{"title":"Claire Thomas","description":"\u003cp\u003eWelcome to our collection featuring the works of the acclaimed author Claire Thomas. Her storytelling prowess seamlessly blends thought-provoking themes with rich, descriptive narratives, captivating readers around the globe.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eClaire Thomas first garnered attention with her novel \u003cem\u003eFugitive Blue\u003c\/em\u003e, a beautifully crafted work that explores the delicate interplay between art and the human experience, all wrapped in an evocative tale bridging the past and the present. With vivid prose, she draws readers into a world where emotions are painted with as much intricacy as the masterpieces that lie at the heart of the story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eOn Not Climbing Mountains\u003c\/em\u003e, Claire Thomas ventures into the realm of existential reflection, offering readers a poignant exploration of the landscapes of human consciousness and ambition. This novel beckons those who relish introspective journeys through the heights and depths of personal aspirations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer acclaimed work, \u003cem\u003eThe Performance\u003c\/em\u003e, delves into the dynamics of the human condition amidst the unfolding moments of a theatre performance. With precision and empathy, Thomas weaves a rich tapestry of intersecting lives, each character grappling with their personal narratives as they coexist within a single shared space.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExplore Claire Thomas's collection within our \u003cstrong\u003eGeneral Fiction\u003c\/strong\u003e section, where you will find stories that resonate with emotional depth and intellectual curiosity. Her novels promise a captivating reading experience for those who appreciate the beauty of well-crafted literary fiction.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fugitive-blue-by-claire-thomas-9780733645341","title":"Fugitive Blue","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI am not writing this to be sentimental. I am just trying to find an answer to a story...\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAn artistic girl in Renaissance Venice, quietly rebelling against the constraints of her gender.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA young milordi on a European Grand Tour, recognising the world and his secret sexuality.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA ballerina in nineteenth-century Paris, choosing between suitors.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA Greek mother, beginning a new life with her family in a migrant reception centre in regional Australia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnd, finally, a paintings conservator in contemporary Melbourne, breaking her own heart.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA single, small artwork - subversive, hidden, and oddly blue - somehow survives for five hundred years, linking the lives of these characters.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn intricate tale of grief and discovery, of watery destruction and earthly love.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46711588782316,"sku":"9780733645341","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5153703482449.jpg?v=1754231010"},{"product_id":"the-performance-by-claire-thomas-9780733644542","title":"The Performance","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eABIA AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 - HIGHLY COMMENDED\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2022\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE NSW PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS CHRISTINA STEAD PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eSYDNEY MORNING HERALD\u003c\/i\u003e 'MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2021'\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'In this novel, the project of living is rendered with compassionate clarity.' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE NEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Thomas's imitation of wandering minds is flawless.' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE WASHINGTON POST\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Claire Thomas has constructed, with graceful precision, a near-perfect wind-up music box of a novel.' \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eARTS HUB\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe false cold of the theatre makes it hard to imagine the heavy wind outside in the real world, the ash air pressing onto the city from the nearby hills where bushfires are taking hold.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe house lights lower.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe auditorium feels hopeful in the darkness.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs bushfires rage outside the city, three women watch a performance of a Beckett play.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMargot is a successful professor, preoccupied by her fraught relationship with her ailing husband. Ivy is a philanthropist with a troubled past, distracted by the snoring man beside her. Summer is a young theatre usher, anxious about the safety of her girlfriend in the fire zone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs the performance unfolds, so does each woman's story. By the time the curtain falls, they will all have a new understanding of the world beyond the stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'How each woman interacts with and is altered by the play enacts beautifully the dialectical relationship between art and life.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eTHE WEEKEND AUSTRALIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Witty, affecting, brilliantly wise and original.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eGail Jones, author of A GUIDE TO BERLIN, THE DEATH OF NOAH GLASS and OUR SHADOWS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA potent meditation on the intensity of women's lives.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eCharlotte Wood, author of THE NATURAL WAY OF THINGS and THE WEEKEND\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Claire Thomas writes with a sure eye and knowing heart.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eTony Birch, author of BLOOD, GHOST RIVER and THE WHITE GIRL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'I read from start to finish almost without looking up.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eClare Bowditch, author of YOUR OWN KIND OF GIRL\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Read it as soon as you possibly can.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eEmily Bitto, author of THE STRAYS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'I can't recommend this too highly.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003ePatrick Gale, author of A PLACE CALLED WINTER and TAKE NOTHING WITH YOU\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Frequently funny, often profound, \u003ci\u003eThe Performance\u003c\/i\u003e is an unmissable show.'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003ci\u003eEmma Stonex, author of THE LAMPLIGHTERS\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46717826629868,"sku":"9780733644542","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5145713482449.jpg?v=1754482244"},{"product_id":"the-performance-by-claire-thomas-9780733648397","title":"The Performance","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBARBARA JEFFERIS AWARD 2022 - HIGHLY COMMENDED\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eABIA AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR 2022 - HIGHLY COMMENDED\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE MILES FRANKLIN LITERARY AWARD 2022\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE NSW PREMIER'S LITERARY AWARDS CHRISTINA STEAD PRIZE FOR FICTION 2022\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA \u003cem\u003eSYDNEY MORNING HERALD\u003c\/em\u003e 'MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2021'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"In this novel, the project of living is rendered with compassionate clarity.