Foal's Bread Explained

Foal's Bread
Author:Gillian Mears
Country:Australia
Language:English
Genre:Literary
Publisher:Allen and Unwin, Australia
Release Date:2011
Media Type:Print (Paperback)
Pages:361 pp
Isbn:9781742376295
Preceded By:The Grass Sister

Foal's Bread is a 2011 novel by Australian author Gillian Mears.[1]

It was the winner of the 2012 ALS Gold Medal, the Age Book of the Year for Fiction, the Prime Minister's Literary Award for Fiction, and the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Fiction. It was also shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Award and the Barbara Jefferis Award.

Plot summary

The main subject of the novel is the golden era of Australian show-jumping between the wars. Roley Nancarrow is the 1926 high jump record holder for New South Wales, and, while competing one day at a country show, is captivated by Noah Childs, a 14-year-old drover's daughter, who can coax tired old horses into extraordinary feats. Riding out in a storm one day, Nancarrow is struck by lightning. The novel examines his steady decline into paralysis from the lightning-strike and the effect this has on his horse-riding passion and relationship with Noah.

Awards

Notes

The novel carried the following dedication:

"For my sister Yvonne."

The novel carried the following epigraph:

"Lameness is the language of pain, not a disease... A lame horse will often seem full of great silence and suffering." Harold Leeney, Home Doctoring of Animals (1927).

Reviews

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Foal's Bread (A&U 2011) . National Library of Australia. 21 April 2024.
  2. Web site: Colin Roderick Award — Other Winners . James Cook University. 6 April 2024.
  3. Web site: 2012 . 21 big names. One big decision. Start reading. . 6 April 2024 . . February 2, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190202043859/https://www.wheelercentre.com/projects/victorian-premier-s-literary-awards-2012 . live .
  4. Web site: "The Age Book of the Year Award - Fiction Prize (2008-2012)" . Austlit. 6 April 2024.
  5. Web site: "2012 Indie Awards" . 25 January 2012. ANZ LitLovers LitBlog. 6 April 2024.
  6. Web site: ALS Gold Medal — Previous Winners . Association for the Study of Australian Literature. 6 April 2024.
  7. Web site: "'All That I Am' wins 2012 Barbara Jefferis Award" . Books+Publishing. 27 March 2024.
  8. Web site: The 2012 Shortlist . https://web.archive.org/web/20120614194546/http://www.milesfranklin.com.au/2012/2012_shortlist . 2012-06-14 . 2024-04-06 . Miles Franklin Literary Award.
  9. Web site: 2016-05-25 . RiP Gillian Mears . 2024-04-06 . . en-AU . 10 March 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230310223949/https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2016/05/25/57550/rip-gillian-mears/ . live .
  10. Web site: Australian Womens Studies Resource - Foal's Bread Review by Dawn Silversides . 2014-12-08 . 2014-02-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140214232431/http://www.emsah.uq.edu.au/awbreview4 . dead .
  11. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/11/foals-bread-gillian-mears-review The Guardian, 12 May 2012, review by Alfred Hickling
  12. http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/vernacular-at-a-gallop-20111111-1nazc.html "Vernacular at the gallop" by Helen Elliott, The Sydney Morning Herald, 12 November 2011