The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar

 The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson

I was excited to receive an ARC copy of Anne Youngson second novel The Narrowboat Summer, I loved Meet me at the Museum and I was not disappointed by it.

I have to say this book is quite different from Meet me at the Museum but both novels leave you with a sense of brighter future: the story ends but you know that things for the main characters’ life will change for the better.

In the novel Eve and Sally decide to help Anastasia, the owner of a narrowboat called Number One; the narrowboat needs repairs, but Anastasia cannot bring it to the boatyard in Chester because she needs to stay in Uxbridge for heath reasons. The three women meet casually in front of the narrowboat and from the beginning you can clearly see as these three women are quite different. Sally seems to be the quiet one, Eve, quite pragmatic, is the strong character but she has recently been laid off, so she is in a moment of vulnerability, Anastasia is used to a frugal life on the Canal and she is used to be direct and independent but now she needs help.

I loved the development of the novel, it is not a fast-paced book but, I think it reflects the slow moving of the life on a canal. At the end of the journey (and of the book) the three women seems to have a clearer view of their future and what it is going to be their next move.

I knew nothing about canals, locks and gate and this book left me with the longing of a boat cruise on the English canals. When I was young, I read Three men in a boat, but I have to say except for the fact there here there are three women and a dog the resemblances stop here. On the contrary I found some similarities with Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald, both novels describe the life of small community that live in an unusual and unique way so different from the one that we usually know.

Yesterday before writing this review I searched about canals and locks and I found a couples of interesting videos, here is the link to one that I think may be nice to watch to better understand how locks work: Trent & Mersey Canal video (YouTube)

 There is also a website of the Canal & River Trust that is in charge of safeguarding the British waterways (Canal & River Trusts).

I would like to thank Flatiron Books and NetGalley for the ARC copy and I would like to thank also Nikkia Rivera from Flatiron Books for the invite to join and be part the The Narrowboat Summer blog tour.

Expected publication date: January 26th, 2021

Goodreads: The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson