''Foal's Bread'' is a 2011

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

by Australian author

Gillian Mears Gillian Mears (21 July 1964 – 16 May 2016) was an Australian short story writer and novelist. Her books ''Ride a Cock Horse'' and ''The Grass Sister'' won a Commonwealth Writers' Prize, shortlist, in 1989 and 1996, respectively. ''The Mint La ...

. It was the winner of the 2012

ALS Gold Medal The Australian Literature Society Gold Medal (ALS Gold Medal) is awarded annually by the Association for the Study of Australian Literature for "an outstanding literary work in the preceding calendar year." From 1928 to 1974 it was awarded by the ...

, the Age Book of the Year for Fiction, the

Prime Minister's Literary Award The Australian Prime Minister's Literary Awards (PMLA) were announced at the end of 2007 by the incoming First Rudd ministry following the 2007 election. They are administered by the Minister for the Arts.Victorian Premier's Literary Award The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary p ...

for Fiction. It was also shortlisted for the

Miles Franklin Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

and the

Barbara Jefferis Award The Barbara Jefferis Award is an Australian literary award prize. The award was created in 2007 after being endowed by John Hinde upon his death to commemorate his late wife, author Barbara Jefferis. It is funded by his $1 million bequest. Origin ...

Plot summary

The main subject of the novel is the golden era of Australian show-jumping between the wars. Roley Nancarrow is the 1926 high jump record holder for New South Wales, and, while competing one day at a country show, is captivated by Noah Childs, a 14-year-old drover's daughter, who can coax tired old horses into extraordinary feats. Riding out in a storm one day, Nancarrow is struck by lightning. The novel examines his steady decline into paralysis from the lightning-strike and the effect this has on his horse-riding passion and relationship with Noah.

Awards

* 2011 winner Colin Roderick Award * 2012 winner

Victorian Premier's Literary Awards The Victorian Premier's Literary Awards were created by the Victorian Government with the aim of raising the profile of contemporary creative writing and Australia's publishing industry. As of 2013, it is reportedly Australia's richest literary p ...

— The Vance Palmer Prize for Fiction * 2012 winner

The Age Book of the Year ''The Age'' Book of the Year Awards were annual literary awards presented by Melbourne's ''The Age'' newspaper. The awards were first presented in 1974. After 1998, they were presented as part of the Melbourne Writers Festival. Initially, two awar ...

— Fiction Prize * 2012 shortlisted Booksellers Choice Award * 2012 shortlisted Indie Awards — Fiction * 2012 winner

* 2012 shortlisted

Miles Franklin Literary Award The Miles Franklin Literary Award is an annual literary prize awarded to "a novel which is of the highest literary merit and presents Australian life in any of its phases". The award was set up according to the will of Miles Franklin (1879–195 ...

* 2012 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian General Fiction Book of the Year * 2012 shortlisted Australian Book Industry Awards (ABIA) — Australian Book of the Year * 2012 shortlisted Nita Kibble Literary Award * 2012 winner Prime Minister's Literary Awards — Fiction * 2013 longlisted International Dublin Literary Award * 2013 shortlisted

New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards The New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards, also known as the NSW Premier's Literary Awards, were first awarded in 1979. They are among the richest literary awards in Australia. Notable prizes include the Christina Stead Prize for Fiction, th ...

— Christina Stead Prize for Fiction * 2014 shortlisted

Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature The Adelaide Festival Awards for Literature comprise a group of biennially-granted literary awards established in 1986 by the Government of South Australia, announced during Adelaide Writers' Week, as part of the Adelaide Festival. The awards i ...

— Award for Fiction

Notes

The novel carried the following dedication: "For my sister Yvonne." The novel carried the following epigraph: "Lameness is the language of pain, not a disease... A lame horse will often seem full of great silence and suffering." Harold Leeney, ''Home Doctoring of Animals'' (1927).

Reviews

* Australian Women's Studies Resource: "''Foal's Bread'', then, is not an easy or wholly rewarding read, yet it stays with you, and hauntingly so, for a long time after you finish the novel." * ''The Guardian'': "The bush country of New South Wales is a tough, unforgiving landscape and ''Foal's Bread'' turns out to be a tough, unforgiving book. But to her immense credit, Mears's account of a terrible illness never becomes self-pitying or sentimental, while her galloping prose thrums to the rhythm of some perfectly constructed sentences". * ''The Sydney Morning Herald'': "When a writer of the calibre of Gillian Mears publishes her first novel in 16 years, it's time to sit up straight and take note...''Foal's'' Bread is, gloriously, about horses and the people who are in thrall to them"."Vernacular at the gallop" by Helen Elliott, ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', 12 November 2011
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foal's Bread 2011 Australian novels ALS Gold Medal winning works Allen & Unwin books Novels about horses Novels set in New South Wales