Foal’s Bread
Shortlist year:
2012
Shortlist category:
Fiction
Published by:
Allen & Unwin
About the book
Set in hardscrabble farming country and around the country show high-jumping circuit that prevailed in rural New South Wales 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.
It is a love story 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. It is a stunning work of remarkable originality and power, one that confirms Gillian Mears' reputation as one of our most exciting and acclaimed writers.
About the author
Gillian Mears
Gillian Mears grew up in the northern New South Wales towns of Grafton and Lismore. Acclaim came early, with her short-story collections and novels winning major prizes. Her books include Ride a Cock Horse, Fineflour, The Mint Lawn, The Grass Sister and A Map of the Gardens. She wrote Foal's Bread while living in the Adelaide Hills.
Judges’ comments
Foal’s Bread is the story of two generations living on hard-bitten Australian farming land. The women in particular are compelling for their tenderness and toughness, in a world where families can be cruel and joy is fleeting. This is a story through which we come to better know ourselves.
Written in transfixing prose and with an—at times—aching affinity for the harsh landscape the book describes, Foal’s Bread is an extraordinary work of remarkable strength and originality.
