Trouble for the Boat Girl is a gritty Midlands-set saga from much-loved storyteller Lizzie Lane.

Born and bred on the canals, Beth Dawson is only too aware that the world is not a safe place for a woman. After a violent attack leaves her fearing that she’s pregnant, Beth marries a fellow boatman quickly. However, it quickly transpires that this course of action might just be the biggest mistake she has ever made. Beth’s life is full of drudgery and despair – until Anthony Wesley comes into her life wanting to improve the impoverished boatmen’s working conditions and she finds herself drawn to him.

Beth befriends rebellious Abigail Gatehouse, however, their friendship is threatened by the spirited company owner daughter’s burgeoning feelings for Anthony. Abigail knows that Anthony only has eyes for Beth, however, she cannot stop herself from becoming overcome with jealousy over the fact that the charismatic young man prefers her friend over her.

With the stakes having never been higher for both girls, survival is uppermost in both of their minds. Will Beth and Abigail ever find the fulfillment they seek? Or is it all going to end badly for both of them?

An immensely readable historical saga perfect for curling up with, Trouble for the Boat Girl is a heart-wrenching and poignant read from Lizzie Lane full of strong female characters, nail-biting drama and intense emotion that will keep readers entertained and enthralled from start to finish.

If you like your books to be dark, sometimes depressing and with very few lighthearted moments then this is the perfect book for you. I can't fault the author's writing and her obvious research into life for the families who lived and worked the canals on narrowboats. There are scenes of rape, assault, miscarriages, marital abuse and scenes in an insane asylum just to name a few of the dark parts of the story. I much prefer a happier story with a lovely happy ending so to say I enjoyed this book would be wrong. It left me feeling down if I am being honest. But, as I said, if this is the kind of book you like then Lizzie Lane has done real justice to telling the story. It's worth 5 stars even if the type of story isn't my cup of tea. Just make sure you have a box of tissues at the ready when you read it!

A good read. The story tells how hard life was for the people living on the boats and their daily struggles just trying to live on the little they made and how they fought with everything they had to try and make a better future for themselves and their families.

It’s not a feel good story, but one of poverty and a hard life. Well written and enjoyable.
Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced Copy.

Sweet Beth. Tough Abigail. Two women doing what they need to do to survive.

Beth found herself trapped in a bad marriage. She longed to be free. Free to read and start a school for the boat children. Abigail did what she could to not gain her father's attention. But that came at a cost. Both trying to hide from something or someone.

Beth and Abigail both had an interest in Anthony. This led to dangerous circumstances.

An interesting story. I wasn't sure how it would end. My favorite character was Beth. I could feel her pain and frustration. I so wanted her to be able to escape her situation.

I received this from Boldwood Books to review.

An intersesting read showing the pligh of the canal boat works and how unions set out to help them, as well as showing the brutality of life. Beth puts up with some of the conditions but also sets out to improve her lot in life and that of those around her.

It is not a "feelgood" read but it is an emotive one!

In the early 1920s, Beth Dawson works on the boats in the canals. She marries a boatman but finds herself attracted to Anthony Wesley who is trying to organize the boatmen to strike. Her friend, Abigail Gatehouse, is in love with Anthony Wesley and Beth finds herself caught between the two. An interesting at canal life in this time in history.

Trouble for the Boat Girl is Lizzie Lane's latest offering. I have loved all of Lizzie's previous books and was looking forward to this one. While this is a good book in the main, I didn't like the violence although I understand it was what happened in the past and was needed for the story. We met Beth who has grown up on the canals with her father delivering goods; she meets Anthony who she falls for. However Abigail, is the company owner, therefore of a more superior class, who also finds Anthony attractive too and is jealous of Beth. This is a hard story to read because of the violence but it's about survival....

Another great story from Lizzie it made me realise how life was for canal boat women in those days. Very hard and difficult. Men treated them like slaves and they sometimes just hard to put up with it. I loved the way the story unfolded and how the main character developed I her own way. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

I love Lizzie Lane books and The Boat Girl is another favourite. There are many characters to love particularly the protagonist Beth, there were also many characters I despised mainly the men because at the time it was a man's world and the women were just there to obey. I think the different times really shines through in this book. I enjoyed reading about life living on the water and the every day life and loves of Beth. A well written historical fiction saga and I am looking forward to reading the next book by Lizzie.

I love this author and I was eager to dive into this new saga tale from her pen. But from the first page my blood was boiling and I found myself really struggling with this book. Which is a shame as I have read plenty and have loved many by Lizzie Lane. I love her Tobacco Girls series as well as her newer Coronation Close series. But this one just felt different and I simply couldn't get past Beth's father and his ignorant treatment of her. Having just lost a dear friend maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind, I don't know. But I had to pass on this one as it was for a blog tour and I simply couldn't read it.

I would like to thank #LizzieLane, #Netgalley, #BoldwoodBooks and #RachelsRandomResources for an ARC of #TroubleForTheBoatGirl in exchange for an honest review.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

I've only recently discovered Lizzie Lane's books and I am absolutely loving her Coronation Close series. This is a very different type of story. It's about the lives of the people who lived and worked on the canals and the people who owned the business and in most cases the actual boats. There's a huge amount of history in the story and also a lot of information on Unions trying to improve the lot of the working man who barely existed on the pittance they were paid. However, it's the women's stories that are to the fore.
It was a very gloomy, dark and violent story throughout. I struggled through it and felt depressed reading it. There was no light at all, no let up on the darkness. Beth and Abigail are the two main characters from both divides of the social spectrum. Although Beth was born and reared on the Canals, she was unbelievably naïve. Abigail was out to shock for the most part, especially her Mother but was an over the top character. She was selfish to the core and was gung ho about everything until it affected her directly.
The writing is wonderful and the author's fans will enjoy reading it but it just wasn't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for an early copy of this book.

Trouble for the Boat Girl is another excellent read by Lizzie Lane. It is set in the midlands of England in 1925. From the very start I just knew that this was going to be a great read. I’m a huge fan of historical fiction saga and this one certainly ticked all the boxes for me. Times certainly weren’t easy for the people who worked the canals on their boats delivering merchandise . Beth Dawson has grown up on the canals and knows no other life. This family saga story kept me interested from the very start until the final chapter. A must read for fans of family sagas

I love this author and this is another great read. Times are troubled for the families that work the waterways. With trains now taking a big chunk of their work the employers decide to get greedier and cut their pay. It’s a hard life to start with but with more competition and less money how will they survive without fighting for their livelihoods. Great characters some that you will love and others that you will love to hate bring this story to life. I recommend this book if you like this genre.

Trouble For The Boat Girl by Lizzie Lane is a marvellous novel looking at the social history of women and the poor. It is set in 1925.
The twenties were a turbulent time. World War I was over but England was hardly a land fit for heroes. The tale follows the boat people whose existence was threatened by the railways. The unions were just emerging and were not popular with the bosses. Work was precarious and poverty was rife. We witness how hard it is to change the attitudes from within. It is laws that are needed in order to make a difference.
We follow two characters from the upper classes who try to bring order and change for the impoverished people. We wonder, do they both really have philanthropy at heart? Or is it just a way to rebel against their family?
Children of the boat people receive very little in the way of education as they are never in one place for that long. We see a female character who wishes to change that. Teaching was seen as a female vocation and there was a choice to be made – teach? Or marry? You could not do both.
The plight of women was still tied to men – fathers, husbands, brothers, bosses. We witness the power of the fist which was far worse against the poor. The upper class patriarchs used the threat of the asylum, where women could be locked up for years, no questions asked.
Trouble For The Boat Girl was a powerful read about social injustice and the need for change. It is incredible to see that this was the state of affairs just a hundred years ago. The modern reader is grateful to all those who worked for change. This was an epic read.
I received a free copy via Rachel’s Random Resources for a blog tour. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Trouble for the Boat Girl - Lizzie Lane

This is my first time reading a book from this author and I will definitely be picking up more of her books in the future. I thought the characters were really interesting and I really enjoyed the strong personality and will of Beth Dawson. Overall I thought it was a very enjoyable family saga, that was very well paced and kept me interested right until the end, I hope there will be a sequel. If you enjoy a good family saga then this book is definitely for you. Thank you Netgalley, Boldwood Books and Lizzie Lane for this e-arc in return for my honest thoughts and opinions.

Many thanx to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, moved along really well, easily read and with such very interesting characters. The things women were expected to endure, not complaining and raise their families......unbelievable!
A great read and hope there may be more in this same vein soon!

An engaging, immersive story with memorable characters and a plot which had me turning the pages impatient to know what happened next.

As with all Lizzie’s books they are unputdownable. They are well written , true to the period they’re written in and the characters bring the story alive. I actually felt like I was part of it.
Interesting and engaging I read it in one sitting. Thank you

Lizzie Lane is my favourite family saga author. I really enjoyed this book. Her writing makes you feel like you are a part of the story. And the Main characters are so interesting. I highly recommend this book.
Thank you to netgalley for letting me read this e arc in exchange for an honest opinion