Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot
Author Rose Ruane (This Is Yesterday,\xa0Birding) picks\xa0Gaining Ground\xa0AKA\xa0Abra\xa0(1978) by Canadian feminist writer Joan Barfoot. One day, seemingly on a whim, a woman walks out of her home and her marriage, forsaking her family for a life of near-solitude and self-sufficiency. Many years later, her daughter, now grown-up, comes to find her and to ask a simple question: why? But there are no easy answers... In a long and distinguished literary career, Barfoot has won the Marian Engel Award and been longlisted for the Man Booker Prize, for\xa0Critical Injuries\xa0(2002). Her debut novel, however, seems to have vanished almost as thoroughly as its female protagonist; as you will hear from our discussion, we think the book richly deserves to be rediscovered.\xa0\xa0\n*For \xa3100 off any Serious Readers HD Light and free UK delivery use the discount code: BACK at\xa0http://seriousreaders.com/backlisted\n*Backlisted will be live at Foyles in London on 17th July with guests Caroline Crampton and Andrew Male - on Agatha Christie's\xa0Endless Night\xa0- tickets are available now via the Foyles website\n* To purchase any of the books mentioned in this episode please visit our bookshop at\xa0uk.bookshop.org/shop/backlisted\xa0where all profits help to sustain this podcast and UK independent bookshops.\n* For information about everything mentioned in this episode visit\xa0www.backlisted.fm\n*If you'd like to support the show and join in with the book chat, listen without adverts, receive the show early and with extra bonus fortnightly episodes, become a Patreon at\xa0www.patreon.com/backlisted\n*You can sign up to our free monthly newsletter here\xa0\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices