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The Narrowboat Summer
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
18 posts | 14 read | 19 to read
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 theyve done, Sally and Eve agree to drive Anastasias 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 summers 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, Anne Youngson's The Narrowboat Summer is a celebration of the power of friendship and new experiences to change ones life, at any age.
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BookNAround
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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I finally set the date for our July book club (it‘s a summer book club so only meets June-July-August and June got away from me so we didn‘t meet). This is July‘s book and since my mother will need to read it too, I thought I should start it now.

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Beautiful photo 🩷 9mo
marleed It‘s so pretty! 9mo
Tamra Super pretty! 9mo
60 likes1 stack add4 comments
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MaureenMc
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Bittersweet story of two middle-aged women suddenly finding themselves agreeing to pilot an elderly lady‘s narrowboat for the summer. They are all at a crossroads in their lives, & take this time to figure out their next steps. #50in50

Deblovestoread This sounds lovely! Stacked 10mo
MaureenMc @Deblovestoread It‘s a great summer story! And it was nice to have middle-aged protagonists who aren‘t pining after lost loves or worried about their appearances. 10mo
BookNAround I just read this one and really enjoyed the lovely, meandering pace of it. 8mo
MaureenMc @BookNAround It‘s a perfect read for this time of year. 😊 8mo
46 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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BarbaraJean
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Looking for those family boat trip pictures for my previous post on this book, I also came across these two, proving we did have some good weather on our English river journeys! There‘s my dad at the helm, and my mother flapping a pair of my brother‘s jeans in the breeze after that time he fell in the river 😂

Leftcoastzen Great photos! 10mo
38 likes1 comment
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BarbaraJean
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

For part of my childhood, I lived in an English market town along the River Great Ouse. Narrowboats were a common sight, moored along the river (just a short walk from our front door). Several family holidays were spent navigating hire boats up the River Ouse, and I remember the process of going through locks up and down the river. I‘m the tiny one in the pic on the right, and on the left, you can see my dad guiding me through steering a boat. ⬇️

BarbaraJean I don‘t think we ever hired a narrowboat, but I remember sitting in the cabin of whatever boat we did hire, watching the river outside, and reading Milne‘s Now We Are Six. I was about that age, too! So this story caught my eye, and when I saw it was about three women, all at a crossroads, deciding what path to take next, it seemed all too fitting (as I‘m currently scoping out a career shift or at least a job change myself). And this was lovely. ⬇ (edited) 10mo
BarbaraJean The characters felt thoroughly unique—the MCs & the colorful personalities they meet journeying through the canals of England. It was thoughtful & reflective, centering a surprising friendship with a bit of a found-family feel. The beginning felt contrived, but once the narrative got under way, I was fully on board (ha!) with Eve & Sally. Now I‘m wishing for a couple months on a narrowboat myself, reflecting & reading & sorting out my own life. 🙂 10mo
MaureenMc Lovely review! I recently read this one myself. 10mo
46 likes4 stack adds3 comments
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willaful
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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#ThingsInCommon @thearomaofbooks

I'm glad #bookspin and @robinb got me to finally finish this because it really is a quietly lovely book. I wish everyone feeling at a crossroads in their lives got such a chance to contemplate life while finding a new family. (And by everyone, I especially mean me.)

robinb Oh, I‘m so glad you stayed with it! It really was a lovely book. 11mo
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 11mo
15 likes2 comments
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robinb
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

