Boat Girl: A Memoir of Youth, Love, & Fiberglass

This was a great book to read and learn about a different way of

This was a great book to read and learn about a different way of life - growing up on a boat ! The author was very open and honest about her life and the challenges and experiences that made her who she is today. I would recommend it highly. Looking forward to future books!!!

While I am not a boat person I grew up in Florida and this book

While I am not a boat person I grew up in Florida and this book makes me see the ocean and smell the salt air. One reviewer said it felt like a group of short stories but to me this approach added to the book. As you grow up you change and life feels like a succession of short stories. Everyone should have their stories for it makes life richer. Boat Girl is a great story of living on boats but it is also a great story of a child growing to a woman. I have not enjoyed a boat book as much since reading Robb White's books. Neale has the same laid back feel to her writing...I loved it.

Melanie Neale's Boat Girl is truly a hidden gem among the sea of

Melanie Neale's Boat Girl is truly a hidden gem among the sea of memoirs today that have drowned readers with forced perspectives and sullen tales of self-pity which dwell on life's defeats and manufactured redemptions. In stark contrast to this methodology, Neale's brilliant storytelling is done without an overbearing need to explain the emotional significance of every isolated scene; yet emotion is palpable throughout this book. Neale offers us an opportunity to experience life aboard her family's sailboat through our own eyes as she navigates the rigors of growing up in both the remoteness of coral outcroppings and crystalline waters in the Bahamas and the structured social settings of those who are caged on terra firma. From birth to womanhood, we follow her with awe, sympathy and enlightenment as she discovers the fight within her to live her own life, in her own way and on her own boat. At its essence, Boat Girl is an unconventional coming-of-age story told against the back drop of an escapist's dream. At its grandeur, it is an inspirational lesson to us all of how love and steadfast determination can help us transcend life's obstacles to realize our destiny.

Boat Girl ranks up there with the best of the contemporary memoi

Boat Girl ranks up there with the best of the contemporary memoirs--it's not just a book for people who are into sailing or for "girls" or women. There is something in it for everyone. The author speaks of the challenges of growing up in a non-traditional setting with both brutal honesty and love. It is truly an inspiring story and a must-read for all!

Melanie takes you on several journeys at once: through the magic

Melanie takes you on several journeys at once: through the magical water world of flickering sunlight and shadows, stopping off to explore sun-drenched , sandy beaches or hunkering down for violent weather:  through the sounds, smells and toil of maintaining and provisioning a boat-home;  from the innocence of childhood to the wisdom and occasional recklessness of adulthood; through the emotional minefield of becoming independent  while longing to please a demanding, judgmental, loving and beloved parent; from an idyllic  and sometimes precarious lifestyle among the elements to the buttoned-down roles of wife, parent, employee and homeowner.
This memoir makes you feel like you've been along for the ride.  Well-written, evocative imagery brings every scene to life.  An easy read that leaves a long-lasting impression.  

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