Three Men on the Bummel

De: Jerome K. Jerome

Narrado por: Frederick Davidson

"A 'Bummel,'" I explained, "I should describe as a journey, long or short, without end." However wonderful this may sound, it is often necessary to arrive back at the starting point. And, for the three fearless friends whose earlier adventures were told in Three Men in a Boat, this poses a troublesome problem.

George, Harris, and J. decide to take a cycling trip through the Black Forest - to be accomplished on a tandem plus one. Whether it is Harris's harrowing experience with a Hanoverian road-waterer or George's valiant attempt to buy a cushion for his aunt, their experiences are hilarious - - and they may even offer some important lessons to all who may be contemplating a cycling trip in the U.S.

Public Domain (P)1991 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Oldie but a goodie

I love listening to books from the turn of the century, 1900’s, a much simpler time, or maybe we have just become “simple minded”. Great humor with out all the garbage.

Very funny, entertaining book - flawlessly written

What an exceptional book this is. I enoyed it even more than Jerome's "Three Men in a Boat." Like P.G. Wodehouse, Jerome doesn't waste a word or ever seem to use one that isn't perfect. Frederick Davidson is my favorite narrator and is a great choice for this book. There are many funny stories and descriptions in "Three Men on the Bummel," but the author offers many keen observations, too, about the character of the German people. Don't get the idea that this is some sort of sociological treatise, though. It's a great treat to hear.

Startlingly modern...

Hard to believe it predates Wodehouse by some 40 years. Laugh out loud funny, superbly read. There will always be an England. Rivals Twain’s best travel writing.

A touch of innocence

A kinder time, one we wish have at times, before Europe was torn apart, people knew how they stood. How Britain ruled the Empire is put into doubt by these three men on their own in Germany.
9

Dreadful narration of wonderful 1900 Jerome story.

What did you like about this audiobook?

Jerome creates comedy not only from his choice of words but from the raised-eyebrow pauses between them. Several characters are timeless because their traveling equivalents exist today: the arrogant traveller who expects every system to run exactly as it does at home; the quarrelsome member of a tour who criticizes the route but offers no help with directions.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

There are traditions and occupations described which I am sure have vanished and others which, I am surprised to find, have persisted. I was delighted to find that the German tradition of putting a restaurant at the top of every picturesque peak amused Jerome in 1900 as much as it did me seventy years later. But I was disturbed to find out that academic dueling has not disappeared from Eastern Europe.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Tucked into an overall lighthearted story are Jerome's impressions of pre-war Imperial Germany. These are time-capsules and some are now impossible to read without sharp pangs of sadness: Jerome could not have known the devastation that two World Wars would bring. Particularly painful to read, with modern retrospection, is his observation that a venerable 800-year-old Jewish ghetto in Prague is gradually being repaired with new streets, promising in future years to be "the handsomest part of the town."

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Frederick Davison's narration is too sneering to suit the story. His shifts in voice are disturbing when he imitates a female, and his inflections turn Harris into a simpleton and George into a street thug. His attempts at German pronunciation sound like a cat coughing up a fur-ball. He does not even put syllable stresses in the right places. Is German so unknown in the UK that he had never heard any before narrating this book? Couldn't a pronunciation coach have been found?

Do you have any additional comments?

There are politically incorrect satires of races and nationalities that probably seemed humorous when first printed in 1900, but now elicit a wince. The narration makes them worse. Better to read this book in print than to hear it read by this narrator.