are we reading the same book? - Rated 
I'm absolutely baffled by some of the negative reviews here ... I picked up this book as reluctantly as Jim the whippet (the narrowdog of the title)leaves dry land, but once a few pages in, and acclimatised to the unexpected writing style, loved it. I've been waiting eagerly ever since for the next book, and following the updates on the website.
Brilliantly funny, poking fun at all nations - Rated
We both loved this book, in the library of a holiday home whilst on a wet week's holiday in the South of France it was a happy find: we fought over it, couldn't both finish it and had to buy it ourselves when we got back home. The negative reviews here have surprised me as it seemed to us a familiar narrative style of writing, presuming perhaps on a familiarity with France ... we certainly were entranced, and loved the random jokes (leetle green fish .. the norbert dentressangles .. I couldn't speak with laughing) and anything I didn't understand (the author's general knowledge clearly being greater than mine) I was happy to look up in the glossary.
Deightfully original ..preposterous notion! - Rated 
Delightfully original, the reality hits home hard. All the time. The humour is there in bucket loads, but I think you have to be English to understand it and even then there is no certainty that you will. For those of American origin this book might prove as hard work as "only fools and horses". But the story is of an adventure, and one that is very real. It starts with the preposterous notion of sailing a 17 ton steel coffin, only ever intended to sail on gentle canals and rivers, across one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Funnily enough the English Channel can get rough, with waves big enough to sink a narrow boat very quickly. The story would have stopped there and then if it had sunk.... From there you enter the world of waterborne Europe. France in particular. It is a lovely story, and very amusing. I am glad I read it, and am looking forward to reading its sequel.
The man needs an editor! - Rated 
How on earth could anyone think it was a good idea to publish a fairly bog-standard travel book that completely disregarded the rules of punctuation and grammar? If it was e. e. cummings I would be more sympathetic (though I would be unlikely to read it) - but this is just illiterate.
Tears of Laughter - Rated
It takes a lot for a book to make me laugh or cry but I was giggling from the first page. There were times when I was actually crying with laughter and had to put the book down to wipe away the tears. If you love dogs and whippets in particular then this is a must. The description of the dog who wees on his own feet and wont give up his plush frog are so acurate I had to buy my own whippet a red bandana in solidarity. I cannot wait for Jims next adventure - Oh and Monica and Terry were quite entertaining too!
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