Reason read: tbr Booker
Published 1979 and winner of the Booker. This is a very short book. An interesting setting; living on a barge which the author actually had experienced. Living not really on the water nor on the land. It is a picture of a community living just off shore, actually tethered to the land. The author stated; “emotional restlessness of my characters, halfway between the need for security and the doubtful attraction of danger".
At such a short work, it was a surprise Booker win. ( )

Set in the early 60s this focuses on the community that lives on houseboats on a stretch of the Thames. They are a varied bunch, not quite at home in life, they live at the margins of land and water, and seemingly of society as a whole. The mixture of characters is appealing and they're all quite well defined. There's a lot goes on but the brevity of this leaves a lot of questions unanswered and what happens next. ( )

Subtle and engaging story about a liminal society. While very much set in its time, it's not outdated. ( )

Nenna James, una joven canadiense sin medios para alquilar una vivienda en el Londres de principios de los 60, vive con sus dos hijas en una barcaza anclada en el Támesis. Ninguna de las tres pertenece ni al agua ni a la tierra firme, y comparten su existencia con unos vecinos que se encuentran, como ellas, a la deriva: Willis, un artista que intenta vender su decrépita nave a pesar de su pésimo estado; Richard, que vive a bordo de Lord Jim con su mujer, Laura, aunque ella preferiría mudarse a otro sitio; o Maurice, que ni siquiera protesta cuando su barcaza empieza a llenarse de objetos robados. Todos ellos van a contracorriente, en un espacio en el que podrían primar la sencillez y la libertad de la vida excéntrica, pero que se ve salpicado por los pequeños reveses cotidianos de cualquier existencia humana.

absolutely amazing! an extraordinary little book. i expect the way it ends is responsible for the lower ratings than it deserves, but it also is kind of perfect... ( )