{"title":"Joan Barfoot","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJoan Barfoot\u003c\/strong\u003e crafts compelling narratives that delve into the complexities of everyday life, exploring the intricate emotions and decisions that shape her characters' worlds. Her work in \u003cem\u003egeneral fiction\u003c\/em\u003e often shines a light on personal transformation and the subtle tensions beneath ordinary experiences.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders of Joan Barfoot can expect stories marked by keen psychological insight and delicate prose, inviting reflection on resilience, identity, and the pursuit of meaning. Her writing quietly captures the nuances of human relationships with authenticity and grace.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"gaining-ground-by-joan-barfoot-9780571399888","title":"Gaining Ground","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e'I've never read a book so authentically frightening . . . Beneath the radical disquiet is a beautiful hymn to the undeniable hearts and minds of women.' \u003cstrong\u003eSarah Hall\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eI swear I loved them all, and I did the best I could. And then I left them, left all of it.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGaining Ground\u003c\/em\u003e by Joan Barfoot tells the story of Abra, a woman with a perfect-seeming life as a wife and mother, who one day walks away, leaving only a note asking her family not to look for her. In a woodland cabin, her new life alone begins. There are no mirrors, no clocks, no memories: just the squirrels breathing in the forest, and the silence of vegetables growing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYears later, a young woman arrives, and the past-flashes begin. Daughter? A strange word. Is this her? And what will this mean?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRediscovered after almost half a century, Joan Barfoot's \u003cem\u003eGaining Ground\u003c\/em\u003e (1978) is both a radical meditation on living on your own terms and an exquisite work of art. It calls to anybody who has ever wanted to escape—who has asked what it costs to be wild, to be sane, to be free.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'One of those rare books which put you in touch with yourself as deftly and as deeply as \u003cem\u003eThe Bell Jar.\u003c\/em\u003e' \u003cstrong\u003eNell Dunn\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Allen \u0026 Unwin Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48317947379948,"sku":"9780571399888","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780571399888-gaining-ground-1.jpg?v=1788750139"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/joan-barfoot.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}