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The Narrowboat Summer
From the author of Meet Me at the Museum, a charming novel of second chances, about three women, one dog, and the narrowboat that brings them together.
Eve expected Sally to come festooned with suitcases and overnight bags packed with everything she owned, but she was wrong. She arrived on foot, with a rucksack and a carrier bag. “I just walked away,” she said, climbing on to the boat. Eve knew what she meant.
Meet Eve, who has left her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia, a defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, who is suddenly landlocked and vulnerable.
Before they quite know what they’ve done, Sally and Eve agree to drive Anastasia’s narrowboat on a journey through the canals of England, as she awaits a life-saving operation. As they glide gently – and not so gently – through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of narrowboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds. At summer’s end, all three women must decide whether to return to the lives they left behind, or forge a new path forward.
Candid, hilarious, and uplifting, The Narrowboat Summer is a novel of second chances, celebrating the power of friendship and new experience to change one’s life, at any age.
Eve expected Sally to come festooned with suitcases and overnight bags packed with everything she owned, but she was wrong. She arrived on foot, with a rucksack and a carrier bag. “I just walked away,” she said, climbing on to the boat. Eve knew what she meant.
Meet Eve, who has left her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia, a defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, who is suddenly landlocked and vulnerable.
Before they quite know what they’ve done, Sally and Eve agree to drive Anastasia’s narrowboat on a journey through the canals of England, as she awaits a life-saving operation. As they glide gently – and not so gently – through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of narrowboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds. At summer’s end, all three women must decide whether to return to the lives they left behind, or forge a new path forward.
Candid, hilarious, and uplifting, The Narrowboat Summer is a novel of second chances, celebrating the power of friendship and new experience to change one’s life, at any age.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 2020
399 people are currently reading
6167 people want to read
About the author
Anne Youngson
7 books359 followersAnne Youngson worked for many years in senior management in the car industry before embarking on a creative career as a writer. She has supported many charities in governance roles, including Chair of the Writers in Prison Network, which provided residencies in prisons for writers. She lives in Oxfordshire and is married with two children and three grandchildren to date. Meet Me at the Museum is her debut novel, which is due to be published around the world.
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December 15, 2020
An almost hard to believe premise, at first, when three women, complete strangers, all at a crossroad in their lives, meet and make decisions that will change their lives. Two of them journey together on a narrowboat, owned by the third. They learn to maneuver the boat through the canals of England to help the third woman who may be terminally ill. I’ve seen this book described as uplifting and that is precisely why I read it. It’s a lovely story about the goodness of people, who come to care about each other, even as they carry their own emotional burdens. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s uplifting for sure and was just what I needed now, but it’s not necessarily a light read.
Eve, an engineer, loses her job of thirty years, when she won’t go along with the men in her company who want to cover up information, as a new company takes them over. Her job has been her life and now she’s not really sure in what direction she should go. Sally, married for years, realizes that she’s just not happy in her marriage, and she decides to leave. Anastasia, the seemingly gruff owner of the boat, pulls no punches, tells it like it is, needs surgery that may save her life and she takes a chance on these two women to get her boat to the man who will repair it.
I looked up images of narrowboats to get a feel for what they looked like and the author aptly describes them. This way of life, living on the narrowboat, traveling along the canals brought to Eve and Sally a way to find themselves, as they discover beauty and serenity along the way, but it is really the strength of the developing bonds of friendship that move them forward in their quest for self discovery. It was a slow go at first and it was in the second half that I became connected to the characters and the story. It’s not a story with an action filled plot. It’s strength lies in the characters, in their relationships with one another, in their relationships of their pasts. I loved all of these characters and there are also a few interesting ones they meet along the way who touched me. A disparate group of people, without much in common except they are good people. This is the feel good story I was looking for.
I received an advanced copy of this book from Flatiron through Edelweiss.
February 5, 2021
This is a nice gentle change-of-pace read in which I found comfort. It is the story of three British women who serendipitously come together when all three are in need. The story revolves around Eve, Sally, and Anastasia. Eve is in the corporate world until she is unfairly given the axe. Sally is in an unfulfilling marriage, and she is looking for answers. Anastasia has life-threatening cancer and must get her narrowboat, which she lives on, repaired somehow. Unfortunately, not only does she no longer have the energy to navigate it to the place of repair, but she must stay where she is in order to continue her cancer treatment.
Eve and Sally need a break from their respective lives. They make a rather sudden decision to help out Anastasia, though neither have driven a boat before. Hence they begin the voyage of their lives on Anastasia’s narrowboat, guiding it through a canal system in Great Britain from Uxbridge to Chester. Along the way they navigate through tunnels, the locks, and the canal population—a few of whom they befriend.
This is book about friendship, helping each other out, taking stock of life, and making the best decisions one can. It is slow to begin as we get to know the main characters. The book is heavily character-driven, so if you are looking for a quick-moving plot with a lot of action and suspense, this isn’t it. We journey along with cast as they contemplate their present and their futures. It’s not easy to make major changes in the course of one’s life when it is already more than halfway over.
I looked up “narrowboat” in Wikipedia and learned a lot about these little-known boats, both at that site and from the story itself. Ms. Youngson has a wonderful sense of portraying place and mood, which elevated the ambiance of the narrative.
Other than the slightly slow start, the only other piece of criticism I have is that there was no epilogue. I found the ending uplifting, but somewhat abrupt. I was hoping for a little more regarding the futures of these wonderful characters.
The Narrowboat Summer is one to savor, not to grab as a quick read. If you like contemplative stories that are strongly character-driven, then this one is for you.
Many thanks to Kelsy at Flatiron Marketing who arranged an ARC for me through Net Galley. Thank you also, Ms. Youngson. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Eve and Sally need a break from their respective lives. They make a rather sudden decision to help out Anastasia, though neither have driven a boat before. Hence they begin the voyage of their lives on Anastasia’s narrowboat, guiding it through a canal system in Great Britain from Uxbridge to Chester. Along the way they navigate through tunnels, the locks, and the canal population—a few of whom they befriend.
This is book about friendship, helping each other out, taking stock of life, and making the best decisions one can. It is slow to begin as we get to know the main characters. The book is heavily character-driven, so if you are looking for a quick-moving plot with a lot of action and suspense, this isn’t it. We journey along with cast as they contemplate their present and their futures. It’s not easy to make major changes in the course of one’s life when it is already more than halfway over.
I looked up “narrowboat” in Wikipedia and learned a lot about these little-known boats, both at that site and from the story itself. Ms. Youngson has a wonderful sense of portraying place and mood, which elevated the ambiance of the narrative.
Other than the slightly slow start, the only other piece of criticism I have is that there was no epilogue. I found the ending uplifting, but somewhat abrupt. I was hoping for a little more regarding the futures of these wonderful characters.
The Narrowboat Summer is one to savor, not to grab as a quick read. If you like contemplative stories that are strongly character-driven, then this one is for you.
Many thanks to Kelsy at Flatiron Marketing who arranged an ARC for me through Net Galley. Thank you also, Ms. Youngson. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
November 17, 2020
EXCERPT: As they approach the moored boat, the sun inserts a finger of light between the clouds and it is all at once a lovely day, at that moment, on that towpath. At almost the same instant, when the two women are close enough to each other for a nod and a smile of greeting, if either or both of them thought that was appropriate - they are complete strangers, so it seems unlikely - at that precise moment, the narrowboat begins to howl. It howls as if it were a mezzo-soprano in mid-aria spotting her husband committing adultery in the stalls while being impaled from behind by a careless spear carrier. Both women stop walking.
ABOUT 'THREE WOMEN AND A BOAT': Meet Eve, who has departed from her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia: defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, suddenly vulnerable as she awaits a life-saving operation.
Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Sally and Eve embark upon a journey through the canals of England, guided by the remote and unsympathetic Anastasia. As they glide gently – and not so gently – through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of canalboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds.
MY THOUGHTS: I enjoyed this meander along the canals in a narrowboat as these three women, all strangers to one another, come to terms with the changes in their lives. Although it could almost be Four Women and Two Boats as Trompette's life is also turned upside down and she eventually joins Anastasia, Eve and Sally.
What starts out as a chance meeting between two strangers attempting to rescue a hysterical dog, soon encompasses a third stranger, owner of said hysterical dog, and the chance to help one another out.
Sally has reached a watershed in her personal life. She is no longer able to go through the motions of being wife, mother, classroom assistant, and resident of 42 Beech Grove which, incidentally, has no Beech trees, let alone a grove of them or anything else. She has gone through life trying to work out what the person she is talking to wants her to say, and then saying it, forever being nice.
Eve has lost her job. She had thought that she was safe as one of an insignificant minority of women in her field of engineering. She has worked her way up from design engineer to team leader to project manager to director, and had begun to think that she belonged. Until she found that she didn't. Her career has kept her on the move, from one plant to another, one office to another, one project to another. She has managed her relationships in the same way, with her eye always on where she is going, never expecting or wanting permanence. She has always been in control, knowing her boundaries and parameters. Suddenly she is without this definition and finds it unsettling.
Anastasia is dying, or may be. She's not 100% sure. There's a chance that whatever is wrong with her can be made to go away, which will give her the opportunity to die of something else at a later date. But it's a complicated process, and she's not sure she has the stamina for it, and wonders if it might not, in the long run, be easier to die from what she has now. She needs more information, and while she gathers it she needs someone to take her boat on to where it's booked in at the dry dock for its annual inspection and cleaning.
And so the journey begins, populated by other people who drop in and out of the tale, Trompette and Billy, Arthur, Jacob and Vic, and Owen who all have equally fascinating stories of their own.
This is a charming story of unexpected friendship, kindness, and how helping others can help you to find your own way. I loved the characters, all of them. Each one fits into the story as snugly as a jigsaw piece into a puzzle, and each enhances the other. I loved Anastasia's feistyness, Sally's kindness, Eve's determination. Three Women and a Boat made me think about the disparity between how we see ourselves, how others see us, and how we think others see us. It made me think about a lot of things, like how easy it is to bury our essential selves under our day to day commitments, and how important it is that we don't lose our essence.
Three Women and a Boat is a lovely read. Don't rush through it. It's a book to linger over, to contemplate. It's a book that will engender many emotions as you read, and one that is pleasing, satisfying and comforting. And along the way you will learn a little of the history of narrowboats and the British canal system.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
#ThreeWomenandaBoat #NetGalley
'Being grown up doesn't mean that we are all doomed to be ordinary. It means accepting that we are all extraordinary in ordinary ways.'
THE AUTHOR: Anne Youngson worked for many years in senior management in the car industry before embarking on a creative career as a writer. She has supported many charities in governance roles, including Chair of the Writers in Prison Network, which provided residencies in prisons for writers. She lives in Oxfordshire and is married with two children and three grandchildren to date.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Three Women and a Boat by Anne Youngson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
ABOUT 'THREE WOMEN AND A BOAT': Meet Eve, who has departed from her thirty-year career to become a Free Spirit; Sally, who has waved goodbye to her indifferent husband and two grown-up children; and Anastasia: defiantly independent narrowboat-dweller, suddenly vulnerable as she awaits a life-saving operation.
Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Sally and Eve embark upon a journey through the canals of England, guided by the remote and unsympathetic Anastasia. As they glide gently – and not so gently – through the countryside, the eccentricities and challenges of canalboat life draw them inexorably together, and a tender and unforgettable story unfolds.
MY THOUGHTS: I enjoyed this meander along the canals in a narrowboat as these three women, all strangers to one another, come to terms with the changes in their lives. Although it could almost be Four Women and Two Boats as Trompette's life is also turned upside down and she eventually joins Anastasia, Eve and Sally.
What starts out as a chance meeting between two strangers attempting to rescue a hysterical dog, soon encompasses a third stranger, owner of said hysterical dog, and the chance to help one another out.
Sally has reached a watershed in her personal life. She is no longer able to go through the motions of being wife, mother, classroom assistant, and resident of 42 Beech Grove which, incidentally, has no Beech trees, let alone a grove of them or anything else. She has gone through life trying to work out what the person she is talking to wants her to say, and then saying it, forever being nice.
Eve has lost her job. She had thought that she was safe as one of an insignificant minority of women in her field of engineering. She has worked her way up from design engineer to team leader to project manager to director, and had begun to think that she belonged. Until she found that she didn't. Her career has kept her on the move, from one plant to another, one office to another, one project to another. She has managed her relationships in the same way, with her eye always on where she is going, never expecting or wanting permanence. She has always been in control, knowing her boundaries and parameters. Suddenly she is without this definition and finds it unsettling.
Anastasia is dying, or may be. She's not 100% sure. There's a chance that whatever is wrong with her can be made to go away, which will give her the opportunity to die of something else at a later date. But it's a complicated process, and she's not sure she has the stamina for it, and wonders if it might not, in the long run, be easier to die from what she has now. She needs more information, and while she gathers it she needs someone to take her boat on to where it's booked in at the dry dock for its annual inspection and cleaning.
And so the journey begins, populated by other people who drop in and out of the tale, Trompette and Billy, Arthur, Jacob and Vic, and Owen who all have equally fascinating stories of their own.
This is a charming story of unexpected friendship, kindness, and how helping others can help you to find your own way. I loved the characters, all of them. Each one fits into the story as snugly as a jigsaw piece into a puzzle, and each enhances the other. I loved Anastasia's feistyness, Sally's kindness, Eve's determination. Three Women and a Boat made me think about the disparity between how we see ourselves, how others see us, and how we think others see us. It made me think about a lot of things, like how easy it is to bury our essential selves under our day to day commitments, and how important it is that we don't lose our essence.
Three Women and a Boat is a lovely read. Don't rush through it. It's a book to linger over, to contemplate. It's a book that will engender many emotions as you read, and one that is pleasing, satisfying and comforting. And along the way you will learn a little of the history of narrowboats and the British canal system.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.2
#ThreeWomenandaBoat #NetGalley
'Being grown up doesn't mean that we are all doomed to be ordinary. It means accepting that we are all extraordinary in ordinary ways.'
THE AUTHOR: Anne Youngson worked for many years in senior management in the car industry before embarking on a creative career as a writer. She has supported many charities in governance roles, including Chair of the Writers in Prison Network, which provided residencies in prisons for writers. She lives in Oxfordshire and is married with two children and three grandchildren to date.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Three Women and a Boat by Anne Youngson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
June 18, 2021
A languid read down a lazy river.
More like a series of canals, this book takes an unlikely premise and leads us on a journey of discovery and awakening for two women who find themselves adrift in midlife. Without any knowledge of narrowboats or how to navigate canals, they agree to take one such vessel on so that its owner may attend to medical issues. Along the way they meet a series of colorful characters.
What I found most fascinating about this story was this world I’d never known--narrowboats and a way of life I had not come across in life or fiction. Unfortunately, the repetitiveness, the never ending opening/closing of gates and navigation that didn’t much change from day-to-day also slowed its momentum.
I enjoy self-discovery stories, especially those of women, but I was hoping for more depth in the main characters’ transformations. I never quite felt involved in their lives, their blandness a counterpoint to the vivid characters they encountered. Those back stories ended up being far more interesting to me.
Overall I liked it, it was charming, well-written and I loved learning something new, but it was slow going and didn’t always hold my attention.
My appreciation to Shelf Awareness and Flatiron Books for the gift of a hardcover edition, the cover artwork alone is beautiful.
More like a series of canals, this book takes an unlikely premise and leads us on a journey of discovery and awakening for two women who find themselves adrift in midlife. Without any knowledge of narrowboats or how to navigate canals, they agree to take one such vessel on so that its owner may attend to medical issues. Along the way they meet a series of colorful characters.
What I found most fascinating about this story was this world I’d never known--narrowboats and a way of life I had not come across in life or fiction. Unfortunately, the repetitiveness, the never ending opening/closing of gates and navigation that didn’t much change from day-to-day also slowed its momentum.
I enjoy self-discovery stories, especially those of women, but I was hoping for more depth in the main characters’ transformations. I never quite felt involved in their lives, their blandness a counterpoint to the vivid characters they encountered. Those back stories ended up being far more interesting to me.
Overall I liked it, it was charming, well-written and I loved learning something new, but it was slow going and didn’t always hold my attention.
My appreciation to Shelf Awareness and Flatiron Books for the gift of a hardcover edition, the cover artwork alone is beautiful.
September 18, 2022
I picked up a book from the library that I had been waiting for, a highly anticipated novel by an author whose previous 2 books I loved, came home, started reading, and after 60 pages was too bored to go on. So I put it aside and scrolled through some downloads I had on my Kindle. This one spoke to me and I began to read. Oh yes, this was more like it!
I had given her previous book, "Meet Me At the Museum" 5 stars because it was so much more that I expected it to be, and because I will certainly read it again at some point. The same was true of this one. It begins with an improbable but perfectly plausible situation in which two women walking along a tow path hear a dog screaming on a narrowboat docked on the canal. The women are strangers; one has just left her husband, the other has just lost her job of 30 years. The owner of the boat and the dog, Anastasia, is an elderly woman who has just been told she has cancer and needs tests, treatment and surgery. And incidentally, a place to stay while all this is happening, as she lives on her boat and travels up and down the canal system and needs someone to take it 300 miles to a man who will make some needed repairs for free.
Long story short, Eve and Sally agree to do this for her, as neither has any idea of what to do next, and Eve lets her stay in her apartment for the duration. So we set out on a leisurely boat trip up the canal, through the locks, learning to navigate along the way. I meandered right alongside them, meeting friends of Anastasia's along the way, as well as making a few friends on their own, Eve and Sally getting to know each other as well. Having a few low-key adventures, cooking, reading, thinking, a perfect "gap time" til they decided what to do next. Each of them also found out a lot about themselves at the same time, some of it welcome, some of it surprising.
I got the same feeling of comfort and joy that her previous book gave me. A total delight from start to finish, and while this may not be a 5 star read for everyone, it fit my parameters for a perfect book for me. This author is a go-to for me now, but I have to wait for her next one before I can get back into her world.
