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.
Disarmingly truthful and narrated with a rare, surprising wit, THREE WOMEN AND A BOAT is a journey over the glorious waterways of England and into the unfathomable depths of the human heart.
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.
Disarmingly truthful and narrated with a rare, surprising wit, THREE WOMEN AND A BOAT is a journey over the glorious waterways of England and into the unfathomable depths of the human heart.
Three Women and a Boat by Anne Youngson was published by Doubleday in hardback on 12 November 2020, the paperback is released in July 2021. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review.
Eve has been given the sack after thirty years in the Engineering industry. Sally has just told her husband that she no longer wants to be married to him and Anastasia is sick and is facing a life-saving operation.
These three women meet by chance and between them they form a plan. Eve and Sally will navigate Anastasia’s narrow-boat along the English canals, while she receives her hospital treatment.
Neither Sally or Eve have ever set foot upon a narrow boat before, and they hardly know each other. This is either a massive mistake, or it could be the beginning of a wonderful new friendship.
Along the way, the characters learn more about each other. They meet many friends of Anastasia along the way; some are friendly, some are mysterious, but all of them have nothing but good to say about Anastasia, despite the fact that she’s bristly and curt and often dismissive.
This is so much more than a journey on a boat. This is a journey of life and discovery; a story of how friendships are formed and how sometimes the biggest, most drastic changes in life are the ones that do the most good.
Anne Youngson writes with such humour and compassion. The characters are a joy to discover and the depiction of life in the narrow-boat community is vividly done. This author excels in stories of second chances and championing those in later life.
An insightful, emotional and absorbing tribute to friendship and community.
to date. MEET ME AT THE MUSEUM, her debut novel, was shortlisted for the Costa Best First Novel Award and won the inaugural Paul Torday prize for debut fiction by writers over sixty. Her exquisite new novel, a BBC Radio Two Bookclub pick, is also about the joy of discovering new experiences and friendships. Her work is published around the world.
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