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The Bookshop That Floated Away
In early 2009 a strange sort of business plan landed on the desk of a pinstriped bank manager. It had pictures of rats and moles in rowing boats and archaic quotes about Cleopatra's barge. It asked for a GBP30,000 loan to buy a black-and-cream narrowboat and a small hoard of books. The manager said no. Nevertheless The Book Barge opened six months later and enjoyed the happy patronage of local readers, a growing number of eccentrics and the odd moorhen. Business wasn't always easy, so one May morning owner Sarah Henshaw set off for six months chugging the length and breadth of the country. Books were bartered for food, accommodation, bathroom facilities and cake. During the journey, the barge suffered a flooded engine, went out to sea, got banned from Bristol and, on several occasions, floated away altogether. This account follows the ebbs and flows of Sarah's journey as she sought to make her vision of a floating bookshop a reality.
260 pages, Paperback
First published April 3, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
April 20, 2017
I usually avoid memoir and books-about-books like the plague, but this memoir about a bookshop on a boat was wonderful. Sarah Henshaw's writing is by turns pee-my-pants funny, reflective, and moving. I loved this spunky young woman, her less-than-shipshape business and her personal foibles: I bet you will too. I could've done with a little less about the boating side of her adventure, but virtually all of this was engaging.
July 1, 2015
Many people have dreams. Some want to shrug off the ties that a property can have, others dream of opening a bookshop. Very few combine both of those dreams, but Sarah Henshaw is one that did. Have written an eclectic and unusual business plan and submitted it to her bank requesting £30,000 to be able to buy a narrowboat and a pile of books, the manager considered her request.
And said no.
Thankfully her parents had the capital to enable her to fulfil her dream and six months later the Book Barge opened. A little bit of a novelty, it attracted a fair number of eccentrics and a growing customer base, but as this was the time of the credit crunch and the rise of the eBook so business was hard. On a whim she decides to travel the round the country via the canals and waterways, with the hope of bartering books for accommodation, tea and cake. It was an eventful journey, as she had very little experience of travelling by narrowboat or navigating locks. On the journey she managed to flood her engine, had a brief sea trip, got robbed, provided countless cups of free tea, floated away and even managed to get banned from Bristol harbour. And all the way round she is hassled continually by her bank as the debts increase. B
What comes across in the book is her tenacity and her drive. She really believes in this venture, and is prepared to give it her all in making it a success. What you also get is the impression that business acumen isn’t her strong point either, as she struggles to make ends meet. In general it is a nice tale of her scrapes and successes. I ended up giving this two stars rather than three because of part 2. It is a fictional account of the narrowboat’s life from the perspective of the book, and for me didn’t really work. It might have been better to split it and have it as the lead in to each chapter. Apart from that it was good to read about someone who is prepared to follow her dream of owning a bookshop.
And said no.
Thankfully her parents had the capital to enable her to fulfil her dream and six months later the Book Barge opened. A little bit of a novelty, it attracted a fair number of eccentrics and a growing customer base, but as this was the time of the credit crunch and the rise of the eBook so business was hard. On a whim she decides to travel the round the country via the canals and waterways, with the hope of bartering books for accommodation, tea and cake. It was an eventful journey, as she had very little experience of travelling by narrowboat or navigating locks. On the journey she managed to flood her engine, had a brief sea trip, got robbed, provided countless cups of free tea, floated away and even managed to get banned from Bristol harbour. And all the way round she is hassled continually by her bank as the debts increase. B
What comes across in the book is her tenacity and her drive. She really believes in this venture, and is prepared to give it her all in making it a success. What you also get is the impression that business acumen isn’t her strong point either, as she struggles to make ends meet. In general it is a nice tale of her scrapes and successes. I ended up giving this two stars rather than three because of part 2. It is a fictional account of the narrowboat’s life from the perspective of the book, and for me didn’t really work. It might have been better to split it and have it as the lead in to each chapter. Apart from that it was good to read about someone who is prepared to follow her dream of owning a bookshop.
