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The Narrowboat Summer

by Anne Youngson

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Page 3 of 3

There are currently 16 member reviews
for The Narrowboat Summer

Gerrie B. (Carmel, IN)

The Canal Stole The Show
Thank you to BrookBrowse for providing me with an ARC of The Narrowboat Summer. I had eagerly awaited this book as I had so enjoyed Anne Youngson's Meet me At The Museum. Fans of that book may be disappointed, as this book did not meet my expectations. In her new novel Ms. Youngson offers a view of life traveling the canals of England. The story revolves around the accidental meeting and blossoming friendship of three women who are all faced with pivotal moments in their lives offering a chance for introspection and growth. There are some lovely telling scenes and some notable quotes but the most fully developed character in the book is the canal and while its descriptions are lyrical and detailed the characters while initially interesting often come across as inauthentic, flat and difficult to know. For example, a woman who worked in a male dominated field and is the only woman on the top floor laments that she feels sorry for men. She criticizes " the idea of diversity, the constant challenges to the notion that being a man required and even mandated certain patterns of behavior, they were instead of liberated, cast into a darkness where the rules were not yet clear enough for them to be sure they had read and interpreted them correctly ." This did not mesh with the image of a woman who has worked hard to be successful in a male dominated profession, and it seemed too forced and weirdly placed. Other characters while perhaps more believable, were unfortunately, not fully developed and this coupled with an abrupt ending left me unsatisfied. I wanted to know more about Sally than just a few cliché revelations, there seemed to be so much more to her than just the glimpses we were given. The Narrowboat Summer offered such an interesting setting and premise but the lovely, lingering and vivid, details were all about the setting- the canal, the boats, the landscape while the characters remained in the background as fuzzy objects in black and white.

Cheryl W. (Crosby, MN)

3 attempts
I just could not get into this book

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