| New Acquisitions |
Two in a boat – A marital rite of passage; Gwyneth Lewis; Harper Perennial, 2006; £7.99; CA 16721 The author is National Poet of Wales and this shows throughout this unusual book, written ostensibly about the purchase of a Nich 35 and the voyage positioning the boat for an Atlantic crossing but in reality about the author’s thoughts and feelings towards sailing and specifically her relationship with her husband, Leighton. All of the reviews on the back cover refer to a voyage of discovery and how the author hopes that the adventure will change her life. It does but not in the way she expects. The narrative is in turn descriptive, emotional, naïve and exasperating and a better read for it. I can empathise with her feelings as she comes to terms with what long distance voyaging really means, Liz and I had the same rows about similar themes when we first embarked on a similar voyage. Gwyneth, however, goes well beyond the mere experience of learning, for instance, she meets Ellen McCarthy and invites her for tea. The voyage is more concerned with personal challenges and circumstances than a sailing text is all the better for it. If you want to read about the feelings that encompass long distance cruising then I commend this book to you. I can see why the author is the National Poet for Wales, the construction of her prose and description of her feelings mark this book out above the rest. - CRE |
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