Overall, what do you think of The Narrowboat Summer (please, no spoilers in this thread)
Created: 02/11/21
Replies: 27
Join Date: 10/15/10
Posts: 3216
Join Date: 07/16/14
Posts: 354
Join Date: 07/08/17
Posts: 13
Join Date: 03/14/19
Posts: 208
I loved The Narrowboat Summer! What a treat! The three unlikely women create a bond which appealed to me. The characters the women meet along the way are charming and interesting. I knew nothing about narrowboats and did some research on them. On the whole, I'm recommending the story to everyone!
Join Date: 11/13/19
Posts: 4
Join Date: 01/27/18
Posts: 93
Join Date: 02/03/12
Posts: 32
I agree with Suzi - pure, lovely escapism. I kept thinking that I wish an opportunity like this would come up for me and I could meet a completely new group of people with so many different backgrounds. I enjoyed getting to know all the characters and their stories. I've told a number of friends about this book.
Join Date: 01/15/17
Posts: 16
It was pure escape. I relished the transformational change found by each character and the friendships they forged across generations. I need an infusion of heart-warming from time to time and a book like this always delivers.
Join Date: 07/31/19
Posts: 83
I always seem to be the odd man out! I had to force myself to keep reading due to it being so slow. I was determined to see how it ended. I kept waiting for a little excitement. Maybe my being such a mystery lover colors my perception of everything I read!
Join Date: 10/16/10
Posts: 730
Join Date: 05/16/16
Posts: 140
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. 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.
Join Date: 07/29/20
Posts: 17
I loved it..in the beginning, I was leery...senior women, aka old ladies...what can they do or think that is worth a novel.....forgetting that I am in that category myself! and what a surprise. The storyline is not suspenseful, yet, there is suspense, neither is it a love story but there is love, caring, affection and more.. There are no wars, gangs, boat crashes. It is better than all of that. It is what a good book should be. People with nothing in common coming together accidentally and in a new life situation, reaching out to one another and accepting the proffered help and love. I loved it.
Join Date: 03/25/17
Posts: 189
Join Date: 04/22/11
Posts: 95
Join Date: 01/14/18
Posts: 59
Join Date: 06/29/15
Posts: 140
I loved the story. I enjoyed getting to know the characters as they got to know each other. I actually felt the slow pace of the book which worked for this story. I don't usually like slow paced books but I liked this one.
Join Date: 06/28/11
Posts: 71
I very much enjoyed reading this book. The characters were well crafted and the pace felt right for the concept of boat travel using a system of canal locks.
I previously read the author's other book - Meet Me at the Museum - which I also enjoyed.
Join Date: 10/18/12
Posts: 29
Loved it! The characters in the book matched in my imagination, the kinds of people that might live on a boat, especially the Narrowboats on the canals in England. I found myself transported to a different place far from my home and away from the the world we are all experiencing globally, the Pandemic. It was a great escape.
Join Date: 05/04/15
Posts: 29
Join Date: 08/10/17
Posts: 215
I was really looking forward to this book because I previously read Meet Me at the Museum by this author. Although I mostly enjoyed this book, I really preferred the first book. Maybe this book could have been a little bit shorter.
The U.K. title of this book was something like Three Women on a Boat. I guess that was a nod to Three Men on a Boat, a comedy by Jerome K. Jerome. Stories not really similar except for the boat.
Join Date: 01/05/20
Posts: 5
I loved it - such a wonderful escape from this year . I enjoyed all of the characters and how their personalities and lives slowly unfolded . I enjoyed the inter- connectedness of their story . Truly a tale of female friendship . I also enjoyed that these were not “ jeune fille” but tales of women with experience , women who have lived full lives and still have a lot more ahead . I liked that both the male and female characters were well rounded out and written as to be believable . I even felt the pace of the novel reflected the traveling itself . I looked forward to when I could return to reading when I inevitably had to take breaks. Although it was a great escape book , it was also thought- provoking. I wonder to this day how they are all doing ...
Join Date: 07/16/14
Posts: 354
SherryK and a couple of others referred to the age of the women involved--I loved Sherryk's comment of all of a sudden realizing she is of the same age group--I often find myself surprised to realize what age group I now inhabit--chronologically but not really! LOL But I like the characters being women of a certain age--as a young woman I loved reading about women who could be my grannies or maybe my Mom--never realizing---but already addressed that--lol As to the slow pace, i never noticed that, but I think because moving along enclosed water is never fast and so the pace seemed logical to the scene
Join Date: 05/04/15
Posts: 29
I agree with katherinep, I enjoyed the pace of the novel. It makes a nice respite from stories that propel the reader forward by racheting up suspense (don't get me wrong, I like those stories too!) and it suited the gentle yet surprising storyline.
Join Date: 08/16/17
Posts: 158
Join Date: 02/26/21
Posts: 46
Join Date: 10/28/18
Posts: 12
I enjoyed the book. At times, it would have been nice to be a little faster paced, but I realize this would not have fit the book and the lifestyle being portrayed. It was nice to learn of a different way to live/travel. It almost forced you to slow down and think about how fast paced life can become so quick and that it is okay to slow down.
Join Date: 08/02/18
Posts: 11
Join Date: 10/25/17
Posts: 16
This delightfully slow read, believable characters enjoying a slightly unbelievable adventure,snappy and natural dialogue, and meandering plot was exactly what I needed right now. Coming out of pandemic mode, it would be wonderful to contemplate an adventure with a happy conclusion. I totally enjoyed the novel.
Reply
Please login to post a response.