Terry Darlington might be the new Bill Bryson. His first travel narrative, Narrow Dog to Carcasonne, is a hilarious read and a real page-turner. Darlington and his wife Monica are a retired English couple who’ve bought a narrow boat to take on vacations, and they get quite addicted to the lifestyle of traveling along England’s canals. The narrow dog of the title is their whippet, Jim, who somewhat reluctantly tags along on their travels.
Darlington writes with typically British humor, and collects numerous small anecdotes together to create a tale that you can’t stop reading. After getting the hang of things on English canals, and wanting to visit France, they decide to take their narrow boat across the Channel – something which many advise them shouldn’t be done. It’s probably not giving too much away to say they do make – although it’s an entertaining trip – and then spend time wandering the canals and rivers of France down to the title’s destination, Carcasonne.
Even if you’re not interested in boats, this book will drag you into the story. It’s laugh-out-loud funny, and even just taking the dog’s adventures alone would make a good story. Add the author and narrator – who, for example, knows he should periodically “look” in the engine room of his boat, but has no idea what to do there – and you can’t put it down. Darlington and his wife will be following up with an American narrow boat journey which should be another classic travel read.
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MixxTags: france, Terry Darlington, Travel Books, Try Taking a Narrow Dog to Carcasonne
Categories: Travel Books
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His new American book ‘Narrow Dog to Indian River’ is out now in hardback.
It’s just as well-written, but as with any travel book, when the writer writes about your own culture, what might seem funny to others might come across as irritating. For example, as a Brit, I find jokes about the Queen too obvious and tiresome.
‘Indian River’, though, should delight most people who loved Carcassonne.
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