This was my first #BookSpin of 2023, and it was a good way to start out the new year.😊 Eve and Sally, two complete strangers, meet one morning by chance and end up offering to navigate another stranger‘s (Anastasia, a fiercely independent and somewhat crotchety narrowboat-dweller) narrowboat on a summer-long journey to be serviced. Eve and Sally are both at loose ends and in need of reflection to figure out what path to take forward in their 🔻

robinb lives. Meanwhile, Anastasia is also facing tough decisions as she‘s forced to be land-locked for awhile for medical reasons. Thus begins new friendships, new outlooks on life and new opportunities not considered before. This was such a good story…loved the three women so much and the supporting characters were wonderful as well. If you like feel-good books revolving around strong women, this one‘s for you. 4.25/5⭐️ @TheAromaofBooks 1y
rubyslippersreads This reminds me of one of my favorite books 1y
robinb @rubyslippersreads oh, that does sound along the same lines. That one sounds good! Thanks for mentioning it! Stacked. 😊 1y
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TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! 1y
willaful This is my March #bookspin and honestly I haven't been feeling it, but you encourage me to keep going. 11mo
robinb @willaful oh no! I hope it gets better for you. Keep me updated. 😊 11mo
42 likes1 stack add6 comments
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LeslieO
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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So close to a bingo! But I did read my #BookSpin and #DoubleSpin (yay!) Onto September. #BookSpinBingo

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Fantastic month!! 2y
19 likes1 stack add1 comment
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bookandbedandtea
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

This is a character driven book which moves gently but surely through the canals of the English countryside. It's a story about kindness and friendship and pausing to assess one's life before deliberately starting down the next path. It's beautifully descriptive while being both soothing and uplifting but in a serious way; this is not fluffy. An excellent second book by this author.

38 likes2 stack adds
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Foragingfantasy
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

I had to look up canal locks! Loved this story.

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Twocougs
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

What an utterly charming book! I am ready to quit my job, and move to England to live on a narrowboat.

janeycanuck I felt the same! 3y
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kissmehardy
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

Did I love the setting and characters in this? Definitely. Do I have any idea how canals work even after 300+ pages? NOPE. #contemporaryfiction

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janeycanuck
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

A gentle, charming novel that gave me the same feelings as a Phaedra Patrick novel. This had such a lovely languid feeling to it while keeping my attention with strong character development. Sally, Eve and Anastasia seemed almost like caricatures in the opening pages but Youngson spun them into three complex, interesting women who go from strangers to caring deeply for each other. A comfort read, best enjoyed with tea and a warm spot of sunshine.

Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 3y
33 likes1 stack add2 comments
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WanderingBookaneer
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Day 2
Book 6
#24in48

Soubhiville Have a great reading day! I‘m just diving in too! 3y
53 likes1 comment
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ElleSkel
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Bailed on this but, it really was a sweet story. I made it about halfway and realized that I just shouldn‘t force myself to read books I am not excited about. I was trying to slip something light and sweet in before reading more horror but I have tried with 2 different books now and I just can‘t get through them. Oh well I tried. These characters really are great though, so far it was a sweet story! I hope this doesn‘t bring down the rating. 👇🏼

ElleSkel It DID change the rating so I just didn‘t mark it as a bail. 3y
WanderingBookaneer I started this one now. Let‘s see. 3y
38 likes2 comments
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ElleSkel
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Joining in this #readathon this weekend hosted by @Andrew65 ! I am about 1 hour into the tagged title so far and I am really enjoying it. Trying to cleanse my brain from all the horror for a minute but every time I try to do that I end up bailing on the book. Hopefully this will not be a bail. Here we go! #20in4

Andrew65 Good luck, great to have you with us. 😊👍 3y
23 likes1 comment
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WanderingBookaneer
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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ElleSkel I am doing the same thing right now!! I hopped in here to scroll through my TBRs since nothing I am searching for is in Hoopla tonight 😂😂 3y
WanderingBookaneer @ElleSkel : I check new releases every Tuesday and add them to my “favorites” so that I can remember what they have. 3y
ElleSkel Super smart! 3y
59 likes4 comments
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Lauren.Archer
The Narrowboat Summer | Anne Youngson
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Pickpick

Wonderful story of three woman coming together to meet a goal. Lots of adventures, so much fun.

http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2021/01/16/the-narrowboat-summer-book-review/

58 likes2 stack adds