For Better For Worse: One Family, One Boat, and One Brand New Life

by Damian Horner

Damian Horner is scared that 15 years in advertising have turned him into a bastard. As he approaches his 40th birthday, he wants to see if he can be a good husband and a good father before it's too late. Siobhan, his wife, would like to find out too—but she has other worries. Do marriage and kids mean she's now trapped in a world of suburban domesticity? It takes a miserable day and a bottle of wine to change everything. Suddenly Damian and Siobhan decide to throw their lives in the air and escape to the French canals, taking with them their son Noah who is two years old and can barely talk, and their daughter India who is one and cannot walk. Told in two voices, we hear both sides of their story and get the whole truth as Damian and Siobhan describe coming to terms with themselves and their life on board an old fishing boat in France with no space, no fridge, no charts, no deadlines, and no flushing toilet.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nautical, Travel

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[Jan]

Oh dear!!! I wanted to rate it 5 stars, I loved travelling on the fabulous journey with Shiv and Dame, I felt their anxiety, their excitement and worried about Friendship, I just adore old boats. I galloped through it devouring the journey and watching my new friends grow as individuals and as a family until the words The End appeared. Beautiful left open for a sequel.... the words on the facing page "To find out what happens next visit www....... except the domain is for sale and I can find nothing anywhere about what happened next.
I am bereft! My new friends just sailed off into the sunset and left me behind. Does anyone know what happened next?

[Kelly]

This is a good story about an English couple's, and their two very young children, trip on a boat through France to the Mediterranean Sea. It gives a peak at the day to day lifestyle and their progress from amateurs in the beginning to more seasonal sailors by the end. I like that you get to see the problems as well as the glorious. I wish we get to find out more about their lives after the trip. Maybe a sequel book would be good. There is a website listed in the back of the book that says it will have more info, but it is not accurate anymore. The book is starting to get a little out of date in the sailing world; it was published in 2009. Overall, it is a good story that gives you a peak into living on a boat.

[Tim Corke]

Batten down the hatches and set sail for the Mediterranean. If you need inspiration and motivation to do something you’ve always wanted to do, this should be your next book. It’s a cliche, but it really was a voyage of discovery for the Horners, who became sailors and soul mates whilst navigating the French canals. What made it more appealing was the labour of love, Friendship; the unlikely hero, the third child and their home with two little ones for months on end.

I’ve been fortunate to undertake a massive adventure but this is an absolute cracker that will make you reevaluate and sow the seeds of the next big trip.

[Sandy Saunders]

It is such a lovely story and a pleasure to read. Damian and Shiv and their very young children motor though the French canals on a beautiful wooden boat that Damian has lovingly restored. It certainly isn’t a second honeymoon and there is quite a bit of crankiness which I appreciated for the honesty. Big and costly mistakes happen which adds to the story. But it is the truth and that is what you need in a good biography.
Along the way you get to meet the people Damian and Shiv met on their journey but most of all you see them relax into their travels and grow together as a couple and a family. I would highly recommend this lovely book.

[Dave Dowding]

Good read for those who wanderlust and are stuck in everyday life. The authors set sail on an adventure through the canal system of France, slowing down their life and try to find out what their life is without a busy working life in London. I liked having the two perspectives of the two authors on the journey.

[M-N]

Having a midlife Crisis Damian Horner loads wife and two kids under the age of two down the French canals for 5 months. Their ups a and many downs catalogued here, well worth a read a great travel book started reading in France only finished now. Dying for a sequel though this was done over ten years ago don't think it happened..

[Fortytwo]

An honest two-sided narrated memoir, has you rooting for the family to come out the other end, happy and with the boat in one piece.

[sslyb]

Deserves more than 3 stars, but I was so disappointed with the abrupt end. Clearly there is more to this tale.

[David Uebel]

Wonderfully Real

I was surprised at how much I liked this book. While I am drawn to travelogues like this one, this work surpasses most others in that it is not just about where, when and how, it’s about the people as much as the trip. About growing and learning as well as what was seen. What I really liked was how real and genuine it all came across. The good, the bad, and everything in between

Bravo!

[Pam]

This was a fascinating read about a family who gave up their life in the UK and swapped it for a journey by canal boat through the canals and rivers in France. It describes all the trials of canal boat life with two young children, from when they wondered whether they had made the right lifestyle choice, through to the experience of new cultures, language, scenery and newly - made friends. They eventually adapted to the new lifestyle and realised their life had become richer as a result, not to mention, that the children soon took to it likes ducks to water!

The book is written in the form of a journal, with alternate paragraphs written by the husband and the wife in turn. Very interesting anecdotes and light-hearted writing, showing how their different interpretations and ideas, helped build the family as a team.

[Melissa]

On a whim I picked this book up out of the French travel section at the library. It’s the true story of a young family’s trip down the French canals. The story is alternating told from the perspectives of Damian, and his wife shiv. At its heart, this book is about having the guts to make drastic life changes. Damian and Shiv give up a stable, traditionally-comfortable life in London in exchange for the adventure of a lifetime. The story is very sweet though too. I laughed out loud several times when the male perspective differed so completely from the female perspective. I loved this book and it got me exciting for my upcoming trip to France. I definitely recommend.

Oh, and there are some great pictures and an eplilogue here!: http://www.forbetterforworse.info/bef...

[Jan Day]

An entertaining book about an adventure in a small boat through the canals of France with 2 kids under the age of 3. Damian and Siobhan Horner leave their London life to strike out for uncharted territory in their journey as a family. This book is their story told from both their perspectives and cleverly interwoven. This book kept me up way past my bedtime laughing out loud. I highly recommend it!

Don't forget to check out their website with photos, excerpts, and an update on where they are now at: http://www.forbetterforworse.info/ind...

[Vicki]

Very interesting and entertaining travel memoir of a young English family's boat trip down the French canals. I really didn't think they could take two kids under two on a boat for months on end, but they made it. A good story about realizing your life is headed in the wrong direction, and then correcting it to find what's really important to you.

[Grace Tierney]

Fun memoir of a trip down France's canals from the English Channel to the med with a baby and toddler in tow. I liked the fact that it was a dual narrative - one from the wife's perspective and one from the husband's.

[Jill Delaney]

It took me a little longer than usual to read, mainly because it caused me to daydream and wonder, "could i do this?". My husband almost agreed, but now is hesitating...I'll work on him!!

[Marcie]

I was reading this in preparation for our French canal voyage. I didn't care very much for the writers personalities so this one wasn't a favorite.

[Graham]

I really enjoyed this book. I loved the way it was written from two view points at once. And th depiction of the trip made me want to pack up and follow suit

[Pat]

A fun read about a couple traveling with their 2 young children on a small boat through the rivers of France.

[Geraldine]

Very enjoyable interesting read about a family getting away from it all and living, travelling on their boat...I was rooting for them the entire time and they are such brave souls!