Review: "Sort yourself out or be miserable!"
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 10, 2014
The spirit that built an Empire is  alive and well.  When a good Englishwoman faces financial ruin she faces it bravely and with a stiff upper lip. Or she throws a few tantrums and cries over her beloved shoe collection and THEN she faces it bravely.  One way or another, she keeps going and  finds something to laugh about. It's the English way. They can't help being plucky so don't judge them.I read this book several years ago and was fascinated.  I had read THREE MEN IN A BOAT, so I knew England had canals, but I had never realized the extent of the inland waterways system or the large number of individuals and families (River Rats!) who make their homes on "narrow boats."  I have since read other accounts and I still think this is one of the best.It's not a boating manual, but the story of a very real family which struggles with the same problems we all face and finds a unique solution to the question "But where will we live?"  Mind you, I'm not saying it was a perfect solution.  A cogent argument could be made that two people with little boating experience and a hyper young son (who doesn't know how to swim!) and a dopey old dog don't have any business buying an ancient houseboat. Buying a fixer-upper is a major undertaking even if it's on dry land and doesn't have to be moved around all the time.  It's one of those things I wouldn't do myself but am happy to read about if someone else is crazy enough to do it and writes well enough to make a good story out of it.I found the author and her family very likable and I admire them for having the guts to break out of a predictable lifestyle into an unusual, slightly eccentric one.  The knowledge that they can survive hard times and adapt successfully and happily is a fine legacy to give your children. Thumbs up!  I am reminded that I have at least one of her follow-up books on my Kindle and I need to pull that Bad Boy up and read it.