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    Narrow Margins: The Narrow Boat Books
    Unavailable
    Narrow Margins: The Narrow Boat Books
    Unavailable
    Narrow Margins: The Narrow Boat Books
    Ebook353 pages6 hours

    Narrow Margins: The Narrow Boat Books

    By Marie Browne

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Narrow Margins – a laugh-out-loud book which proves that lean times can sometimes be a very positive thing.

    Faced with the loss of everything following the collapse of the Rover Group, Marie Browne moved her long-suffering husband Geoff, chaotic children and smelly, narcoleptic dog on to a houseboat in search of a less stressful, healthier, alternative way of life.

    Strapped for cash, the family buy a decrepit 70ft barge called Happy Go lucky which had been run as a floating hotel. Outdated and in need of a complete refurbishment, Happy becomes their floating home. First they need to learn the ropes and many pitfalls beset their adventures.

    As they come to terms with living on a narrow boat, readers gain a fascinating insight into life in the slow lane.

    About the author:

    Marie Browne is a gently harrassed mother of three who, for the past fifteen years, has been desperately trying to escape the Customer Service Industry. Apart from her husband and kids, the best things in her life are real ale; barbecues; ugly mad dogs that nobody else wants and cream-covered designer coffees. She also has an obsession with shoes but her husband is threatening to get her help for that.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAccent Press
    Release dateOct 18, 2012
    ISBN9781908917508
    Unavailable
    Narrow Margins: The Narrow Boat Books
    Author

    Marie Browne

    Marie Browne is a mother of three who, for the past fifteen years, has been desperately trying to escape the Customer Service Industry. Apart from her husband and kids, the best things in her life are real ale, barbecues, ugly mad dogs that nobody else wants and cream-covered designer coffees. She also has an obsession with shoes.

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    Reviews for Narrow Margins

    3.5/5

    2 ratings2 reviews

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    • 2/5
      This book is OK. The author and her husband have a successful business and upper middle class life in Britain, and through some misfortune (which I don't remember), the business goes under and they start going under. The hit upon the plan of selling everything and moving into a boat. The only boat they can fine is an old barge, which they slowly fix up and modernize as they float through England's canals and waterways. They have children and dogs, and adjust to the change. Then they sell the renovated boat for a profit and try to decide what to do next.The adventure is pleasant enough, but there's no substance. The family never really gels into distinct characters, and the writing, while good enough, isn't really vivid or interesting enough to compensate. The adventures and mishaps aren't all that exciting. In fact the ending was confusing. On one hand, we are repeatedly told that the children aren't doing well with home schooling for a host of legitimate reasons, and therefore they need to be in a regular school. Then, suddenly, the author gets all enthusiastic about buying an ocean going ship and taking off for parts unknown. Then the book ends.Meh.
    • 5/5
      Narrow Margins is a book about much more than the trial and tribulations found in every family. I empathise fully with the ethos of the book, because I have been there. Marie and her partner have to make a difficult change of lifestyle when life plays them a bad roll of the dice. Living on a narrow-boat as a means to an end would not be anyone's first choice. Full of ironic happenings that make you smile and feel sorry at the same time. Narrow Margins is one of those books that makes you want to champion the underdogs to win through in the end. Life is testing the strength of their family relationship and resolve to the full. If you want to know the outcome - read the book, you will not be disappointed.