I had given her previous book, "Meet Me At the Museum" 5 stars because it was so much more that I expected it to be, and because I will certainly read it again at some point. The same was true of this one. It begins with an improbable but perfectly plausible situation in which two women walking along a tow path hear a dog screaming on a narrowboat docked on the canal. The women are strangers; one has just left her husband, the other has just lost her job of 30 years. The owner of the boat and the dog, Anastasia, is an elderly woman who has just been told she has cancer and needs tests, treatment and surgery. And incidentally, a place to stay while all this is happening, as she lives on her boat and travels up and down the canal system and needs someone to take it 300 miles to a man who will make some needed repairs for free.
Long story short, Eve and Sally agree to do this for her, as neither has any idea of what to do next, and Eve lets her stay in her apartment for the duration. So we set out on a leisurely boat trip up the canal, through the locks, learning to navigate along the way. I meandered right alongside them, meeting friends of Anastasia's along the way, as well as making a few friends on their own, Eve and Sally getting to know each other as well. Having a few low-key adventures, cooking, reading, thinking, a perfect "gap time" til they decided what to do next. Each of them also found out a lot about themselves at the same time, some of it welcome, some of it surprising.
I got the same feeling of comfort and joy that her previous book gave me. A total delight from start to finish, and while this may not be a 5 star read for everyone, it fit my parameters for a perfect book for me. This author is a go-to for me now, but I have to wait for her next one before I can get back into her world.
October 8, 2022
Audiobook…read by Helen Loyd
….10 hours and 19 minutes
“Between a mysterious pass and a mysterious future nothing is prohibited”.
“This was not about the destination…it was the traveling along the canal that would allow change to occur naturally”.
Eve, Sally, and Anastasia had each reached a moment of truth—their lives were in upheavals.
With obstacles to contemplate… they meet each during pivotal challenging times.
Eve had just lost her job.
Sally had just left her husband.
Anastasia was given a life-altering diagnosis.
A very independent dog (Noah) brought the ladies together.
“The Narrowboat Summer” is a story about a journey through the twisting, turning canals of England (doesn’t matter that the ladies have no prior boat experience)….
as well as a journey through the twisting and turning phases of life > relationships, hopes, dreams, grief, forgiveness, sudden new barriers to figure out, loss, and love….
a journey into expanded self-discovery.
A slow sweet glide out in the open fresh air, out on the water…
… with funny - warm - and charming- dialogue from each of the ‘Old Bitties’…. and a dog with a mind of his own.
Each of the ladies were as different from one another as any three people can be.
The character development moved slowly but at a natural relaxed pace.
While slowly learning about each of their backstories — their pains, and deeper issues…
there are many cups of tea, intimate conversations, cooking and eating together.
It was also sweet learning more about traveling the canals in England.
If nothing else …. it was fun to imagine having an adventure traveling along the British canal system. I mean it really sounds wonderful. I’d go in a second.
Sweetness—humor- and the outside narrowboat cruising with friendships building …is a
lovable - old fashion - good-natured novel.
Although not earth-shattering exciting — the gentleness …. (with three ladies and a dog) … celebrates its own personal specialness.
….10 hours and 19 minutes
“Between a mysterious pass and a mysterious future nothing is prohibited”.
“This was not about the destination…it was the traveling along the canal that would allow change to occur naturally”.
Eve, Sally, and Anastasia had each reached a moment of truth—their lives were in upheavals.
With obstacles to contemplate… they meet each during pivotal challenging times.
Eve had just lost her job.
Sally had just left her husband.
Anastasia was given a life-altering diagnosis.
A very independent dog (Noah) brought the ladies together.
“The Narrowboat Summer” is a story about a journey through the twisting, turning canals of England (doesn’t matter that the ladies have no prior boat experience)….
as well as a journey through the twisting and turning phases of life > relationships, hopes, dreams, grief, forgiveness, sudden new barriers to figure out, loss, and love….
a journey into expanded self-discovery.
A slow sweet glide out in the open fresh air, out on the water…
… with funny - warm - and charming- dialogue from each of the ‘Old Bitties’…. and a dog with a mind of his own.
Each of the ladies were as different from one another as any three people can be.
The character development moved slowly but at a natural relaxed pace.
While slowly learning about each of their backstories — their pains, and deeper issues…
there are many cups of tea, intimate conversations, cooking and eating together.
It was also sweet learning more about traveling the canals in England.
If nothing else …. it was fun to imagine having an adventure traveling along the British canal system. I mean it really sounds wonderful. I’d go in a second.
Sweetness—humor- and the outside narrowboat cruising with friendships building …is a
lovable - old fashion - good-natured novel.
Although not earth-shattering exciting — the gentleness …. (with three ladies and a dog) … celebrates its own personal specialness.
January 18, 2021
I loved this book at the beginning, got slightly bored in the middle and downright skimmed at the end.
Eve and Sally literally meet on a towpath having their respective lives crash and burn. They end up meeting Anastasia who owns the boat where they break out a dog that they think is in trouble and go on this adventure with a narrowboat.
I loved the quips and the relationships and the self reflection. Eve is into numbers and facts and loves the dog Noah, and Sally is more into feelings and comfort. They choose to take Anastasia's narrowboat down to Chester to get the bottom blackened and back again while meeting different characters along the river.
This started out so strong! It fell quite flat and the chapters were long and there was just too many words. Too many unnecessary pivots and plot devices that took away from the lovely main characters and their relationship to the canals and themselves.
Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Eve and Sally literally meet on a towpath having their respective lives crash and burn. They end up meeting Anastasia who owns the boat where they break out a dog that they think is in trouble and go on this adventure with a narrowboat.
I loved the quips and the relationships and the self reflection. Eve is into numbers and facts and loves the dog Noah, and Sally is more into feelings and comfort. They choose to take Anastasia's narrowboat down to Chester to get the bottom blackened and back again while meeting different characters along the river.
This started out so strong! It fell quite flat and the chapters were long and there was just too many words. Too many unnecessary pivots and plot devices that took away from the lovely main characters and their relationship to the canals and themselves.
Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 6, 2022
4 Friendship Stars
A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. ... The first narrow boats played a key part in the economic changes of the British Industrial Revolution. They were wooden boats drawn by a horse walking on the canal towpath led by a crew member.
I enjoyed this slower-paced read and learning more about narrowboats and this lifestyle. This one features three women who are each at a turning point in their lives. They start out as strangers, but by the end of the book, they can’t imagine life without each other.
I’ll start with Anastasia, the owner of the narrowboat. She’s got some medical issues that require her to be close to doctors and possibly the hospital, but she also needs to get her boat repaired to keep everything in running order. There’s a friend who will do the repairs, but his dock is down the canal and she can’t be in two places at the same time. Anastasia is no-nonsense and has a way of seeing right to the heart of things.
Eve has just ditched her corporate career and doesn’t quite know what to do with herself. She happens upon Sally who has just ditched her husband. I’m sure you can guess what happens next! The two agree to help out Anastasia and after a few lessons, they are off on the adventure of taking the boat to the repair dock. It will take them weeks and they encounter quite a few interesting characters along the way and learn how to navigate the locks and drive the boat.
All three women grow and change with these new friendships and it is a summer adventure that will alter their lives. This uplifting novel was a nice change of pace and does make me yearn to go on my own narrowboat adventure some summer in the near future.
Thank you to BookBrowse, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the copy of this one to read. I'm looking forward to the book discussion on this one.
A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. ... The first narrow boats played a key part in the economic changes of the British Industrial Revolution. They were wooden boats drawn by a horse walking on the canal towpath led by a crew member.
I enjoyed this slower-paced read and learning more about narrowboats and this lifestyle. This one features three women who are each at a turning point in their lives. They start out as strangers, but by the end of the book, they can’t imagine life without each other.
I’ll start with Anastasia, the owner of the narrowboat. She’s got some medical issues that require her to be close to doctors and possibly the hospital, but she also needs to get her boat repaired to keep everything in running order. There’s a friend who will do the repairs, but his dock is down the canal and she can’t be in two places at the same time. Anastasia is no-nonsense and has a way of seeing right to the heart of things.
Eve has just ditched her corporate career and doesn’t quite know what to do with herself. She happens upon Sally who has just ditched her husband. I’m sure you can guess what happens next! The two agree to help out Anastasia and after a few lessons, they are off on the adventure of taking the boat to the repair dock. It will take them weeks and they encounter quite a few interesting characters along the way and learn how to navigate the locks and drive the boat.
All three women grow and change with these new friendships and it is a summer adventure that will alter their lives. This uplifting novel was a nice change of pace and does make me yearn to go on my own narrowboat adventure some summer in the near future.
Thank you to BookBrowse, Flatiron Books, and NetGalley for the copy of this one to read. I'm looking forward to the book discussion on this one.
December 8, 2020
Anne Youngson is the author of her debut epistolary novel “Meet Me at the Museum” which I truly enjoyed, so I was looking forward to reading “Three Women and a Boat”, a wonderful and emotional journey of self discovery and new friendships.
Eve has just departed her thirty year career as a project manager at an engineering company to become a free spirit. Sally has told her indifferent husband she no longer wants to live with him. Anastasia, a fiercely independent narrowboat owner of the ‘Number One’, is in need of a life saving operation. As the three women meet unexpectedly, they instantly become friends. Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Eve and Sally embark on a journey through the canals of England to transport the boat to dry dock for maintenance. Under the remote guide and strict instructions of Anastasia, so she can attend hospital for her operation, the two women glide through the countryside, meeting other unique and eccentric boat owners and experiencing canal life first hand. As the journey tenderly draws them closer together, they start to reevaluate their lives and look to a different future where they can be their true selves.
I adored the three women - Sally, long time married with two grown up children was so relatable and will be to many other women readers too. Eve a trained mechanical engineer forced to leave her job, was a strong woman who problem solved by applying logic and graphs and I liked her attitude to any of the troublesome situations that arose. The canal journey was interesting and informative and myself having some knowledge of how locks work, I was intrigued to see how the women coped with so many of them during their travels.
I was drawn into the story instantly, I clearly saw the introductory scene unfold as the women met each other. Noah the dog was an instant attraction and Arthur was a pleasing enigma that added a male perspective to canal life. Billy and ‘Trompette’, dwellers on the ‘Grimm’ added youth and with Billy’s stories told on the canal side of spooky tales, there wasn’t a character I didn’t endear to.
Full of humanity, wit, insight and self discovery, “Three Women and a Boat” is one of the most unforgettable stories I’ve read this year. Relatable friendships, unique personalities and uplifting and life affirming themes, I’d happily recommend this book and it’s a one that will stay with me for a long time.
5 stars
Eve has just departed her thirty year career as a project manager at an engineering company to become a free spirit. Sally has told her indifferent husband she no longer wants to live with him. Anastasia, a fiercely independent narrowboat owner of the ‘Number One’, is in need of a life saving operation. As the three women meet unexpectedly, they instantly become friends. Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Eve and Sally embark on a journey through the canals of England to transport the boat to dry dock for maintenance. Under the remote guide and strict instructions of Anastasia, so she can attend hospital for her operation, the two women glide through the countryside, meeting other unique and eccentric boat owners and experiencing canal life first hand. As the journey tenderly draws them closer together, they start to reevaluate their lives and look to a different future where they can be their true selves.
I adored the three women - Sally, long time married with two grown up children was so relatable and will be to many other women readers too. Eve a trained mechanical engineer forced to leave her job, was a strong woman who problem solved by applying logic and graphs and I liked her attitude to any of the troublesome situations that arose. The canal journey was interesting and informative and myself having some knowledge of how locks work, I was intrigued to see how the women coped with so many of them during their travels.
I was drawn into the story instantly, I clearly saw the introductory scene unfold as the women met each other. Noah the dog was an instant attraction and Arthur was a pleasing enigma that added a male perspective to canal life. Billy and ‘Trompette’, dwellers on the ‘Grimm’ added youth and with Billy’s stories told on the canal side of spooky tales, there wasn’t a character I didn’t endear to.
Full of humanity, wit, insight and self discovery, “Three Women and a Boat” is one of the most unforgettable stories I’ve read this year. Relatable friendships, unique personalities and uplifting and life affirming themes, I’d happily recommend this book and it’s a one that will stay with me for a long time.
5 stars
May 15, 2024
This is the story of a group of women. Eve has left her 30 year career, Sally has walked out on her husband. They meet Anastasia, a narrowboat dweller who is suddenly landlocked and has a decision to make about whether to have the treatment doctors recommend, or just give in to the inevitable. So how does she manage to convince Eve and Sally who have ever been near a narrowboat and canals to end up driving the narrowboat through the canals?
I found this concept requires a great suspension of disbelief. But if you can accept this premise then the rest flows along quietly like the canals . At summer’s end all three women must make a choice. Will they go back to the lives they left behind or forge a new path forward? There are also a couple of other interesting characters.
There is not a lot of action in this book it is more about the characters. I found it rather slow moving. And admit to some skimming at times. But overall, it is quite a pleasant story and the reader gets to know a lot about narrowboat and canal life, which is well observed. A gentle read that a lot of people will like.
I found this concept requires a great suspension of disbelief. But if you can accept this premise then the rest flows along quietly like the canals . At summer’s end all three women must make a choice. Will they go back to the lives they left behind or forge a new path forward? There are also a couple of other interesting characters.
There is not a lot of action in this book it is more about the characters. I found it rather slow moving. And admit to some skimming at times. But overall, it is quite a pleasant story and the reader gets to know a lot about narrowboat and canal life, which is well observed. A gentle read that a lot of people will like.
January 30, 2021
A Narrowboat Summer begins with the chance encounter of three women on a towpath beside a canal. Eve, who has just lost her job of thirty years, and Sally, who has just decided she can no longer live in what feels like a meaningless marriage, have inadvertently allowed Anastasia’s dog to escape from her narrowboat. Anastasia is in the midst of serious health problems. These women, over tea, begin to discuss a plan. An unusual plan to say the least. Perhaps Eve and Sally could manage to sail the boat via the canals to Chester while Anastasia undergoes medical treatment.
While this may seem a bit unbelievable, the situation as written becomes wonderful to read. As Eve and Sally learn how to manage the boat and then begin their trip, their lives take on entirely new aspects, ones they are increasingly aware of and appreciate. And a new friendship slowly develops. But this friendship also extends to others who are met along the way. And of course Anastasia.
This is a novel of friendship, of finding oneself later in life—not with thunderous fireworks but with small meals cooked, good conversation, walks in the sun, watching the water flow. There are touching moments. There are moments of humor. It’s life after all.
I do recommend this novel.
A copy of this book was provided by Flatiron through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
While this may seem a bit unbelievable, the situation as written becomes wonderful to read. As Eve and Sally learn how to manage the boat and then begin their trip, their lives take on entirely new aspects, ones they are increasingly aware of and appreciate. And a new friendship slowly develops. But this friendship also extends to others who are met along the way. And of course Anastasia.
This is a novel of friendship, of finding oneself later in life—not with thunderous fireworks but with small meals cooked, good conversation, walks in the sun, watching the water flow. There are touching moments. There are moments of humor. It’s life after all.
I do recommend this novel.
A copy of this book was provided by Flatiron through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
April 10, 2021
I have some complex feelings about this one.
Starting off, I adored it. It reminded me so much of The Enchanted April, which I'm feeling so nostalgic for right now since I read it around this time last year. And indeed, the two books do share things in common: in The Enchanted April, four women - four strangers - rent a villa in Italy for the month of April, getting to know each other and themselves better in the process. And in The Narrowboat Summer, three women meet by chance - two of them are on the precipice of change (one has just left her career, the other has just left her husband), and the third, a ferocious woman who lives aboard a narrowboat, needs to address a serious health problem but lacks the time to do it.
And so they pull a Freaky Friday. The two landlubbers, Sally and Eve promise to escort the narrowboat up the canals where it can be serviced, and then back again while Anastasia - the owner of the boat, the Number One - stays in Eve's place and goes to get treatment. Just like in The Enchanted April, it's a ludicrous, barely-believable scenario, but I ate it up.
But that promising start started to wear off as the ladies didn't really get up to much as they traveled up the canals. The focus was much more on the lore of the canals and the characters they meet along their journey and those characters' dramas that Sally and Eve get caught up in. It wasn't until the end of the book that I thought each of the women were actually looking their problems in the face and showing growth. But since their character development hadn't really been demonstrated all that much by that point, it didn't exactly feel earned.
This is a charming, relaxing book, but ultimately not as much like The Enchanted April as I had hoped.
Starting off, I adored it. It reminded me so much of The Enchanted April, which I'm feeling so nostalgic for right now since I read it around this time last year. And indeed, the two books do share things in common: in The Enchanted April, four women - four strangers - rent a villa in Italy for the month of April, getting to know each other and themselves better in the process. And in The Narrowboat Summer, three women meet by chance - two of them are on the precipice of change (one has just left her career, the other has just left her husband), and the third, a ferocious woman who lives aboard a narrowboat, needs to address a serious health problem but lacks the time to do it.
And so they pull a Freaky Friday. The two landlubbers, Sally and Eve promise to escort the narrowboat up the canals where it can be serviced, and then back again while Anastasia - the owner of the boat, the Number One - stays in Eve's place and goes to get treatment. Just like in The Enchanted April, it's a ludicrous, barely-believable scenario, but I ate it up.
But that promising start started to wear off as the ladies didn't really get up to much as they traveled up the canals. The focus was much more on the lore of the canals and the characters they meet along their journey and those characters' dramas that Sally and Eve get caught up in. It wasn't until the end of the book that I thought each of the women were actually looking their problems in the face and showing growth. But since their character development hadn't really been demonstrated all that much by that point, it didn't exactly feel earned.
This is a charming, relaxing book, but ultimately not as much like The Enchanted April as I had hoped.
November 21, 2020
I really enjoyed Anne Youngson’s debut novel, Meet Me at the Museum, and was delighted to have the opportunity to meet her and have her sign my copy at Henley Literary Festival in 2018. I’m happy to say, Three Women and a Boat was an equal delight.
I loved the varied nature of the people Eve and Sally encounter on their journey, made up of what are described as “the picturesque, the not-quite-normal and the colourful“. Individuals such as Arthur with his peripatetic lifestyle, or Trompette and Billy who live aboard the narrowboat Grimm and entertain audiences with stories about canal history (one of which reminded me of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse novel, The Wench Is Dead) or occasional ghostly goings on. And I mustn’t forget Noah the dog, the catalyst for bringing the three women together.
There is a real sense of community amongst the canal folk. “Known to each other, even if meetings such as this were occasional and occurred by chance. It was a community rooted in geography that was defined by its distance end to end rather than by boundaries round a fixed centre“.
It was fascinating to witness how Sally and Eve change over the space of a few weeks, finding within themselves a sense of purpose or the ability to exist in the moment that they hadn’t before. As Eve says to Sally, “You are the person you’ve always been, but that person is only now rising to the surface.” For example, Sally finds herself adapting to “canal time, where nothing is accomplished quickly, and times of arrival may be agreed in terms of a given week rather a given hour.”
That feeling of peace, restfulness and the time to notice and appreciate things really comes across through what the author calls the ‘music’ of the canal. “All the whispers, gurgles, whistles, rustles, cries and songs of the water and the wildlife and the fringe of vegetation”. Of course, to begin with, it’s not all plain sailing (if you’ll forgive the pun) with Eve and Sally facing the challenge of navigating the Number One safely through flights of locks and long, narrow tunnels, not to mention retrieving items lost overboard.
Of course, none of these experiences would have been possible without Eve and Sally’s chance meeting with Anastasia. She is a wonderful character who, although appearing rather irascible to begin with, is revealed, as the book progresses, to be someone who has had a positive impact on the lives of countless others. “There was about Anastasia a certainty and honesty that stiffened you up, raised your standards, held you accountable. And without her, it might be impossible to maintain.” She brings the same steely determination and sense of independence to her own situation although even she is forced to accept the help of others eventually. I think Anastasia’s words of wisdom could justify a whole book to themselves but I particularly liked her observation that growing up is about “accepting we are all extraordinary in ordinary ways“.
The ending of the book is not so much a resolution of the story as much as a resolution by each character that different possibilities lie ahead for them. Three Women and a Boat is an enchanting story full of warmth and insight, perfect for those in need of an uplifting read or for fans of the TV series Great Canal Journeys.
I loved the varied nature of the people Eve and Sally encounter on their journey, made up of what are described as “the picturesque, the not-quite-normal and the colourful“. Individuals such as Arthur with his peripatetic lifestyle, or Trompette and Billy who live aboard the narrowboat Grimm and entertain audiences with stories about canal history (one of which reminded me of Colin Dexter’s Inspector Morse novel, The Wench Is Dead) or occasional ghostly goings on. And I mustn’t forget Noah the dog, the catalyst for bringing the three women together.
There is a real sense of community amongst the canal folk. “Known to each other, even if meetings such as this were occasional and occurred by chance. It was a community rooted in geography that was defined by its distance end to end rather than by boundaries round a fixed centre“.
It was fascinating to witness how Sally and Eve change over the space of a few weeks, finding within themselves a sense of purpose or the ability to exist in the moment that they hadn’t before. As Eve says to Sally, “You are the person you’ve always been, but that person is only now rising to the surface.” For example, Sally finds herself adapting to “canal time, where nothing is accomplished quickly, and times of arrival may be agreed in terms of a given week rather a given hour.”
That feeling of peace, restfulness and the time to notice and appreciate things really comes across through what the author calls the ‘music’ of the canal. “All the whispers, gurgles, whistles, rustles, cries and songs of the water and the wildlife and the fringe of vegetation”. Of course, to begin with, it’s not all plain sailing (if you’ll forgive the pun) with Eve and Sally facing the challenge of navigating the Number One safely through flights of locks and long, narrow tunnels, not to mention retrieving items lost overboard.
Of course, none of these experiences would have been possible without Eve and Sally’s chance meeting with Anastasia. She is a wonderful character who, although appearing rather irascible to begin with, is revealed, as the book progresses, to be someone who has had a positive impact on the lives of countless others. “There was about Anastasia a certainty and honesty that stiffened you up, raised your standards, held you accountable. And without her, it might be impossible to maintain.” She brings the same steely determination and sense of independence to her own situation although even she is forced to accept the help of others eventually. I think Anastasia’s words of wisdom could justify a whole book to themselves but I particularly liked her observation that growing up is about “accepting we are all extraordinary in ordinary ways“.
The ending of the book is not so much a resolution of the story as much as a resolution by each character that different possibilities lie ahead for them. Three Women and a Boat is an enchanting story full of warmth and insight, perfect for those in need of an uplifting read or for fans of the TV series Great Canal Journeys.
March 10, 2021
I didn’t want this book to ever end and I felt the same way about her debut, which she wrote at age 70.
An exploration of marriage, of friendship and community, of starting over, rediscovering oneself. The premise didn’t hook me very strongly for some reason, but as I read, I was hanging on every word. I found myself listening and then rereading what I’d listened to in many cases, which is the sign of a great book, for me.
The characters in here are so real. I would love to meet every one of them, even the unlikable ones. I learned a lot about what it’s like to live on a narrowboat, and yes, even entertained the thought! She left the ending a bit open-ended, which is something I found with her first book as well, but it feels right to me, because these characters are so real and we pretty well know how this will turn out.
This is a book for you if you’ve ever wanted to bag your life and start over again, or if life has thrown you a curve and all of a sudden you find you have to double back so you can come forward again. There is much wisdom here and I would read anything this author writes. I would love to know she’s working on a third book, and I’ll probably check with the publisher so I can be looking forward to it, when it comes.
The same narrator reads both of this author’s works, and she is absolutely perfect. I can highly recommend both this book and her debut, Meet Me at the Museum. These are books to read and to reread. I am so glad Anne Youngson decided to publish her first book at age 70. She is a born writer!
An exploration of marriage, of friendship and community, of starting over, rediscovering oneself. The premise didn’t hook me very strongly for some reason, but as I read, I was hanging on every word. I found myself listening and then rereading what I’d listened to in many cases, which is the sign of a great book, for me.
The characters in here are so real. I would love to meet every one of them, even the unlikable ones. I learned a lot about what it’s like to live on a narrowboat, and yes, even entertained the thought! She left the ending a bit open-ended, which is something I found with her first book as well, but it feels right to me, because these characters are so real and we pretty well know how this will turn out.
This is a book for you if you’ve ever wanted to bag your life and start over again, or if life has thrown you a curve and all of a sudden you find you have to double back so you can come forward again. There is much wisdom here and I would read anything this author writes. I would love to know she’s working on a third book, and I’ll probably check with the publisher so I can be looking forward to it, when it comes.
The same narrator reads both of this author’s works, and she is absolutely perfect. I can highly recommend both this book and her debut, Meet Me at the Museum. These are books to read and to reread. I am so glad Anne Youngson decided to publish her first book at age 70. She is a born writer!
February 17, 2023
Traveling on a narrowboat through the canal system in England is something I enjoyed learning about through reading this book. The novel features Anastasia, (the crusty owner of a narrowboat), and the two middle-aged women she finds to manage her boat in her absence. Anastasia needs medical care for cancer.
The two other women are at turning points in their own lives. Eve is career driven, but has just been fired from her job. Sally has decided to leave her husband, after many years of marriage. None of the women know each other. Fate has thrown them together. They are trying to make decisions about their lives.
This is a gentle book which flows at a languid pace. I enjoyed the beginning and ending more than the middle. At times, the middle lagged for me and I would have liked to see more drama or verve.
Additional Note: I was intrigued by Eve's and Sally's discovery of Anastasia's hidden life on the canals. Here, she was known and appreciated by the narrowboat community and not just seen as an elderly, eccentric woman.
3.5 stars
The two other women are at turning points in their own lives. Eve is career driven, but has just been fired from her job. Sally has decided to leave her husband, after many years of marriage. None of the women know each other. Fate has thrown them together. They are trying to make decisions about their lives.
This is a gentle book which flows at a languid pace. I enjoyed the beginning and ending more than the middle. At times, the middle lagged for me and I would have liked to see more drama or verve.
Additional Note: I was intrigued by Eve's and Sally's discovery of Anastasia's hidden life on the canals. Here, she was known and appreciated by the narrowboat community and not just seen as an elderly, eccentric woman.
3.5 stars
December 20, 2020
(3.5) “Does being grown up mean we are all doomed to be ordinary?”
One of my favorite things about where I live is the opportunity to walk along the Kennet & Avon canal, which runs by the bottom of our garden. Just a 10-minute stroll on the towpath takes us into Newbury’s town center, but someone with more time and motivation could take the canal all the way from London to Bristol. We have a small population of permanent boat dwellers beside one of the bridges, but many more vessels pass through or moor up for a night or a week. Even more so than gazing through a lit house window on a dark, cold night, looking at canal-boats sparks my imagination, making me wonder what life is like for the people (and cats) who live on them. How do they store everything, especially books??
My curiosity about canal living and my love for Meet Me at the Museum, Anne Youngson’s charming, bittersweet debut novel in letters between a farmer’s wife in England and a curator at the Denmark museum that houses the Tollund Man, were two strong motives to request her follow-up; a third was the title’s nod to the delightful Victorian classic Three Men in a Boat (although, for its 2021 U.S. release, it has been renamed The Narrowboat Summer; Jerome K. Jerome must be too niche a reference for the average American reader.)
On a towpath not far from London, two women are drawn to the Number One by the sound of a dog howling. Eve Warburton has just been made redundant after 30 years at a corporate job, and Sally Allsop has just decided to leave her impassive husband. Distressed at the animal’s unearthly cries, they break down the boat door to check on it and it promptly runs away. Luckily, it’s not long until the boat owner, Anastasia, returns, followed by Noah the terrier.
Anastasia is a no-nonsense woman but takes kindly to Eve and Sally. Her situation is thus: she needs to go into hospital soon for cancer treatment, but she has no money for moorings or necessary repairs on the Number One, her only home. She needs someone to pilot her boat to Chester, where she knows someone who will carry out the maintenance for free, and back. Conveniently, Eve and Sally, free of the commitments that once defined them, now have all the time in the world. Anastasia will live in Eve’s flat during her treatment. In a matter of days, Eve and Sally learn the basics about canal-boats and set off on their journey. Along the way they’ll meet drifters, craftspeople and storytellers, and rethink what they want from life.
Youngson perches halfway between Rachel Joyce and Carol Shields in this one. Much like Meet Me at the Museum, it’s about second chances in the second half of life, with relatable situations and an open, hopeful ending. I liked the details of the journey – makeshift meals, Scrabble games, transcripts of blunt phone calls with Anastasia – but Eve and Sally remained a bit blank for me, such that I did not care equally about all the protagonists’ fates. Still, this is a pleasant amble of a novel and one that I expect to be popular with my local book club.
A favorite passage:
Anyone can use the canal, for holidays, for living, for plying a trade. They’ve always been a bit alternative. An alternative to a horse and cart, then an alternative to a railway, then an alternative to a caravan holiday, an alternative to a house. I like that. I like that it’s not fixed. No one owns it. And I like that it is slow, which is exactly what made the search for alternatives essential. The canals were wide enough to cope with a boat moving at the walking pace of a horse. Any faster, and they break apart. That’s the only thing that needs to be preserved: the banks, the locks, the bridges. And what would destroy them is speed.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
One of my favorite things about where I live is the opportunity to walk along the Kennet & Avon canal, which runs by the bottom of our garden. Just a 10-minute stroll on the towpath takes us into Newbury’s town center, but someone with more time and motivation could take the canal all the way from London to Bristol. We have a small population of permanent boat dwellers beside one of the bridges, but many more vessels pass through or moor up for a night or a week. Even more so than gazing through a lit house window on a dark, cold night, looking at canal-boats sparks my imagination, making me wonder what life is like for the people (and cats) who live on them. How do they store everything, especially books??
My curiosity about canal living and my love for Meet Me at the Museum, Anne Youngson’s charming, bittersweet debut novel in letters between a farmer’s wife in England and a curator at the Denmark museum that houses the Tollund Man, were two strong motives to request her follow-up; a third was the title’s nod to the delightful Victorian classic Three Men in a Boat (although, for its 2021 U.S. release, it has been renamed The Narrowboat Summer; Jerome K. Jerome must be too niche a reference for the average American reader.)
On a towpath not far from London, two women are drawn to the Number One by the sound of a dog howling. Eve Warburton has just been made redundant after 30 years at a corporate job, and Sally Allsop has just decided to leave her impassive husband. Distressed at the animal’s unearthly cries, they break down the boat door to check on it and it promptly runs away. Luckily, it’s not long until the boat owner, Anastasia, returns, followed by Noah the terrier.
Anastasia is a no-nonsense woman but takes kindly to Eve and Sally. Her situation is thus: she needs to go into hospital soon for cancer treatment, but she has no money for moorings or necessary repairs on the Number One, her only home. She needs someone to pilot her boat to Chester, where she knows someone who will carry out the maintenance for free, and back. Conveniently, Eve and Sally, free of the commitments that once defined them, now have all the time in the world. Anastasia will live in Eve’s flat during her treatment. In a matter of days, Eve and Sally learn the basics about canal-boats and set off on their journey. Along the way they’ll meet drifters, craftspeople and storytellers, and rethink what they want from life.
Youngson perches halfway between Rachel Joyce and Carol Shields in this one. Much like Meet Me at the Museum, it’s about second chances in the second half of life, with relatable situations and an open, hopeful ending. I liked the details of the journey – makeshift meals, Scrabble games, transcripts of blunt phone calls with Anastasia – but Eve and Sally remained a bit blank for me, such that I did not care equally about all the protagonists’ fates. Still, this is a pleasant amble of a novel and one that I expect to be popular with my local book club.
A favorite passage:
Anyone can use the canal, for holidays, for living, for plying a trade. They’ve always been a bit alternative. An alternative to a horse and cart, then an alternative to a railway, then an alternative to a caravan holiday, an alternative to a house. I like that. I like that it’s not fixed. No one owns it. And I like that it is slow, which is exactly what made the search for alternatives essential. The canals were wide enough to cope with a boat moving at the walking pace of a horse. Any faster, and they break apart. That’s the only thing that needs to be preserved: the banks, the locks, the bridges. And what would destroy them is speed.
Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.
January 8, 2021
This is a delightful story of three women whose paths cross at just the right moment in each of their lives. While the book deals with some serious topics revolving around life changing events, it is ultimately joyful and uplifting.
The first of the three women in question is Anastasia, an elderly, independent, no nonsense woman, who finds herself in need of a life saving surgery, and who also owns what’s referred to as a narrow boat, apparently quite common in the canals that traverse the UK. Her boat needs to be navigated through this system of canals for some required maintenance, but she can’t do it on her own because of her medical issues, and she’s worried about losing her boat and independence. Enter Sally and Eve. Sally has just recently informed her husband of many years that she’s not interested in being married to him any longer and wants out of their relationship. Eve is single and was just ousted from her long time corporate position with an engineering firm. Both are unsure of their next move in life. By chance, these three women cross paths, and Sally and Eve, not knowing each other and unfamiliar with boating, agree to help Anastasia by throwing their lots together and navigating the narrow boat through the canals to the place where it will be maintained. No easy business, as Anastasia is fiercely independent, not crazy about her anticipated reliance on others while having and recovering from surgery, and putting her beloved boat in the hands of strangers. Similarly, Sally and Eve are strangers to each other, with completely different backgrounds. Sally has been married for many years with two grown children, and has decided to leave her marriage. Eve is single and has focused on her life long career, but has been let go from her corporate position. Both are contemplating their next move, when the opportunity with the narrow boat presents itself. It is truly a delight to see how their friendships blossom, the characters and events they encounter along the way of their journey, and without a doubt, their adventures in navigation!
My thanks to GR friend, Angela M, whose review discussed her research into narrow boats, and inspired me to do the same. They are quite fascinating and beautiful, used for part time or year round living, vacation, corporate events, etc. I also learned something about the canal system through the UK, which I had otherwise been unaware of.
Thank you to Book Browse and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The first of the three women in question is Anastasia, an elderly, independent, no nonsense woman, who finds herself in need of a life saving surgery, and who also owns what’s referred to as a narrow boat, apparently quite common in the canals that traverse the UK. Her boat needs to be navigated through this system of canals for some required maintenance, but she can’t do it on her own because of her medical issues, and she’s worried about losing her boat and independence. Enter Sally and Eve. Sally has just recently informed her husband of many years that she’s not interested in being married to him any longer and wants out of their relationship. Eve is single and was just ousted from her long time corporate position with an engineering firm. Both are unsure of their next move in life. By chance, these three women cross paths, and Sally and Eve, not knowing each other and unfamiliar with boating, agree to help Anastasia by throwing their lots together and navigating the narrow boat through the canals to the place where it will be maintained. No easy business, as Anastasia is fiercely independent, not crazy about her anticipated reliance on others while having and recovering from surgery, and putting her beloved boat in the hands of strangers. Similarly, Sally and Eve are strangers to each other, with completely different backgrounds. Sally has been married for many years with two grown children, and has decided to leave her marriage. Eve is single and has focused on her life long career, but has been let go from her corporate position. Both are contemplating their next move, when the opportunity with the narrow boat presents itself. It is truly a delight to see how their friendships blossom, the characters and events they encounter along the way of their journey, and without a doubt, their adventures in navigation!
My thanks to GR friend, Angela M, whose review discussed her research into narrow boats, and inspired me to do the same. They are quite fascinating and beautiful, used for part time or year round living, vacation, corporate events, etc. I also learned something about the canal system through the UK, which I had otherwise been unaware of.
