The Narrowboat Girl - Annie Murray

I didn’t see much point in reading fiction up until quite recently as I don’t get much time to read books and I figured that it’d be more worthwhile to read non-fiction when I did get the chance to read as at least then I’d be learning something about the world and not just reading one of a billion stories out there!

I found The Narrowboat Girl on Amazon randomly and I read the synopsis and it sounded interesting! I kept the book in mind and a few months later I asked for it when my partner asked what I’d like for my Christmas present!

I read the book very quickly and thoroughly enjoyed it and that was what started me off reading fiction books again. Years after reading the book, I can still remember the name of the main character, Maryann Nelson, which is more than I can say for almost any film (with the exception of “When Harry Met Sally” for some reason) I’ve seen and most other books, even ones I’ve thoroughly enjoyed!

~ The story ~
The book is set in Birmingham in the 1920’s. School girl, Maryann and her family - her mother Flo and her father Harry, her younger brothers Billy and Tony and her older sister Sally - are not particularly well off and her mother is a rather selfish stresshead who takes things out on the kids a bit more than she should.
When Maryann’s loving father gets run over and killed by a car the family is devastated and local undertaker, Norman Griffin, who has been good to Flo since her husband died begins to spend a lot of time at the house.
As the synopsis states “Norman is not at all what he seems, as Maryann and her sister Sal soon discover.”

Flo is thankful to have found Norman – it is clearly a marriage of convenience with little, if any, love between them, but they both get what they want from each other. Flo defends Norman telling her daughters that they should be grateful that he is supporting their family.

In a bid to avoid him one day Maryann finds herself wandering the streets of Birmingham. By the canal she makes a new friend, Joel Bartholomew, a young man a little older than she is, who lives on a narrowboat that is docked there - the Esther Jane, with his family working on the canals.
She later goes back to the canal hoping to find him again and after much difficulty, she finds Joel and uses the Esther Jane to leave Birmingham and she falls in love with the growingly difficult life on the canals until Joel’s feelings for her begin to change, causing dreadful memories to come flooding back for Maryann and she does a runner...

~ The Narrowboat Girl - My thoughts ~
The story is fantastic and has many twists and turns along the way. It was a thoroughly enjoyable read with both happy and sad aspects to the story.
As well as the story being well researched and thought out with many surprises I love that the book takes you back in time as far back as the 1920’s to well-described parts of Birmingham and canal routes, where I otherwise would never have been!

~ Water Gypsies ~
There is also a sequel called Water Gypsies which I have also read and it is a continuation of this story. I also thoroughly enjoyed that book and would recommend it to anyone who has or is going to read The Narrowboat Girl. Although you do not have to read both I’d really like you to know more about Norman Griffin and how his and Maryann’s paths cross again especially after how things end for Norman Griffin in The Narrowboat Girl.

I recommended this book to my sister, who I lent it to and she also enjoyed it and we both read several more of Annie Murray’s books.

~ Other Annie Murray Titles ~
Other books by Annie Murray include:
Birmingham Rose
Birmingham Friends
Birmingham Blitz
Orphan on Angel Street
Poppy Day
Chocolate Girls
Water Gypsies
Family Of Women
The Narrowboat Girl is the best of the ones I have read, but they are all fantastic and well researched with characters that the author brings to life. Family of Women is also a fantastic read.

I’d strongly recommend this book. It is one of the few books I’d ever consider reading a second time. This is completely my genre now, but my sister didn’t think she’d like these books as they aren’t her genre at all, but she too thoroughly enjoyed this book to the point she bought the sequel and passed it on to me to read!

~ Price and availability ~
This book is available on Amazon for £5.99 new or £0.01 and £2.80 postage used, but in very good condition. Before you order, keep reading because:
you can also buy a 2 in 1 book with The Narrowboat Girl and Water Gypsies on Amazon in used, but very good condition (what do you want a brand new one for?) for £0.01 plus £2.80 postage or £7.19 brand new!!