Janet Frame was a unique and troubled soul whose luminous words are the more precious HILARY MANTELHer dark, eloquent song captured my heart JANE CAMPIONAll my preoccupations as a writer my notions of home, beauty, madness of sorts and longing come from her MEG MASONThere is nothing in the world the matter with me, except that I have been bathed in a trough and dipped under a waterfall and the pineneedles picked from my scars. . . This is the story of the Withers family Francie, soon to leave school to start work at the woollen mills Toby, whose days are marred by the velvet cloak of epilepsy Chicks, the baby of the family and Daphne, whose rich poetic way of seeing the world leads to a heartbreaking life in institutions.A dazzling, fierce cry of darkness and joy, Janet Frames debut novel is a poetic masterpiece and a timeless classic of New Zealand literature. INTRODUCED BY MARGARET DRABBLE The first great New Zealand novel and a modernist masterpiece . . . the books immense power to unnerve, astonish and impress endures Guardian

Binding: Paperback;256 pages; Publisher: Hachette UK Distribution; Classification: FA; Weight: 328 g; Dimensions: 198 x 128 x 19

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