Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears
Set in hardscrabble farming country around the show jumping circuit that flourished in Australia prior to the Second World War, Foal's Bread tells the story of two generations of the Nancarrow family and their fortunes as dictated by the vicissitudes of the land. When Noah Childs meets Roley Nancarrow at a country show, a union is forged which will last the length of their lives. Their love finds its greatest expression in their lucky charm, a heart-shaped foal's bread which hangs from a string in their doorway, reminding them to 'hope on, hope ever.' Their story is one of impossible beauty and sadness, a chronicle of dreams turned inside out and miracles that never last, framed against a world both tender and unspeakably hard. Written in luminous prose and with an aching affinity for the landscape the book describes, Foal's Bread is the work of a born writer at the height of her considerable powers.
You are unlikely to read a more courageous novel this year* Guardian *
Original, moving and tragic, Foal's Bread is a book that cries out to be read. * The Glasgow Herald *
A harrowing story dotted with moments of outstanding beauty. -- 4 stars * Metro *
Dappled with fast-moving light and shade, occasionally swelling with romance, Foal's Bread is too bubblingly vibrant to grow sentimental, the tangy vernacular of its cast a delight, the blood, sweat and saddle soap pungently rendered. * The Observer *
Foal's Bread is a grand, bittersweet romantic saga, at once laconic and mystical, tragic and optimistic. * Australian Book Review *
Gillian Mears writes like an angel. No matter what her subject matter, she seems incapable of writing prose that isn't lovely, clever and astonishingly observant. * The Age *
Original, moving and tragic, Foal's Bread is a book that cries out to be read. * The Glasgow Herald *
A harrowing story dotted with moments of outstanding beauty. -- 4 stars * Metro *
Dappled with fast-moving light and shade, occasionally swelling with romance, Foal's Bread is too bubblingly vibrant to grow sentimental, the tangy vernacular of its cast a delight, the blood, sweat and saddle soap pungently rendered. * The Observer *
Foal's Bread is a grand, bittersweet romantic saga, at once laconic and mystical, tragic and optimistic. * Australian Book Review *
Gillian Mears writes like an angel. No matter what her subject matter, she seems incapable of writing prose that isn't lovely, clever and astonishingly observant. * The Age *
Gillian Mears (1964 - 2016) was the winner of two regional Commonwealth Writers' Prizes. Her books included Ride a Cock Horse, The Mint Lawn - winner of The Australian/Vogel Literary Award, and The Grass Sister.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781742378824 |
| ISBN 10 | 174237882X |
| Title | Foal's Bread |
| Author | Gillian Mears |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Allen & Unwin |
| Year published | 2012-03-29 |
| Number of pages | 368 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for Miles Franklin Literary Award 2012 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |