Gaining Ground

<p>'One of the great novels of the twentieth century . . . Absolutely stunning' <b>Max Porter</b><br>'An intricately, perfectly mapped journey into self-liberation . . . It will stay with me for the rest of my days' <b>Samantha Harvey </b><br>'Wildly original . . . Beneath the radical disquiet is a beautiful hymn to the hearts and minds of women'<b> Sarah Hall</b><br><br><i><b>I swear I loved them all, and I did the best I could. And then I left them, left all of it.</b></i><br><br>Abra has a perfect-seeming life as a wife and mother: until one day, she walks away, leaving only a note asking her family not to look for her.<br>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 silence of vegetables growing.<br>Years later, a young woman arrives, and the past-flashes begin. Daughter? A strange word. Is this her? And what will this mean?<br><br>Joan Barfoot's <i>Gaining Ground</i> is a both a provocative 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.<br><br><b><u>What readers are sayin</u></b><br><b>So damn extraordinary.</b><br><b>This book meant everything to me.</b><br><b>An instant all-time favorite.</b><br><b>I loved reading this book . . .</b><b> A story of impossible bravery, survival and reconciliation.</b><br><b>A beautiful story about a woman who puts her own happiness in life above her maternal duties.</b><br><b>One of the most influential novels I have ever read.</b><br><b>Wonderful. So much food for thought. I never re-read books, but this is one of the first I'll make an exception for.</b><br><b>A masterpiece.</b></p>