The much-imitated but never bettered Very British Problems is back, with a brand-new and very funny collection of the awkward moments, cultural peculiarities and odd fixations that define our nation. From the horrors of the daily commute, to the hidden messages in your email exchanges, and from bizarre British pub names to the history of tea (and the definitive answer to the age-old milk in first/second question), Very British Problems: Volume 3, will be the essential humour book this Christmas.
Had a good half hour reading these,most very quick to read and with illustrations,some not particularly British but didn’t matter, funny and quick humour
Great way to spend a dull Sunday afternoon. I love these books. They’re so true and I can definitely say that I (proudly) suffer from Very British Problems!
I picked this up at a bookswap yesterday. It has lots of funny little anecdotes about British life, but I can't help feeling that most of the best jokes and observation must have been used up in the first two books and this was was struggling to find content to warrant another book. I follow and enjoy the twitter account by the author, but not sure these jokes are enough to carry the book. I would recommend this book for a casual reader wanting to kill time in a coffee shop or other public location, or where they could share an observation with friends.
Definitely funny in places, and a good easy read - if only they'd quit it with those BLOODY ASININE ILLUSTRATIONS (those ones that are copied and pasted throughout the whole book) and the silly assumption that all Brits love tea.
I'm assuming Volumes 1 & 2 were better because Volume 3 was working pretty hard to find clever things to say. A few amusing quips in there, but far between.
The British sense of humour is one of my favourite things about being British. Its uniqueness, awkwardness and dryness is captured perfectly in this book which is packed full of examples.
The book frequently made me laugh out loud with recognition at its clever observations. Some missed the mark but overall I really enjoyed this as a light and funny read. A perfect pick-me-up.
Even though this is volume 3, it is the first book from this collection I have read, and it seems that volumes 1 and 2 are deemed even better, so I will look forward to reading those too.
If you're British I think you'll enjoy (and find truthful) the majority of the comments in this book. If you're not British...please be aware we have an interesting sense of humour (and we do really like tea). I would definitely recommend this book but not at full price. If you see it reduced in a shop or for free in your local library then 100% pick this up as I don't think you will be disappointed
Just a bit of, "that's already been done" that wasn't necessary. That being said, there were still several laugh out loud moments (or at least, chuckle quietly while reading my Kindle in the car). Inexpensive, pick it up if you have some credits. It's a quick and easy read, and good for a laugh and insights into British culture (or perhaps your own familial ancestry, nature vs. nurture and all that).
Some of it was funny, some of it not so much... Maybe the first book is better? I will give it a try. But, I still prefer the British humour to the American. When I read this book closely after the comic Adulthood is a Myth by American Sarah Andersen, it was made even clearer to me. British humour really is my cup of tea (pun intended :)).
Mum and I read this over coffee while waiting for my sister and it was a great time passer. We found ourselves chuckling at how accurate a lot of these were (some of them ridiculously specific and true!)
Third volume in this very funny series. I’m never sure how many of the problems that don’t mention tea are more universal problems than British problems but a really fun light read that will make many people go - oh I do that!
(I’m reviewing as a whole the 4 titles: Very British Problems: Making Life Awkward for Ourselves, One Rainy Day at a Time; Very British Problems Abroad; Very British Problems Volume III: Still Awkward, Still Raining; Very British Problems: The Most Awkward One Yet)
Hilarious episodes and short stories with an imaginative and curious common theme: how British people behave in multiple situations with their idiosyncrasies, awkwardness and self-consciousness, among a multitude of social conventions and cultural norms. The result is brilliant, mainly because - British or not - we can identify many of these traits in our own lives. The ones we are unfamiliar with and cannot grasp are equally funny, and we perceive them as part of an identity the author proudly owns. So entertaining.