Book info

• Title Narrow Minds
• Author Marie Browne
• Year 2011
• Genre Memoir

In her debut memoir Narrow Margins Marie Browne saved her family from financial ruin by moving her long-suffering husband three children and a dog on to a houseboat called Happy Go Lucky in search of a less stressful, alternative way of life. Now in Narrow Minds the family find themselves sucked back into normality, they’re pretty much back where they started, horrible house, no boat and the kids are beginning to threaten mutiny. Facing perky postmen, ice skating cows, psychotic villagers and outraged rodents, they’re running out of time, their financial situation is getting desperate and there’s every chance life has conspired against them to make sure they never get back afloat. Until they find the answer to their dreams lies with Minerva, a narrow boat even more run-down than the first. This hilarious follow-up shows the lengths to which a desperate woman will go just to restore her preferred lifestyle.

Thoughts

Ahh, the returning adventures of Marie and her madcap family. I loved the first book written by Marie, once you get to know the family it really felt like you were on the adventure with them. Back then, it was about selling up, buying a narrow boat to live on, taking it on the long journey to the mooring and dealing with everything that happened along the way. Amazingly, this book is exactly the same and yet still enormously entertaining.

What is incredible about the writing is there are some really mundane details in there - shopping, drinking an awful lot of tea, taking a dog for a walk - and yet, it’s endlessly fascinating. It’s a world I can just about imagine but would never want to do myself. It all sounds very cold and damp, and uncomfortable. But reading about it, particularly from someone with such passion for the boating life, is marvellous.

Another great book and I think there’s a third, so I’ll be indulging in that one too.

Rating: 4 / 5