wrong with the governing machine."
What does Bummel mean? "to go or wander around at a leisurely pace : stroll, saunter." Here the men ride bikes (one a tandem) on a vacation sans wives...who are probably having their own vacation without the men.
This is a sequel to Three Men in a Boat and although a dog doesn't travel with them, there is an episode of an energetic terrier in a pub.
Me, I liked the story of the good and bad sheep!
"I put a golf-ball in my pocket, and selecting a driver, strolled out into the paddock. A couple of sheep were browsing there, and they followed and took a keen interest in my practice. The one was a kindly, sympathetic old party. I do not think she understood the game; I think it was my doing this innocent thing so early in the morning that appealed to her. At every stroke I made she bleated:
"Go-o-o-d, go-o-o-d ind-e-e-d!"
She seemed as pleased as if she had done it herself.
As for the other one, she was a cantankerous, disagreeable old thing, as discouraging to me as her friend was helpful.
"Ba-a-ad, da-a-a-m ba-a-a-d!" was her comment on almost every stroke. As a matter of fact, some were really excellent strokes; but she did it just to be contradictory, and for the sake of irritating. I could see that.
By a most regrettable accident, one of my swiftest balls struck the good sheep on the nose. And at that the bad sheep laughed - laughed distinctly and undoubtedly, a husky, vulgar laugh; and, while her friend stood glued to the ground, too astonished to move, she changed her note for the first time and bleated:
"Go-o-o-d, ve-e-ry go-o-o-d! Be-e-e-est sho-o-o-ot he-e-e's ma-aa-de!"
I would have given half-a-crown if it had been she I had hit instead of the other one. It is ever the good and amiable who suffer in this world.
Truth. And a fact--
May 28, 2010
"A 'Bummel'," I explained, "I should describe as a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point from which one started…... But long or short, but here or there, our thoughts are ever on the running of the sand…… We have been much interested, and often a little tired. But on the whole we have had a pleasant time, and are sorry when 'tis over."
This closing passage sums up my precise sentiments for this book. The book primarily deals with distinctive and entertaining experiences of three friends (Jerome, Harris and George), while on a cycling tour throughout Germany. Often when you read a sequel after the parent book, one cannot help but to evaluate the two. Overlooking my resistance to do so, I have to disclose that this book fails to capture the enchantment and exuberance of ‘Three Men in a Boat’. Nevertheless, it should not be dismissed easily!
While the opening sections are a bit loose and floppy; in time the narrative does gathers the lost spark with the onset of the bicycle tour. And, then it’s a vortex of humor and satire that swoops the reader into the perils of touring a foreign land. The comical vignettes slowly fabricate into a satirical euphoria that Jerome is known to produce. Several comical confrontations between George and Jerome bring back the lost smile and cheer. One such episode needs a mention:-
George:-"Why, in Germany, is it the custom to put the letter-box up a tree? Why do they not fix it to the front door as we do? I should hate having to climb up a tree to get my letters. Besides, it is not fair to the postman. In addition to being most exhausting, the delivery of letters must to a heavy man, on windy nights, be positively dangerous work."
(Jerome): "I followed his gaze out of window.' I said,
Jerome:-"Those are not letter-boxes, they are birds' nests. You must understand this nation. The German loves birds, but he likes tidy birds."
The subtle glee shown in the exploration of a new land by three outsiders and numerous other similar anecdotes keeps you glued and entertained till the end.
‘Three Men on a Bummel’ is firmly not an afterthought of ‘Three Men in a Boat’. It is an entirely new adventure pertaining to exploring a fresh and astonishing land. Hence it should be viewed in singular light to make the reading plausible.
This closing passage sums up my precise sentiments for this book. The book primarily deals with distinctive and entertaining experiences of three friends (Jerome, Harris and George), while on a cycling tour throughout Germany. Often when you read a sequel after the parent book, one cannot help but to evaluate the two. Overlooking my resistance to do so, I have to disclose that this book fails to capture the enchantment and exuberance of ‘Three Men in a Boat’. Nevertheless, it should not be dismissed easily!
While the opening sections are a bit loose and floppy; in time the narrative does gathers the lost spark with the onset of the bicycle tour. And, then it’s a vortex of humor and satire that swoops the reader into the perils of touring a foreign land. The comical vignettes slowly fabricate into a satirical euphoria that Jerome is known to produce. Several comical confrontations between George and Jerome bring back the lost smile and cheer. One such episode needs a mention:-
George:-"Why, in Germany, is it the custom to put the letter-box up a tree? Why do they not fix it to the front door as we do? I should hate having to climb up a tree to get my letters. Besides, it is not fair to the postman. In addition to being most exhausting, the delivery of letters must to a heavy man, on windy nights, be positively dangerous work."
(Jerome): "I followed his gaze out of window.' I said,
Jerome:-"Those are not letter-boxes, they are birds' nests. You must understand this nation. The German loves birds, but he likes tidy birds."
The subtle glee shown in the exploration of a new land by three outsiders and numerous other similar anecdotes keeps you glued and entertained till the end.
‘Three Men on a Bummel’ is firmly not an afterthought of ‘Three Men in a Boat’. It is an entirely new adventure pertaining to exploring a fresh and astonishing land. Hence it should be viewed in singular light to make the reading plausible.
April 6, 2019
Another good one from the author of Three Men in a Boat. I can't say that I found all of it equally funny, but chapters 11 and 12 are my favourites!!!! NO summary, but of course there is one here. Suffice to say that this is set about 10 years after the first one and two of the three friends are now married with children. They end up taking a bicycling trip in German (one of those chapters I particularly enjoyed involves a stay in a farm house in the Black Forest followed by a hike).
What, pray tell, is a bummel? From the book (public domain, so I can quote at will!)
“It has been a pleasant Bummel, on the whole,” said Harris; “I shall be glad to get back, and yet I am sorry it is over, if you understand me.”
“What is a ‘Bummel’?” said George. “How would you translate it?”
“A ‘Bummel’,” I explained, “I should describe as a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point from which one started. Sometimes it is through busy streets, and sometimes through the fields and lanes; sometimes we can be spared for a few hours, and sometimes for a few days. But long or short, but here or there, our thoughts are ever on the running of the sand. We nod and smile to many as we pass; with some we stop and talk awhile; and with a few we walk a little way. We have been much interested, and often a little tired. But on the whole we have had a pleasant time, and are sorry when ’tis over.”
What, pray tell, is a bummel? From the book (public domain, so I can quote at will!)
“It has been a pleasant Bummel, on the whole,” said Harris; “I shall be glad to get back, and yet I am sorry it is over, if you understand me.”
“What is a ‘Bummel’?” said George. “How would you translate it?”
“A ‘Bummel’,” I explained, “I should describe as a journey, long or short, without an end; the only thing regulating it being the necessity of getting back within a given time to the point from which one started. Sometimes it is through busy streets, and sometimes through the fields and lanes; sometimes we can be spared for a few hours, and sometimes for a few days. But long or short, but here or there, our thoughts are ever on the running of the sand. We nod and smile to many as we pass; with some we stop and talk awhile; and with a few we walk a little way. We have been much interested, and often a little tired. But on the whole we have had a pleasant time, and are sorry when ’tis over.”
August 25, 2008
Although less popular than Three Men on a Boat (which is known to at least 40 people), Bummel is much much better. More compact and less rambling, it actually seemed more like a travelogue instead of a stream of consciousness rendering of Jerome Jerome's mind. Portions were laugh-out-loud funny, and the slow bits were fewer and further between than Boat. Gun to my head, if I had to recommend one to read to say you've read it, go for Boat... but if I had to recommend one to read because it's more fun, read Bummel.
June 22, 2017
This book is nowhere near as entertaining as the first one.
I don't know what it is, but the hilarious misadventures of the first book just didn't translate well into the world of a bicycle trip to Germany.
Maybe part of why I didn't like it is because I'm German and more than half of the book are downright offensive when it comes to that.
Anyway, if you liked "Three Men in a Boat", don't read this. I can't look at the author the same way again and really need to take a break from his work.
Would not recommend this book to anyone. If I could give it less than 1 star, I would.
I don't know what it is, but the hilarious misadventures of the first book just didn't translate well into the world of a bicycle trip to Germany.
Maybe part of why I didn't like it is because I'm German and more than half of the book are downright offensive when it comes to that.
Anyway, if you liked "Three Men in a Boat", don't read this. I can't look at the author the same way again and really need to take a break from his work.
Would not recommend this book to anyone. If I could give it less than 1 star, I would.
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