{"title":"Elspeth Barker","description":"\u003cp\u003eElspeth Barker’s work explores the delicate intricacies of human experience through richly textured narratives and thoughtful prose. Her writing often traverses the landscapes of \u003cem\u003eArts \u0026amp; Culture\u003c\/em\u003e, weaving insightful reflections into stories that resonate on both personal and universal levels.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders of Barker will find themselves immersed in evocative and compelling fiction, where emotion and memory intertwine. Titles such as \u003cstrong\u003eNotes from the Henhouse\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eO Caledonia\u003c\/strong\u003e offer a profound glimpse into the subtleties of life and place, inviting contemplation and connection.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"o-caledonia-by-elspeth-barker-9781474620512","title":"O Caledonia","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWITH A NEW INTRODUCTION FROM MAGGIE O'FARRELL\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003ci\u003eVera was painting the pony's hooves gold in the dining room; Janet said this was bad for him; poison would seep into his bloodstream.\u003c\/i\u003e\n\nAt the bottom of a great stone staircase, dressed in her mother's black lace evening dress, twisted in murderous death, lies Janet. So end the sixteen years of Janet's short life.\n\nA life spent in a draughty Scottish castle, where roses will not grow, and a jackdaw decides to live in the doll's house.\n\nA life peopled by prettier, smoother-haired siblings, a Nanny with a face like the North Sea, and the peculiar, whisky-swigging Cousin Lila.\n\nA life where Janet is perpetually misunderstood - and must turn from people, to animals, to books, to her own wild and wonderful imagination.\n\n\u003cem\u003eO Caledonia\u003c\/em\u003e by Elspeth Barker is an evocative tale that captures the essence of a young girl's complex world.\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette New Zealand Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46416955179244,"sku":"9781474620512","price":26.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/256853482713.jpg?v=1746405317"},{"product_id":"notes-from-the-henhouse-by-elspeth-barker-9781399612494","title":"Notes from the Henhouse","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'This book is heaven. Elspeth Barker writes like no one else'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOLIVIA LAING\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Deserves to be permanently on the bedside table - to cheer, reassure and inspire'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eOBSERVER\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Gothic, poetic and exuberantly funny. What a pleasure it was to read'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eESTHER FREUD\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e'Joyous, startling, funny, lush, dark and complex'\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003ci\u003eTHE TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eNotes from the Henhouse\u003c\/i\u003e, you will find:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA Gothic castle, a draughty Norfolk farmhouse and a malevolent Aga\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA pet pig, Portia with a penchant for drama, an obsession with geraniums and an addiction to wine (the Bulgarian vintage)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eGeorge Barker, poet and beloved husband, warbling cowboy songs into his glass and declaiming Hopkins and Houseman in The Drinking Room\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFive entrancing baby cherubimos, rolling and bouncing about in a big brass bed, before growing up at breakneck speed\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe ecstasy of writing, the dither of procrastination, and the endless adventures to be had in the wild realms of the imagination\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe outrage of death, the loneliness of widowhood, and then the surprising joys of dereliction: of moving very slowly round the garden in a shapeless coat, planting drifts of narcissus bulbs for latter springs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis collection of autobiographical essays from the inimitable Elspeth Barker, author of the beloved modern classic \u003ci\u003eO Caledonia\u003c\/i\u003e, is a delightful portrait of a riotous, rapturous, remarkable life.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47426570223852,"sku":"9781399612494","price":49.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781399612494.jpg?v=1774767887"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/elspeth-barker.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}