"I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours." - Jerome K Jerome, Three Men in a Boat.
•
Over the past week I've been listening to Ian Carmichael's narration of Three Men in a Boat (to say nothing of the dog) and it's been the perfect bedtime read. For my husband, not so much....I kept waking him up with my attempted stifled laughter and snorts. This is a very funny, droll, book!
•
What made it extra special for me was that we used to live and play along this part of the Thames. We lived in Marlow, hubby worked at Bisham Abbey, our son went to the CofE school at Bisham Church, and we spent many weekends exploring the surrounding riverside towns and villages. Although the book was published in 1889, many of these smaller villages haven't changed all that much. Just more crowded!
•
If you're a dog person, you'll love the outrageous behaviour of Montmorency, "who lays waste several riverside communities in the course of their journey".
•
I highly recommend the audiobook for a long car journey!
•
#threemeninaboat #jeromekjerome #bookish #booklover #bookworm #bibliophile #instabook #igreads #bookaddict #instareads #booknerd #bookstagramfeature #booksarelife #bookstagram #read #reading #ilovereading #booksbooksbooks #marlow #bisham
Published in 1921, a subsequent Pulitzer prize winner and then made into a film starring Katherine Hepburn....how could I NOT include this lesser-known classic in my '100 years of books' adventure?
•
Alice Adams is a resilient, honest, spirited and compassionate young lady from a working class family who finds herself pursued by the charming, well-to-do Arthur Russell. The family concoct various schemes to improve their social standing, but when these backfire, leaving the family worse off and shamed, Alice realises she has to accept reality. She takes it upon herself to regain the family's dignity with grace and style. It has a great ending...better than the film.
•
Tarkington is an interesting writer. For a short book (260 pages), each character is well formed, interesting and not at all stereotyped. It's a light read, but a poignant one. F. Scott Fitzgerald was a huge fan of his work. Unfortunately, I found some of the dialogue clunky, and although it's a 'book of its time', the racial insensitivity is cringeworthy.
•
All things considered, it's a compelling story and Alice is a charming heroine. A solid 3.75⭐.
•
#aliceadams #boothtarkington #bookish #booklover #bookworm #bibliophile #instabook #igreads #bookaddict #instareads #booknerd #bookstagramfeature #booksarelife #bookstagram #read #reading #ilovereading #booksbooksbooks
