Birmingham Post

BOOK REVIEW

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Four Mums in a Boat by Jeanette Benaddi, Helen Butters, Nikki Doeg and Frances Davies (Sportsbook­ofthemonth.com price: £11.89, saving £5.10 on rrp) ONE of sport’s most compelling characteri­stics is the opportunit­y it affords fans and spectators alike to gaze in awe at the extraordin­ary exploits and athletic prowess of people like Mo Farah, Laura Trott, Jason Kenny, Helen Glover and a host of others.

What, we wonder, drives these people to such incredible heights, to smash world records, to become so engrossed in their sport that that is their sole focus?

Most of us live what might be called more cluttered lives in which we’re constantly juggling family or work commitment­s, or else mindful of the mortgage or that larger-than-average electricit­y bill. There’s very little opportunit­y to drop everything and become a world champion. Indeed, our admiration is probably reinforced by the certain knowledge that we could never emulate elite sportsmen and women.

Every so often, however, our admiration for unexpected sporting achievemen­t motivates us to try to match at least some of it, which is why Four Mums in a Boat is such an inspiratio­nal read.

The story of four women in their forties and fifties, who went from meeting at their local rowing club each Saturday morning in order to get some exercise while enjoying a laugh and a gossip, to rowing the Atlantic in record time offers a different form of sporting inspiratio­n.

None of the four ladies were, by their own admission, natural athletes, but goodness, they’re determined. You sense their individual will to succeed is underpinne­d by being part of a team and an absolute desire not to let down their team-mates.

Many of us, fuelled by too much red wine, have occasional­ly considered doing something crazy, only for the notion to evaporate in the time it takes for the following day’s hangover to disappear. Not this quartet. While the suggestion that four working mothers could row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic must have sounded a little unhinged when first mooted, it’s clear that all four immediatel­y bought into the idea. Four Mums is a life-affirming read for it features ordinary people committing to and then embarking on a crazy adventure, “not to escape life, but for life not to escape them.” Wouldn’t it be great to emulate them? After reading this, you’re likely to be inspired to try.

We’ve teamed up with www. sportsbook­ofthemonth.com and have a copy of Four Mums in a Boat to give away. To win this prize, visit the www.sportsbook­ofthemonth. com website and answer the following question: Name the Briton who came second in the recent Vendee Globe.

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