Foal's Bread (edition 2011)

Though wonderfully evocative and lyrical, Foal's Bread is a bleak, raw story of loss, hardship and love. In the moonlight, at the base of One Tree Hill, a fourteen year old girl watches impassively as her fate drifts down river in a butter box. Spanning several decades, from the mid 1920's to the 1950's, set in the hard country of New South Wales, this is a compelling novel that traces the life of Noah Child.

Foal's Bread is a novel that is appreciated rather than enjoyed, for the unrelenting tragedy that dogs Noah and the Nancarrows is almost unrelieved. Mears cultivates an oppressive atmosphere where joy is short lived and always edged in achingly raw heartbreak. At times I found it difficult to go on yet I also found I could not let go, challenged by the intriguing characters and fascinated by a time and place long gone.
The intimate relationships between the members of the Nancarrow family are compelling. The way in which they turn sour, love twisted by ambition, jealousy and tragedy, lasting happiness elusive. Yet I couldn't help but admire their resilience and the way in which they kept moving forward despite broken minds, bodies and dreams.
Mears also explores the burdens of family legacies and the narrow fate of those tied to the land and it's vagaries. The harsh realities of farming in the bush and the drudgery of day to day existence is detailed without sentiment or the rosy glow of nostalgia. While tightly focused on the Nancarrow family, and One Tree Hill Farm, the story encompasses the events of society, touching on the world wars and their impact on the home front.

It's easy to see why the literati were so taken by Foal's Bread which was nominated for several of Australia's literary awards this year and won quite a few. Combining powerful storytelling with a strong, original narrative firmly grounded in Australia's unique landscape, Foal's Bread is a remarkable novel. ( )

Short listed for the Miles Franklin award this is a great Australian story by a great Australian writer.
It tells the story of a family living on a dairy farm in northern NSW in the 1930's.They also breed horses for show-jumping and collect prize money at local shows.
The hero Roly, a champion rider,was a lovely character who adored his family. His wife,Noah, not so likeable, but her life was tainted by giving birth alone at 14 years of age, to her Uncle's baby.Because she abandoned the child she lived her whole life in fear of God's retribution. It did come (she thought) when she gave birth to a sub-normal child and when her beloved husband was struck down by a fatal illness. She turned to drink and eventually committed suicide.A sad end to a life that she never allowed herself to enjoy.
The book is not all "gloom and doom" however and paints a great picture of country life in that era.
The writer also knows horses and portrayed their characters as well as she did the humans.
In the end it is the couples daughter Lainey who goes on to be a champion rider and fulfil their dreams. ( )

When a book is nominated and wins just about every award around you figure there is a good reason. In this case, there is.

http://wp.me/p20PAS-bX ( )

A family saga written in a style which is lush and lyrical. The story is set in rural NSW during the time between World war 1 and World War 2 and tells the story of the Nancarrow family. On the surface this is a linear narrative about Noah and Roley Nancarrow, a young couple who marry and set out to pursue their dream of winning the High Jump events at the Country Horse Show Circuit which was a popular form of country entertainment at this time, and thus make their fortunes.

Both Roley and Noah are talented and courageous horseriders specialising in the high jump event, which is a very skilled and dangerous. The couple’s connection to their horses, their family and their community resonates vibrantly throughout the novel. Noah’s dark secret haunts her and effects her relationship with her family and ultimately results in the climatic and heroic act that is the shattering finale to this novel. This story is both tragic and uplifting at the same time and is a truly remarkable portrayal of human frailty and strength.. ( )

A beautiful book from a beautiful writer about characters who jump off the page! I loved the way it handles dreams and what happens when they don't go the way you hope, and I loved learning about a world, that of horse high jumping, that I knew nothing about. For my full review, please see Whispering Gums as http://whisperinggums.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/gillian-mears-foals-bread-review/ ( )