Thank you to Book Browse and Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 4, 2025
Ah, this was a nice, comfortable read, but not twee. Two middle-aged women, Eve and Sally, meet serendipitously on a path, joining together to try to rescue what seems to be a dog in distress on a narrowboat on the adjoining canal. Sally has just left her marriage, Eve has just lost her engineering job, and the dog is not in distress, but belongs to the elderly boat owner, Anastasia, who needs a pair of likely looking women to pilot it down the canal while she partakes in some medical treatment.
Now, although I don’t much like water, I do really have a thing for narrowboats, canal boats, houseboats of all kinds. An irresistible story setting for me. This wasn’t a propulsive or suspenseful story, though there was a bit of a plot. Mostly, the women played Scrabble, cooked meals, navigated through locks, met people and had conversations with them, and thought about how they wanted to relate to the world in this new space that had opened up in their lives. I was interested to read the author, who only began to be published in her 70s, had taken early retirement from an engineering job in her 50s (but not, so far as I know, embarked on a canal journey).
Now, although I don’t much like water, I do really have a thing for narrowboats, canal boats, houseboats of all kinds. An irresistible story setting for me. This wasn’t a propulsive or suspenseful story, though there was a bit of a plot. Mostly, the women played Scrabble, cooked meals, navigated through locks, met people and had conversations with them, and thought about how they wanted to relate to the world in this new space that had opened up in their lives. I was interested to read the author, who only began to be published in her 70s, had taken early retirement from an engineering job in her 50s (but not, so far as I know, embarked on a canal journey).
May 27, 2023
Sally has left her husband and Eve has been laid off from her corporate job. These two strangers meet by chance while walking next to one of the English canals. They rescue a dog they believe is trapped on a narrowboat. Anastasia, the canal boat owner, appears and tells them the dog was in no danger. She invites them for tea. While visiting she tells them she cannot make the journey to take her boat in for winterizing due to illness. Sally and Eve offer to help her out. They navigate the narrowboat through the canals, and as they do, they find it a calming experience that helps them set a new course for their lives. It is a character-driven story of female friendship.
This is a lovely book. It is a gentle, slower paced, rhythmic, and flowing narrative. The three women learn more about themselves, as they interact with each other and with the people they meet along the way. It portrays women going through a mid-life transformation. I appreciated that these two are opposites in many ways, but they accommodate each other and get along well, learning from each other, and from Anastasia, whom they contact regularly during the trip. It reminds me a bit of another book on female strangers-turned-friends that I recently read, The Enchanted April, which I also recommend.
This is a lovely book. It is a gentle, slower paced, rhythmic, and flowing narrative. The three women learn more about themselves, as they interact with each other and with the people they meet along the way. It portrays women going through a mid-life transformation. I appreciated that these two are opposites in many ways, but they accommodate each other and get along well, learning from each other, and from Anastasia, whom they contact regularly during the trip. It reminds me a bit of another book on female strangers-turned-friends that I recently read, The Enchanted April, which I also recommend.
January 25, 2021
Meanderings to relish!
I so enjoyed Narrowboat Summer. A very different read. A story to savor. A quiet winner. Three women meet on a tow path just out of London and for two their lives change forever.
A fabulous cast of eccentric characters and two middle aged women. Sally had just walked out on her marriage and Eve had been let go from her job as an engineer.
Walking from different directions along the tow path the women happen to intersect with each other and Anastasia, a hardened canal boat owner who’s worked the canals and locks for years.
Eve and Sally find themselves deciding to help Anastasia out of a problem, crewing on her narrowboat The Number One, learning the locks and the rhythms of the river, before taking it to a boatyard at Chester whilst Anastasia took care of some health needs. This was the start of a journey measured in days not hours, a journey of the soul.
And that's what drew me on! The people, the rhythms, the slow winding down and calming that takes place as the women undergo their own particular canal change (sea change!)
This read was whimsical, deep, and slow moving like the canals, and I flowed along with it as the women learned more about themselves, as they interacted with each other, (they are total opposites) and with the very different people they encounter. All the while Anastasia is the anchor, the pivot point around whom they all flow and eddy.
This just might become one of my favorite reads of 2021 as it invoked calm into the happenstances Eve and Sally are challenged by. A certain mindfulness is at play.
I loved the talented Trompette and the mysterious Arthur.
I felt liked I'd stepped back in time. I hadn't! I'd stepped away from the rat race. Even the lyrical cover reflects a different world. One could conceive that all the characters are lost and adrift but that's far from the truth. Their truths are so much more at once complex and yet sanely simple. Beautifully paced!
A Flatiron ARC via NetGalley
I so enjoyed Narrowboat Summer. A very different read. A story to savor. A quiet winner. Three women meet on a tow path just out of London and for two their lives change forever.
A fabulous cast of eccentric characters and two middle aged women. Sally had just walked out on her marriage and Eve had been let go from her job as an engineer.
Walking from different directions along the tow path the women happen to intersect with each other and Anastasia, a hardened canal boat owner who’s worked the canals and locks for years.
Eve and Sally find themselves deciding to help Anastasia out of a problem, crewing on her narrowboat The Number One, learning the locks and the rhythms of the river, before taking it to a boatyard at Chester whilst Anastasia took care of some health needs. This was the start of a journey measured in days not hours, a journey of the soul.
And that's what drew me on! The people, the rhythms, the slow winding down and calming that takes place as the women undergo their own particular canal change (sea change!)
This read was whimsical, deep, and slow moving like the canals, and I flowed along with it as the women learned more about themselves, as they interacted with each other, (they are total opposites) and with the very different people they encounter. All the while Anastasia is the anchor, the pivot point around whom they all flow and eddy.
This just might become one of my favorite reads of 2021 as it invoked calm into the happenstances Eve and Sally are challenged by. A certain mindfulness is at play.
I loved the talented Trompette and the mysterious Arthur.
I felt liked I'd stepped back in time. I hadn't! I'd stepped away from the rat race. Even the lyrical cover reflects a different world. One could conceive that all the characters are lost and adrift but that's far from the truth. Their truths are so much more at once complex and yet sanely simple. Beautifully paced!
A Flatiron ARC via NetGalley
July 1, 2021
I loved this, and found myself deliberately setting it down so I wouldn't read it too fast, wanting my reading pace to match the slow contemplative journey of the canal boat. It's a gentle story, that slips by as quietly as the landscape seen from the boat, but it's not at all the twee nostalgia read I'd feared it might be (for one thing it's set in the present day, and the characters have cell phones and use them, plus not everything that happens is heartwarming). Still, I loved it that in quiet moments when they're moored the women play scrabble and read books and eat good food and enjoy their deepening friendship. Pretty much my ideal life.
The original title of the book is Three Women and a Boat, and I wonder if there are echoes of Three Men in a Boat, that I missed, given that I remember nothing of that book which I read over two decades ago save that it was supposed to be funny, but wasn't. I was reminded much more of Maidens' Trip, which is also about three women in a canal boat, and was surprised the author didn't mention that one in her acknowledgements, which list half a dozen other books about the history of the canals.
The original title of the book is Three Women and a Boat, and I wonder if there are echoes of Three Men in a Boat, that I missed, given that I remember nothing of that book which I read over two decades ago save that it was supposed to be funny, but wasn't. I was reminded much more of Maidens' Trip, which is also about three women in a canal boat, and was surprised the author didn't mention that one in her acknowledgements, which list half a dozen other books about the history of the canals.
October 29, 2022
Atmospheric and promising to be all that it was, Anne Youngson's The Narrowboat Summer filled the bill perfectly as that downward slide out of summer, into almost autumn. I held it back time after time, waiting for just the right moment to read, and hit my mark perfectly.
Three women from different classes (as far as there might be), social, economic and even varying levels of polish and interest come together . . .all over a dog, water and each just happening to be at forks in their various roads. Which road - the usual one? the one less traveled? the one no one would ever think they would take? Yep. That's the one. Not even a road.
Minds were changing, unexpected alliances out of nowhere popped up and they jumped! Proof laid open and explored for the reader to understand the faith each had in these strangers showing up on their horizons. . .faith in trusting. Risky, and so many tales show us just how risky that is, but this is not that book.
If you are ready for a ride this is not particularly fast, but gently makes progress together in three different directions, pick this up.
Three women from different classes (as far as there might be), social, economic and even varying levels of polish and interest come together . . .all over a dog, water and each just happening to be at forks in their various roads. Which road - the usual one? the one less traveled? the one no one would ever think they would take? Yep. That's the one. Not even a road.
Minds were changing, unexpected alliances out of nowhere popped up and they jumped! Proof laid open and explored for the reader to understand the faith each had in these strangers showing up on their horizons. . .faith in trusting. Risky, and so many tales show us just how risky that is, but this is not that book.
If you are ready for a ride this is not particularly fast, but gently makes progress together in three different directions, pick this up.
March 26, 2021
A creative writing prof once taught me about the concept of 'scaffolding'; that is, the background information that an author needs to write in her first draft so as to get to know her story and characters. Like scaffolding on a building, it should be stripped away in subsequent drafts, leaving only the polished story behind.
Sadly, this book felt like it was published as soon as the first draft was finished, scaffolds intact, leaving it full of clunky dialog, flat characters and dull scenes. Such a disappointment after Youngson's interesting and moving first novel.
