It's not my usual type of book but after spending so much time walking along the canal when I was back at moms and learning a little about the bridges nearby, it had me intrigued.
This is the bridge in question, it allows the horse pulling the boat to cross the canal without being unhitched from the boat. Clever!
Boater by Jo Bell
Well friend, I have to say the book is a delight. It's the authors story of how she ended up living and working on the canals, her romantic entanglements all beautifully woven and intertwined with the history of the canals and their influence on the Industrial Revolution.
Having grown in around the area where a good chunk of the book is set, I was amazed at how little I knew of the canal history and importance. Of course, we would have covered this at school but no doubt what my dry and boring history teacher told us back then, went in one ear and out the other.
I have to say, it has made me a little prouder of the area I grew up in as it often gets the brunt of jokes and it's definitely not one of the prettiest cities in the world and it's significance to world history I feel is very much downplayed.
I was also surprised to hear my village mentioned in the book, which is hysterical because it is not important or significant other than it being the source of the River Trent. Every year in the scouts we had to go and clean out and tidy the area around the source.
I listened to the audio version of the book, which is narrated by the author herself and she does a fabulous job. I usually cringe when authors read their own work as it is so badly done, but not this one.
By the end of the book, I felt that I too had travelled the UK on the narrowboat (mot a barge) with Jo, enjoying tea, biscuits and bacon butties. And I do wonder if I could adopt to a life on the water. At sea, that is a hard no, but even walking along the canal there is a lovely sense of peace even when you are just a stones through from a housing estate.
I also like the idea of just living with the bare essentials, clutter and accumulated 'stuff' drives me potty. But it also looks like a tonne of hard work, she doesn't go into much detail about how things like toilet situation works or doing your daily shop. So I did leave with even more questions!
If you are looking for an easy read, with spoonful of history, a cupful friendship topped off with a dollop of wit, then this is a great choice.
Boater - By Jo Bell Available here (aff link)
If I were to move back and took to a. life on the water, this is obviously this is the boat for me... Spotted on the canal near Congleton.
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