\" \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Thomas's imitation of wandering minds is flawless.\" \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWASHINGTON POST\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Claire Thomas has constructed, with graceful precision, a near-perfect wind-up music box of a novel.\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eARTS HUB\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe false cold of the theatre makes it hard to imagine the heavy wind outside in the real world, the ash air pressing onto the city from the nearby hills where bushfires are taking hold.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe house lights lower.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe auditorium feels hopeful in the darkness.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs bushfires rage outside the city, three women watch a performance of a Beckett play.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMargot is a successful professor, preoccupied by her fraught relationship with her ailing husband. Ivy is a philanthropist with a troubled past, distracted by the snoring man beside her. Summer is a young theatre usher, anxious about the safety of her girlfriend in the fire zone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs the performance unfolds, so does each woman's story. By the time the curtain falls, they will all have a new understanding of the world beyond the stage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"How each woman interacts with and is altered by the play enacts beautifully the dialectical relationship between art and life.\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWEEKEND AUSTRALIAN\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Written with passion, \u003cem\u003eThe Performance\u003c\/em\u003e is a brave book: unafraid of confronting the dissonances of living in a modern Australia.\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE CONVERSATION\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Witty, affecting, brilliantly wise and original.\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGail Jones, author of A GUIDE TO BERLIN, THE DEATH OF NOAH GLASS and OUR SHADOWS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"A potent meditation on the intensity of women's lives.\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCharlotte Wood, author of THE NATURAL WAY OF THINGS and THE WEEKEND\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"Claire Thomas writes with a sure eye and knowing heart.\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTony Birch, author of BLOOD, GHOST RIVER and THE WHITE GIRL\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"I read from start to finish almost without looking up.\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClare Bowditch, author of YOUR OWN KIND OF GIRL\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Read it as soon as you possibly can.\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEmily Bitto, author of THE STRAYS\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"A tour de force. I can't recommend this too highly.\" \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003ePatrick Gale, author of A PLACE CALLED WINTER and TAKE NOTHING WITH YOU\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Quietly transformational\"\u003cstrong\u003e \u003cem\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Inventive and rule-breaking...deliciously clever and self-aware\" \u003cem\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46717827416300,"sku":"9780733648397","price":29.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/5184263482449.jpg?v=1754482427"},{"product_id":"on-not-climbing-mountains-by-claire-thomas-9780733644566","title":"On Not Climbing Mountains","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFrom the internationally acclaimed, prize-winning author of \u003ci\u003eThe Performance\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eFugitive Blue\u003c\/i\u003e comes a remarkable work of literary fiction\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA woman arrives in Geneva, the first stop in a train journey through the country of her father's birth. She yearns to be outside time—untethered and alone—but she soon becomes immersed in the stories resonating all around her.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe visits a museum and stares into the oversized, disco-ball eyes of an insect, unsettled by the intimacy, 'like looking into the facial pores of a lover'. Later, she will tiptoe through the snow to find a portrait of James Baldwin on the window shutter of a chalet, his features rendered in rows of silver staples shot into timber.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShe will find traces of Mary Shelley and Fleur Jaeggy; android pioneers in eighteenth-century Neuchatel; Charlie Chaplin, Patricia Highsmith, and striking workers drilling through the earth to create the vast Gotthard Tunnel; Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary as they summit Everest; Lenin and the Dada artists in early twentieth-century Zurich.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOn Not Climbing Mountains\u003c\/i\u003e is a tender and compelling novel from the internationally acclaimed author of \u003ci\u003eThe Performance\u003c\/i\u003e. Beautifully conceived and deftly crafted, it is an exhilarating feat of storytelling, concerned with the fragilities of the natural world, the pains of grief and memory, and the endless reverberations of art.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Not climbing, waiting, connecting. Thomas has written a novel that is truly \u003ci\u003enovel\u003c\/i\u003e—she plays with form and artfully constructs a journey through the mountains of Switzerland, braiding stories of artists, writers, and thinkers into a literary rope, a pulley system for the mind. Vivian Gornick meets Ali Smith, but unmistakably Claire Thomas.' \u003cb\u003eMADELEINE GRAY, AUTHOR OF \u003ci\u003eGREEN DOT\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eThe Performance\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Flawless' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWASHINGTON POST\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Compassionate' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Quietly transformational' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Intimate, poignant, and darkly funny' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'The way Thomas plays with the reader is a sort of genius' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE GUARDIAN\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'A near-perfect wind-up music box of a novel... Inventive and rule-breaking' \u003cb\u003eARTSHUB\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePraise for \u003ci\u003eFugitive Blue\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Beautifully done with great imagination' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSYDNEY MORNING HERALD\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Immediately enticing' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCANBERRA TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Polished and poignant, expressed with incisiveness and resonance, \u003ci\u003eFugitive Blue\u003c\/i\u003e doesn't miss a beat' \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWESTERLY MAGAZINE\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47074205892844,"sku":"9780733644566","price":37.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780733644566.jpg?v=1765160944"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/claire-thomas.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}