July 14, 2014
In 2009, Sarah Henshaw had a brilliant idea - to transform a narrow boat, named Joseph, into a bookshop, called The Book Barge, but by 2011, battered by the recession, the growth in digital book sales and Henshaw's self-confessed terrible book-selling skills the store, moored in the Midlands, was on the verge of closing. Desperate to keep the business afloat, Sarah came up with the idea to traverse the canals of England for six months to raise awareness of the plight of independent booksellers and, of course, sell books.
The Bookshop That Floated Away is the story of Henshaw's adventures through the waterways of Britain, negotiating its hundreds of locks, mooring where able, and selling the odd book, supplementing the costs of her journey, largely financed by her parents and an extraordinarily generous ex boyfriend, by bartering stock for essentials like meals, alcohol, haircuts and bathroom privileges along the way. Passionate about books and literature but lacking business savvy, and at times common sense, the journey was not an easy one, hampered by break-downs, break-ins and break-outs.
I expected to love this book, but unfortunately I finished it feeling rather disappointed. I'm not sure if it was the author or her writing style, that I had trouble connecting with, but I think it was probably a mixture of both. I found Henshaw's attitude irritating at times, and there is a weird section written from the perspective of Joseph, the boat. Still, I love the whole idea of The Book Barge and I did find Sarah's adventures interesting, so I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it.
The Book Barge is now moored permanently in the Barton Marina, open weekends and holidays (at Henshaw's whim). Check The Book Barge Facebook page for details about opening hours and special events.
June 1, 2014
I kept waiting for this spoiled brat to grow up and be a HARD-WORKING independent bookseller. She has such disdain for JOBS and those who work hard at those jobs, yet she has no compunction about CONTINUING to sponge off those who do work hard at jobs (her parents, her boyfriend, her friends, and so forth). This story is not about a young girl being supported by loved ones in pursuit of some great dream. It's about a woman almost in her thirties who flits about and does not bother to learn how to care for her boat properly or run a business half decently. As she described a friend and herself, they are "picking up a different finger food every five minutes and exclaiming over every cocktail sausage or blini: 'This will sate my appetite...No this will.' If she wants to find what passion in life is going to sate her in life, she should do it on her own dime. Even at the final page, she has refused to run her business in a way that is not going to collect more debt. In fact, her way to deal with bills is to ignore them. She is not entirely alone in the blame because her parents and boyfriend continue to enable her. And now...I have joined in enabling Sarah Henshaw through the purchase of her book (to my regret). The irony is that I did so on the recommendation of an independent bookseller I respect and who has always done her best by her employees and patrons in how she runs her business.
November 16, 2015
An easy read - written in a series of short chapters as she gently rambled on about the people she met and things going on around her that she connected to books she had read. Occassional humore - such as one of the rules for her canal boat bookshop:
"...Please don't fart. This bookshop is very small and quite poorly ventilated. I've thrown perpetrators out before now..."
Loved her humour for the most part - her rambling less so, and maybe I just didn't get it - but was a bit jumbled up for me.
"...Please don't fart. This bookshop is very small and quite poorly ventilated. I've thrown perpetrators out before now..."
Loved her humour for the most part - her rambling less so, and maybe I just didn't get it - but was a bit jumbled up for me.
July 8, 2015
Liked the idea of this book but it didn't work out for me. I didn't find the 'funny tales' particularly funny and the author often felt as if she was trying too hard. And there's only so much you can say about going through a lock.
I love poking around a book shop as much as any other book lover, but equally I can fully understand why customers make a note of ISBN numbers and then go and order the book for half the price on line, or download it electronically.
I'm afraid this book bored me and was abandoned before the end.
I love poking around a book shop as much as any other book lover, but equally I can fully understand why customers make a note of ISBN numbers and then go and order the book for half the price on line, or download it electronically.
I'm afraid this book bored me and was abandoned before the end.
December 3, 2019
The premise of this book gives promise for a great storyline. Instead you are meet with a depressing, badly written, poor plot and the same mistakes made by the author over and over again. One begins to feel little to no sympathy for her by the last twenty pages, in fact I ended up strongly disliking her. Not a good book, personally.
June 20, 2016
В этой книжке три главных героя: книжная баржа (точнее, узкая лодка), слегка ебанутая и выпивающая девушка и книжки. К моему сожалению, в сочетании «книжная баржа» главное слово — «баржа», но все равно мемуар у Сары получился в меру занимательный. Нынешняя жизнь как есть в современной цивилизации вообще не очень интересна, и шансов на подлинное приключение у книжных червей немного (оттого они и книжные черви), поэтому Сара нашла в упорядоченной Англии ту щель и субкультуру, которая дала ей шанс вернуться в детство: реки и каналы.
А главное, конечно, в том, что детство не кончается никогда, и баржа для нее стала тем шалашом из одеял, домом на дереве, убежищем под столом, где так клево было читать книжки. Это располагает, хотя основной пафос мемуара — жизнь есть боль (особенно если ты слегка ебанут). Ну а из полезного: если вы хотите сделать заметный независимый книжный магазин, наверное, баржу себе заводить — все-таки чуточку радикально.
А главное, конечно, в том, что детство не кончается никогда, и баржа для нее стала тем шалашом из одеял, домом на дереве, убежищем под столом, где так клево было читать книжки. Это располагает, хотя основной пафос мемуара — жизнь есть боль (особенно если ты слегка ебанут). Ну а из полезного: если вы хотите сделать заметный независимый книжный магазин, наверное, баржу себе заводить — все-таки чуточку радикально.
February 5, 2019
In 2009, Sarah Henshaw approached a 'pinstriped bank manager', asking for a loan of £30,000 to buy 'a black-and-cream narrowboat and a small hoard of books.' The manager said no, scorning her creative business proposal which was made to look like a book. However, her family and then-boyfriend Stu soon lent her the money to purchase 'Joseph' from the Internet, and get her idea off the ground (or onto the water, so to speak). Six months later, Henshaw and Stu opened The Book Barge.
The Bookshop That Floated Away begins with a hand drawn map, which includes the route that the Book Barge took on its 2011 voyage. The key which accompanies it reads: '1,079 miles, 707 locks, 1,395 books bought/bartered.' In her introduction which follows, Henshaw sets out just how often she was asked why she owned a bookshop on a boat - almost daily, it turned out. 'Usually,' she writes, this curiosity was exercised to 'preface a pun they actually believe to be original - about it being a "novel" idea. Or one "hull" of an idea. Or, when the American tourists are in, a "swell" idea.' Her response was generally to point out the cost effectiveness of taking a bookshop onto the water rather than to pay extortionate rates for high street premises, 'or how the quirkiness attracts greater footfall, [and] the advantages of being able to move on when business is slack.'
Although this may sound like an idyllic life, Henshaw's is rather a frank memoir. At first, she is moored in Burton-on-Trent, where her family live, but business proved to be rather slow. Despite starting off relatively well, she recognised the way in which the book industry was 'changing fast', particularly with the advent of the eReader. She took to the water, deciding to spend six months 'chugging the length and breadth of the country. Books were bartered for food, accommodation, bathroom facilities, and cake. Along the way, the barge suffered a flooded engine, went out to sea, got banned from Bristol and, on several occasions, floated away altogether.'
Henshaw speaks plainly of her lack of toilet and shower facilities on the boat, and the problems which the business - and her lack of expertise in running it - had with Stu, leading to their breakup, and then to her largely solo journey. There were also a few days when she just wanted to pack it all in and go home. Overall, however, the experience is largely a positive one; she reflects: '... I felt complete confidence and satisfaction in what I was doing. It made me indescribably happy.'
I found the first section of The Bookshop That Floated Away to be highly readable, and although some of the jokes which Henshaw makes were a little cheesy, it had a great tone to it. My enjoyment changed, however, when I got to the second section, which is narrated from the (obviously fictional) perspective of the Book Barge. It is relatively brief, but I did not feel as though it added anything particularly to the memoir. Rather, it reads like an experiment in creative writing, included 'just because'. Reading it felt rather cringeworthy, and it did lessen my enjoyment of the whole. There are also some rather strange imagined conversations which she has with various wildlife throughout; again, these added nothing to the whole for me, and felt a little jarring.
Henshaw does have a flair for the (melo)dramatic, and I did find that this became rather tiresome as the book went on. There was also only a loose structure at work, and the memoir jumped back and forth in time at odd intervals. There are some nice moments here, though - for instance, when she takes a detour by bicycle to the bookish town of Hay-on-Wye, in order to help a writer friend sell his own memoir, and when she recounts some of the odd experiences which she has with the general public. I found some parts of The Bookshop That Floated Away far more engaging than others, and overall it did feel as though there was a kind of inconsistency to the book.
The Bookshop That Floated Away begins with a hand drawn map, which includes the route that the Book Barge took on its 2011 voyage. The key which accompanies it reads: '1,079 miles, 707 locks, 1,395 books bought/bartered.' In her introduction which follows, Henshaw sets out just how often she was asked why she owned a bookshop on a boat - almost daily, it turned out. 'Usually,' she writes, this curiosity was exercised to 'preface a pun they actually believe to be original - about it being a "novel" idea. Or one "hull" of an idea. Or, when the American tourists are in, a "swell" idea.' Her response was generally to point out the cost effectiveness of taking a bookshop onto the water rather than to pay extortionate rates for high street premises, 'or how the quirkiness attracts greater footfall, [and] the advantages of being able to move on when business is slack.'
Although this may sound like an idyllic life, Henshaw's is rather a frank memoir. At first, she is moored in Burton-on-Trent, where her family live, but business proved to be rather slow. Despite starting off relatively well, she recognised the way in which the book industry was 'changing fast', particularly with the advent of the eReader. She took to the water, deciding to spend six months 'chugging the length and breadth of the country. Books were bartered for food, accommodation, bathroom facilities, and cake. Along the way, the barge suffered a flooded engine, went out to sea, got banned from Bristol and, on several occasions, floated away altogether.'
Henshaw speaks plainly of her lack of toilet and shower facilities on the boat, and the problems which the business - and her lack of expertise in running it - had with Stu, leading to their breakup, and then to her largely solo journey. There were also a few days when she just wanted to pack it all in and go home. Overall, however, the experience is largely a positive one; she reflects: '... I felt complete confidence and satisfaction in what I was doing. It made me indescribably happy.'
I found the first section of The Bookshop That Floated Away to be highly readable, and although some of the jokes which Henshaw makes were a little cheesy, it had a great tone to it. My enjoyment changed, however, when I got to the second section, which is narrated from the (obviously fictional) perspective of the Book Barge. It is relatively brief, but I did not feel as though it added anything particularly to the memoir. Rather, it reads like an experiment in creative writing, included 'just because'. Reading it felt rather cringeworthy, and it did lessen my enjoyment of the whole. There are also some rather strange imagined conversations which she has with various wildlife throughout; again, these added nothing to the whole for me, and felt a little jarring.
Henshaw does have a flair for the (melo)dramatic, and I did find that this became rather tiresome as the book went on. There was also only a loose structure at work, and the memoir jumped back and forth in time at odd intervals. There are some nice moments here, though - for instance, when she takes a detour by bicycle to the bookish town of Hay-on-Wye, in order to help a writer friend sell his own memoir, and when she recounts some of the odd experiences which she has with the general public. I found some parts of The Bookshop That Floated Away far more engaging than others, and overall it did feel as though there was a kind of inconsistency to the book.
July 13, 2023
I picked up this book after learning about it in Jen Campbell’s The Bookshop Book (which is an excellent read!) and expected to love it but I didn’t. I didn’t connect with the author or her writing style and I absolutely hated the section told from the perspective of the boat.
*I find it pretty ironic that throughout this book the author bangs on about the evils of Amazon and how e-readers are helping put independent bookstores out of business. Yet I bought my ebook copy from Amazon. Guess when it’s your book being sold easily to the masses it’s ok? Gotta get those dollar bills y’all! Thankfully you only got two or three of mine as it was on sale.
*I find it pretty ironic that throughout this book the author bangs on about the evils of Amazon and how e-readers are helping put independent bookstores out of business. Yet I bought my ebook copy from Amazon. Guess when it’s your book being sold easily to the masses it’s ok? Gotta get those dollar bills y’all! Thankfully you only got two or three of mine as it was on sale.
September 29, 2014
I picked this one up as I work in a small indie bookstore. So the struggles of someone in a similar situation I thought would make for very interesting reading. The problems of customers using your store to browse and then telling you happily that they can get it cheaper online "but thanks for the ideas" and similar are very familiar. I have to say though that I think Sarah is possibly the worst business owner/sales person ever. She lives in fantasy land about cash flow and with such a quirky store she should be able to attract heaps of signings and events. I can't help but think the while 2011 was a bad year for bookstores ( there has been quite a recovery since) she is her own worst enemy to business success.
August 3, 2018
What should have been a pleasant, humorous memoir about a young woman whose dream is to be a bookseller and who ends up setting up shop in a narrow boat, ends up being a muddled mash-up of anecdotes that are meant to be humorous but come off showing the author as blithely selfish, ignorant, immature, and irresponsible. She also puts in an entire passage told from the point-of-view of the boat. It is a ridiculous story and I felt sympathy for all the people in her life who love her but who can't really help her because she stubbornly maintains that she is doing just fine the way she is, despite endless calls and letters from angry creditors and a complete ignorance of both the business of bookselling and how to pilot a boat safely.
October 16, 2015
The author says it best in Chapter 55, she's an idiot. I would add self-indulgent idiot. Intended as the story of her adventures as bookseller on a canal barge but there are too few adventures and her frequent digressions into meaningless drivel made this a chore to read. Regret wasting my time on it.
March 11, 2014
Perfect.
June 29, 2014
Ugh, as if the author wasn't annoying enough, there's a section written from the boat's POV? No. Just no.
January 14, 2021
Eugh, annoying, immature and self-obsessing account of "owning" a bookshop barge. I use inverted commas for owning as it seems Henshaw spent more time wrecking and destroying the barge as opposed to caring for it. Petulant writing style, boring anecdotes that felt forced and a story that falls flat on its face. The major gutting part of me reading this book is thus:- had it reserved at my local library for months, status had book as previously overdue and not returned. Ended up buying it from online second hand book retailer and lo and behold, the copy I bought is an ex library copy.... from my feckin library!!!! Bloody hell!!!!!
July 10, 2021
The one thing about the author is that her head is so far in the clouds she hasn't the business know how to run a profitable bookshop. On the other hand, her head in the clouds personality allows her to write a book like this.
It is full of quirky moments as her 'barge bookshop' navigates canals in the UK, at times the writing does ramble especially in the longest chapter in the book where her boat, Joseph tells the story of his life so far.
At times you want to shout at her as at certain instances, what she is doing is stupid and I don't just mean selling bools out of a boat.
I found it ironic I bought this on Kindle from Amazon as throughout the narrative Henshaw complains about Amazon and e books being the demise of bookshops.
The book does have some humerous moments, especially the Acknowledgements at the end (which I don't normally read), they brought a smile to my face.
It is full of quirky moments as her 'barge bookshop' navigates canals in the UK, at times the writing does ramble especially in the longest chapter in the book where her boat, Joseph tells the story of his life so far.
At times you want to shout at her as at certain instances, what she is doing is stupid and I don't just mean selling bools out of a boat.
I found it ironic I bought this on Kindle from Amazon as throughout the narrative Henshaw complains about Amazon and e books being the demise of bookshops.
The book does have some humerous moments, especially the Acknowledgements at the end (which I don't normally read), they brought a smile to my face.
January 11, 2020
Intriguing and inspiring 🥰
November 23, 2015
This book has sat on Mt. TBR for a fair while now. It was bought as a gift for me and looked good from the blurb on the back, but unfortunately the execution of the book was a disappointment.
Henshaw herself says at the beginning that there are very few characters that are constant through the book. Pretty much just Sarah herself, Joseph the boat, and a few people who pop in and out such as her on-off boyfriend Stu and her parents. This gives the book a very disjointed feel as people appear for one chapter, only to disappear again. It's almost like a series of short stories - yet hasn't been written like a short story, so it's ultimately unsatisfying.
Henshaw's writing is also all over the place with some events hinted at, while other seem to appear from nowhere, leaving the reader wondering what they've missed. In parts it almost feels like a diatribe against the kindle, which is understandable (she also appears to be equally against Scottish banknotes, which is less so!) but it does get a bit much. She also comes across as someone with very little business nous, which makes the whole commercial aspect of the book barge very questionable to say the least. Ultimately it appears that without parents and her aforementioned on-again/off-again boyfriend to shore up the finances, the venture would have folded very quickly (or possibly not got off the ground at all).
I also skipped Part 2 completely as that was a fictional account of the book barge's life, written in the first person. It was just odd!
Overall she comes across as impulsive and privileged to have people who can shore up the financial aspect of something which is nothing more than a flight of fancy. This one just wasn't for me.
This review was originally posted on Babs' Bookshelf
Henshaw herself says at the beginning that there are very few characters that are constant through the book. Pretty much just Sarah herself, Joseph the boat, and a few people who pop in and out such as her on-off boyfriend Stu and her parents. This gives the book a very disjointed feel as people appear for one chapter, only to disappear again. It's almost like a series of short stories - yet hasn't been written like a short story, so it's ultimately unsatisfying.
Henshaw's writing is also all over the place with some events hinted at, while other seem to appear from nowhere, leaving the reader wondering what they've missed. In parts it almost feels like a diatribe against the kindle, which is understandable (she also appears to be equally against Scottish banknotes, which is less so!) but it does get a bit much. She also comes across as someone with very little business nous, which makes the whole commercial aspect of the book barge very questionable to say the least. Ultimately it appears that without parents and her aforementioned on-again/off-again boyfriend to shore up the finances, the venture would have folded very quickly (or possibly not got off the ground at all).
I also skipped Part 2 completely as that was a fictional account of the book barge's life, written in the first person. It was just odd!
Overall she comes across as impulsive and privileged to have people who can shore up the financial aspect of something which is nothing more than a flight of fancy. This one just wasn't for me.
This review was originally posted on Babs' Bookshelf
July 13, 2016
This book would have gotten 2 stars were it not for some lovely gems of English language description. I found it very, very hard to sympathise with Sarah because she created so much drama herself by being ill-prepared. This made me cross because she was a liability, operating a narrowboat without a safety consideration. I felt that she had personally been on a 'journey' during this journey but hadn't really learnt much about herself other than a couple of pages summary at the end which, to give her credit, she has been frank about. But, dear god, she is surrounded by enablers who are allowing her to behave like an irresponsible student instead of giving her some home truths and cutting off so funding so that she has to stop messing about and be a grown up. I just don't understand what drives her. Her business idea is interesting, she has friends and family as backers, she is not bound to one towpath so can move (like the Sweetie Barge in Manchester). Why then, does she seem so comfortable taking people's money, but not so driven to ensure it's not wasted? I wanted to shake her! She clearly has brains but no drive to work as hard as she needs to. It's infuriating! And to moan about Kindles made me cross; you could easily argue that bookshops are killing libraries. The bottom line is that we want people to read, and to love reading. I'm afraid the author came across as a spoilt middle class girl which was such a shame as she seemed so interesting at the same time. I skipped the part where Joseph the boat told his tale. It was slap-bang in the middle of the factual text and I just couldn't be bothered. I'd say this is an interesting travel book if you're interested in the canal network but be mindful that Sarah will infuriate you like your siblings do!
June 28, 2015
I really wanted to love this book. The cover was charming, and I chose it among many others while I was shopping the crowded shelves of Shakespeare and Company. A lone woman campaigning for the plight of the independent bookseller by creating a floating and traveling book barge? Count me in!
The challenge was that I found the book to be much more about the actual barge (navigating locks, canals, motors, etc.) than about bookselling. If nautical interests were my pursuit, I think I would have found it more fascinating. But, I bought it because it was about book. And then, it really wasn't.
I totally admire the author's mission, but feel that the opportunity for a clear and understandable story were missed.
The challenge was that I found the book to be much more about the actual barge (navigating locks, canals, motors, etc.) than about bookselling. If nautical interests were my pursuit, I think I would have found it more fascinating. But, I bought it because it was about book. And then, it really wasn't.
I totally admire the author's mission, but feel that the opportunity for a clear and understandable story were missed.
January 29, 2015
I did enjoy this little story however, at times I simply wanted to shake a little bit of common sense into Sarah. It is wonderful to be a dreamer but Sarah appeared to be very ill prepared for taking her dream out onto the canals. I was wondering if she actually exaggerated some of the events for shock purposes within the actual book, or if life had been just as she penned it? I particularly liked her section written from the point of view of the canal boat himself. The book did make for entertaining reading but it is a story you will surely have to read and make your own decisions on.
June 18, 2015
This book is a strange little gem, and though it often made my eyes widen slightly and wonder, even out loud at times, if the author was crazy, it's an extremely interesting tale, that never gets boring. I never once lost my appetite for this book, and it's various literary parallels and references, made me squeal a little in bookish glee. Overall a quirky, fun, and not afraid to get gritty story about a floating bookstore and his owner.
August 6, 2015
First person account of a young bookshop owner and her narrow boat bookshop. Henshaw spent several months ravelling the canals of southern Britain in an attempt to keep her business alive, and she candidly relates her lack of experience and poor business skills. She is entertaining, and puts a humorous spin on her tales, but at times she descends into fantasy, which was difficult to separate from reality.
September 4, 2014
Disjointed and instead of bring filled with the many kindnesses I'm sure Sarah found along the way it was the negative aspects of her interactions that were predominant. I get enough of that watching the news.
April 2, 2014
Disappointing.
March 8, 2015
It sounds like a good idea, a floating bookshop and a mission to enrage support for independent booksellers - but it was boring and incoherent. I was glad to finish it.
December 15, 2015
Quirky, Funny, Arm-chair-travel
June 11, 2021
Enjoyable light reading exploring mostly those people met on her journeys.
May 25, 2023
Grundsätzlich lese ich Bücher über Bibliotheken, Buchhandlungen und engagierte Buchhändlerinnen und Buchhändler sehr gerne. So gesehen hätte Sarah Henshaws „Mein wunderbares Bücherboot“ eigentlich eine sichere Bank sein müssen, zumal die Idee eines Buchladens auf einem Boot ebenso außergewöhnlich wie charmant ist.
Allerdings: „Wunderbar“ ist an diesem Memoir trotz des blumigen (deutschen) Titels und der putzigen Cover-Illustration so gut wie nichts. Allein die Entstehungsgeschichte der „Book Barge“ ist einigermaßen hanebüchen. Ohne nennenswerte Erfahrung als Buchhändlerin (abgesehen davon, dass sie schon immer gerne gelesen und von einem eigenen Buchladen geträumt hat - wahrscheinlich trifft das in irgendeiner Form auf alle zu, die sich hier auf dieser Plattform tummeln), Geschäftsfrau oder Bootsführerin erwirbt Sarah Henshaw ein viel zu teures, aber altersschwaches Kanalboot, das sie „Joseph“ tauft und zu einem schwimmenden Buchladen ausbaut, der im Hafen der mittelenglischen Stadt Burton upon Trent vor Anker liegt. Die für Laufkundschaft äußerst ungünstige Lage des Ladens und der schlichtweg nicht vorhandene Geschäftssinn der Autorin (die sich einerseits über den Online-Handel und Kunden, die sich lange umschauen, aber nichts kaufen, beschwert, sich andererseits aber vehement dagegen sträubt, einer jungen Leserin ein besonders schönes und relativ kostspieliges Buch zu verkaufen) sorgen dafür, dass schon nach kurzer Zeit die Pleite droht und obendrein eine langjährige Beziehung in die Brüche geht.
