Three men in a boat is, at first glance, the comic story of a misadventure in boating on the Thames in the late 19th century. It’s a classic and hilarious story, and a lot of fun to read. On top of its whimsical tone, it’s full of breezy discursions into anecdotes and observations on human nature that are - at best - tangentially related to the titular boat trip. More than that, it’s a pleasant way to explore the world of English boating of a hundred-some years ago, which sounds like it must have been quite the scene at the time.

Beneath the surface, this novel is just a little bit more profound than all that. I wouldn’t go so far as to compare this work to Huckleberry Finn. But this work does, in its own dry way, use the river adventure to meditate on the purpose of life and the way to live it well. Moreover it uses the journey down the Thames as a way to explore English history, going as far back as the Magna Carta, meditating on the Hundred Years War for a bit, and even prodding the 21st century for a sentence or two. Considering how symbolically important the Thames is to English identity - Parliament sits flush on its bank - it’s a clever way to extend the metaphor.

In fact, the story almost goes too far in attempting to extract wit and wisdom from this journey. George and Harris, the two characters (besides the narrator) are not much more than caricatures (although, apparently, they were inspired by real people.) And the anecdotes in certain parts become so drawn out as to overwhelm the narrative itself.

This story is a fun way to travel back in time and up a river - it’s definitely worth the read.