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Available
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Publication
Hurst & Blackett (1909), Hardcover
Description
Fiction. Short Stories. HTML: In this classic tale from Jerome K. Jerome, the lives of a ragtag group of residents living in squalor in a ramshackle boardinghouse are transformed forever with the arrival of a mysterious stranger. By providing an outsider's perspective, he helps them realize the errors of their ways..
User reviews
LibraryThing member leavesandpages
A solid little group of era-correct short stories, reasonably well written – if a bit wordy - and quite moralistic. No doubt as to what we’re supposed to be thinking at the end of each!
The title story, Passing of the Third Floor Back, was made into a quite successful movie in 1935, starring
Six stories make up this collection.
Passing of the Third Floor Back ~ A mysterious stranger moves into a squalid boarding house and changes the lives of everyone who comes into contact with him.
The Philosopher’s Joke ~ What if you could go back to your younger days, but still remember everything you’d learned through your maturity? I liked the premise, but found the handling rather awkward. An intriguing idea – very thought-provoking.
The Soul of Nicolas Snyders, or The Miser of Zandam ~ An exchange of souls has predictable results, and a few surprises. Moralistic but smile-provoking.
Mrs. Korner Sins Her Mercies ~ The most purely humorous story of the collection. A clever friend puts an interesting spin on a marital crisis.
The Cost of Kindness ~ A good deed sets off a chain reaction, with very different results than first anticipated. Another humorous piece.
The Love of Ulrich Nebendahl ~ Self-sacrifice taken to the extreme. This was the most serious story of the lot; a rather shocking conclusion, which the author attempts to soften with a Biblical tag.
The title story, Passing of the Third Floor Back, was made into a quite successful movie in 1935, starring
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Conrad Veidt. Six stories make up this collection.
Passing of the Third Floor Back ~ A mysterious stranger moves into a squalid boarding house and changes the lives of everyone who comes into contact with him.
The Philosopher’s Joke ~ What if you could go back to your younger days, but still remember everything you’d learned through your maturity? I liked the premise, but found the handling rather awkward. An intriguing idea – very thought-provoking.
The Soul of Nicolas Snyders, or The Miser of Zandam ~ An exchange of souls has predictable results, and a few surprises. Moralistic but smile-provoking.
Mrs. Korner Sins Her Mercies ~ The most purely humorous story of the collection. A clever friend puts an interesting spin on a marital crisis.
The Cost of Kindness ~ A good deed sets off a chain reaction, with very different results than first anticipated. Another humorous piece.
The Love of Ulrich Nebendahl ~ Self-sacrifice taken to the extreme. This was the most serious story of the lot; a rather shocking conclusion, which the author attempts to soften with a Biblical tag.
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Language
Original publication date
1907