Der Ausweg aus der Misere soll eine sechsmonatige Reise über Englands Kanäle sein, doch auch dabei zeigt sich die Autorin äußerst schlecht vorbereitet. Dass es auf der Route zahllose Schleusen zu überwinden gilt, was für Alleinreisende jedes Mal eine große Herausforderung darstellt, fällt ihr erst unterwegs auf. Außerdem fehlt einmal mehr ein auch nur ansatzweise überzeugendes Geschäftsmodell. Bücher werden seltener verkauft als gegen eine Mahlzeit oder eine warme Dusche eingetauscht – schleierhaft, wie damit (so ein weiteres „Ziel“ der Kanaltour) auf die Nöte des unabhängigen Buchhandels aufmerksam gemacht werden soll, die auch wesentlich geschicktere Händlerinnen und Händler in die Bredouille bringen.
Letztlich ist „Mein wunderbares Bücherboot“ nicht nur wegen der erschreckenden und zuweilen ärgerlichen Naivität seiner Verfasserin eine recht frustrierende Lektüre, sondern auch, weil sich die kurzen, anekdotenhaften Kapitel einigermaßen uninspiriert aneinanderreihen. Ein paar witzige Momente können nicht darüber hinwegtäuschen, dass das hier kein sonderlich gut gelungenes Buch ist.
Allerdings: „Wunderbar“ ist an diesem Memoir trotz des blumigen (deutschen) Titels und der putzigen Cover-Illustration so gut wie nichts. Allein die Entstehungsgeschichte der „Book Barge“ ist einigermaßen hanebüchen. Ohne nennenswerte Erfahrung als Buchhändlerin (abgesehen davon, dass sie schon immer gerne gelesen und von einem eigenen Buchladen geträumt hat - wahrscheinlich trifft das in irgendeiner Form auf alle zu, die sich hier auf dieser Plattform tummeln), Geschäftsfrau oder Bootsführerin erwirbt Sarah Henshaw ein viel zu teures, aber altersschwaches Kanalboot, das sie „Joseph“ tauft und zu einem schwimmenden Buchladen ausbaut, der im Hafen der mittelenglischen Stadt Burton upon Trent vor Anker liegt. Die für Laufkundschaft äußerst ungünstige Lage des Ladens und der schlichtweg nicht vorhandene Geschäftssinn der Autorin (die sich einerseits über den Online-Handel und Kunden, die sich lange umschauen, aber nichts kaufen, beschwert, sich andererseits aber vehement dagegen sträubt, einer jungen Leserin ein besonders schönes und relativ kostspieliges Buch zu verkaufen) sorgen dafür, dass schon nach kurzer Zeit die Pleite droht und obendrein eine langjährige Beziehung in die Brüche geht.
Der Ausweg aus der Misere soll eine sechsmonatige Reise über Englands Kanäle sein, doch auch dabei zeigt sich die Autorin äußerst schlecht vorbereitet. Dass es auf der Route zahllose Schleusen zu überwinden gilt, was für Alleinreisende jedes Mal eine große Herausforderung darstellt, fällt ihr erst unterwegs auf. Außerdem fehlt einmal mehr ein auch nur ansatzweise überzeugendes Geschäftsmodell. Bücher werden seltener verkauft als gegen eine Mahlzeit oder eine warme Dusche eingetauscht – schleierhaft, wie damit (so ein weiteres „Ziel“ der Kanaltour) auf die Nöte des unabhängigen Buchhandels aufmerksam gemacht werden soll, die auch wesentlich geschicktere Händlerinnen und Händler in die Bredouille bringen.
Letztlich ist „Mein wunderbares Bücherboot“ nicht nur wegen der erschreckenden und zuweilen ärgerlichen Naivität seiner Verfasserin eine recht frustrierende Lektüre, sondern auch, weil sich die kurzen, anekdotenhaften Kapitel einigermaßen uninspiriert aneinanderreihen. Ein paar witzige Momente können nicht darüber hinwegtäuschen, dass das hier kein sonderlich gut gelungenes Buch ist.
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