Sadly, this book felt like it was published as soon as the first draft was finished, scaffolds intact, leaving it full of clunky dialog, flat characters and dull scenes. Such a disappointment after Youngson's interesting and moving first novel.
January 13, 2021
Such a nice feel good novel about hardships and friendship, and let's not forget a dog. I really enjoyed traveling with the women on the journey. I definitely want to read Anne Youngson debut after this!
December 27, 2021
Review coming soon.
July 21, 2022
Two middle-aged women meet on a canal towpath in London while rescuing (so they think) a howling dog from a closed up blue narrowboat docked along the canal. Along comes the narrowboat''s owner and captain, an older woman named Anastasia. Each woman is at a critical transition point in her life. Eve has just made redundant from her high level job at a large corporation after 25 or more years. Sally has just walked out of her marriage, also of long duration with grown children. Anastasia is facing concerning surgery and medical treatment that for several months basically need her to be stationary and not living on a narrowboat, plus that narrowboat must get to Chester to be winterized in a couple of months. Just like that, after an accidental (or perhaps fated) meeting of 3 strangers and a talk over tea, three women, strangers to each other, become united, plans laid, and while Anastasia lives in Eve's apartment and succumbs to medical treatment, Sally and Eve start an adventure that takes them through the world of canals, narrowboats, and locks. It also serves as a journey for each woman, helping transition from the life they have known to a new one and to new circumstances.
The narrowboat journey is so wonderfully told, you feel as if you are on the narrowboat, puttering along at a walking pace, watching the peace and calm and beauty of England and its canals pass by. The author makes sure to introduce us to the world and people of the narrowboats and the canals, including a bit of the history. There are awesome maps, photos, blogs, websites, and videos of the UK canal system and those who cruise it, and I suggest have the links to a few of them handy when you start reading because you will want them!
The women's personal journeys were very relatable and recognizeable. This is a really lovely charming book that kept a smile on my face the entire time.
The narrowboat journey is so wonderfully told, you feel as if you are on the narrowboat, puttering along at a walking pace, watching the peace and calm and beauty of England and its canals pass by. The author makes sure to introduce us to the world and people of the narrowboats and the canals, including a bit of the history. There are awesome maps, photos, blogs, websites, and videos of the UK canal system and those who cruise it, and I suggest have the links to a few of them handy when you start reading because you will want them!
The women's personal journeys were very relatable and recognizeable. This is a really lovely charming book that kept a smile on my face the entire time.
January 29, 2021
I needed an uplifting read, and this book came at a time when I needed it the most. Books are such a source of comfort and Anne Youngson's writing of THE NARROWBOAT SUMMER brings a wonderful addition to the contemporary women's fiction genre, full of characters that confounds how friendships blossom in the most unusual of circumstances that is perfect for any age.
I had never been on a narrowboat or even in a canal of sorts but the story did take me on this bit of an adventure amongst the stories behind the women, as they form this friendship, and as they share their struggles and difficulties in a hopeful, light hearted and many times what are you going to do but chuckle with what lives hands you.
I enjoyed each of the characters - Sally, Eve, Anastasia as well as all the other sub characters that meander through this journey and story in this narrowboat in the British canal.
A truly fantastic read I loved.
I had never been on a narrowboat or even in a canal of sorts but the story did take me on this bit of an adventure amongst the stories behind the women, as they form this friendship, and as they share their struggles and difficulties in a hopeful, light hearted and many times what are you going to do but chuckle with what lives hands you.
I enjoyed each of the characters - Sally, Eve, Anastasia as well as all the other sub characters that meander through this journey and story in this narrowboat in the British canal.
A truly fantastic read I loved.
June 12, 2021
Narrowboats toodle along canals at 2 miles per hour. That's how reading this book felt. S-L-O-W.
What saved it from being 2 stars was the setting, narrowboat life is fascinating. I watched some youtubes about it and I recommend doing that instead of reading this novel.
I take no pleasure in writing these negative thoughts. I LOVED Meet Me at the Museum , it's one of my all time favorites. Maybe I expected too much. The characters were strong but I just didn't relate to any, except Anastasia but she wasn't around often. Not much happens except a lot of talking, a lot of navigating, and in the end everyone's life goals become clear.
edited to add: This is a clean read except for a few "f" words.
What saved it from being 2 stars was the setting, narrowboat life is fascinating. I watched some youtubes about it and I recommend doing that instead of reading this novel.
I take no pleasure in writing these negative thoughts. I LOVED Meet Me at the Museum , it's one of my all time favorites. Maybe I expected too much. The characters were strong but I just didn't relate to any, except Anastasia but she wasn't around often. Not much happens except a lot of talking, a lot of navigating, and in the end everyone's life goals become clear.
edited to add: This is a clean read except for a few "f" words.
April 25, 2023
An easy going wonderful story of finding oneself (and helping and befriending others) while cruising and navigating a narrow boat on the historic canals of Great Britain.
The history behind the canals and narrow boats go a long way back. The canals and bridges and locks that are in place are absolutely remarkable.
Have watched a series on TV called “Cruising the Cut” - a story of someone who gave up their job and sold their house to live a life on a narrow boat and this gave me more background behind the canals, the boats, the lifestyle, history and country.
A very interesting this way of life!
The history behind the canals and narrow boats go a long way back. The canals and bridges and locks that are in place are absolutely remarkable.
Have watched a series on TV called “Cruising the Cut” - a story of someone who gave up their job and sold their house to live a life on a narrow boat and this gave me more background behind the canals, the boats, the lifestyle, history and country.
A very interesting this way of life!
December 8, 2020
Anne Youngson is the author of her debut epistolary novel “Meet Me at the Museum” which I truly enjoyed, so I was looking forward to reading “Three Women and a Boat”, a wonderful and emotional journey of self discovery and new friendships.
Eve has just departed her thirty year career as a project manager at an engineering company to become a free spirit. Sally has told her indifferent husband she no longer wants to live with him. Anastasia, a fiercely independent narrowboat owner of the ‘Number One’, is in need of a life saving operation. As the three women meet unexpectedly, they instantly become friends. Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Eve and Sally embark on a journey through the canals of England to transport the boat to dry dock for maintenance. Under the remote guide and strict instructions of Anastasia, so she can attend hospital for her operation, the two women glide through the countryside, meeting other unique and eccentric boat owners and experiencing canal life first hand. As the journey tenderly draws them closer together, they start to reevaluate their lives and look to a different future where they can be their true selves.
I adored the three women - Sally, long time married with two grown up children was so relatable and will be to many other women readers too. Eve a trained mechanical engineer forced to leave her job, was a strong woman who problem solved by applying logic and graphs and I liked her attitude to any of the troublesome situations that arose. The canal journey was interesting and informative and myself having some knowledge of how locks work, I was intrigued to see how the women coped with so many of them during their travels.
I was drawn into the story instantly, I clearly saw the introductory scene unfold as the women met each other. Noah the dog was an instant attraction and Arthur was a pleasing enigma that added a male perspective to canal life. Billy and ‘Trompette’, dwellers on the ‘Grimm’ added youth and with Billy’s stories told on the canal side of spooky tales, there wasn’t a character I didn’t endear to.
Full of humanity, wit, insight and self discovery, “Three Women and a Boat” is one of the most unforgettable stories I’ve read this year. Relatable friendships, unique personalities and uplifting and life affirming themes, I’d happily recommend this book and it’s a one that will stay with me for a long time.
5 stars
Eve has just departed her thirty year career as a project manager at an engineering company to become a free spirit. Sally has told her indifferent husband she no longer wants to live with him. Anastasia, a fiercely independent narrowboat owner of the ‘Number One’, is in need of a life saving operation. As the three women meet unexpectedly, they instantly become friends. Inexperienced and ill-equipped, Eve and Sally embark on a journey through the canals of England to transport the boat to dry dock for maintenance. Under the remote guide and strict instructions of Anastasia, so she can attend hospital for her operation, the two women glide through the countryside, meeting other unique and eccentric boat owners and experiencing canal life first hand. As the journey tenderly draws them closer together, they start to reevaluate their lives and look to a different future where they can be their true selves.
I adored the three women - Sally, long time married with two grown up children was so relatable and will be to many other women readers too. Eve a trained mechanical engineer forced to leave her job, was a strong woman who problem solved by applying logic and graphs and I liked her attitude to any of the troublesome situations that arose. The canal journey was interesting and informative and myself having some knowledge of how locks work, I was intrigued to see how the women coped with so many of them during their travels.
I was drawn into the story instantly, I clearly saw the introductory scene unfold as the women met each other. Noah the dog was an instant attraction and Arthur was a pleasing enigma that added a male perspective to canal life. Billy and ‘Trompette’, dwellers on the ‘Grimm’ added youth and with Billy’s stories told on the canal side of spooky tales, there wasn’t a character I didn’t endear to.
Full of humanity, wit, insight and self discovery, “Three Women and a Boat” is one of the most unforgettable stories I’ve read this year. Relatable friendships, unique personalities and uplifting and life affirming themes, I’d happily recommend this book and it’s a one that will stay with me for a long time.
5 stars
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