The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

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.

my thoughts:

What a story! I absolutely LOVED The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson. I found myself falling in deep with the characters, their stories, and the idea of traveling on a narrowboat - how cool would that be? 

This is the story of three women who wind up helping each other discover the meaning of friendship and proving that second chances really do exist: Anastasia, Eve, and Sally.  Anastasia is sick and in need of a life-saving operation. She lives on her narrowboat and needs to get it repaired. Except, she can't. She's too weak and unable to handle the trip.  Eve has just been let go from her job and is looking to do something different and new. She's been working nonstop for thirty years and is ready for a change. Sally is not happy. Her marriage is not working. She can't take it anymore, so she decides to leave her husband. In need of a break, Eve and Sally agree to help Anastasia.  They will navigate her narrowboat through the English canals to get it to the the repairman for her. The only thing is that neither woman knows what they are doing - they're not narrowboat experts and winding the boat through those tiny looking canals is not going to be easy. However, they are willing to do it and Anastasia needs her boat docked. So, off they go on their adventure - one that will introduce them to new people, new places and new ideas about what they want for their futures.  

I absolutely LOVED getting to know these women and reading all about their trip through the English canals. I remember living in England and seeing these narrowboats and wondering about them - how big they seemed for such tiny canals. I thought it was so cool that people worked and lived on these boats. Reading about Anastasia's narrowboat was such a treat. I would most definitely recommend this book to fans of Youngson and anyone looking for their next great read - you will LOVE this book to bits!

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!