Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2015
288 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
As a young runner, Aganetha Smart defied everyone's expectations to win a gold medal for Canada in the 1928 Olympics. It was a revolutionary victory, because this was the first Games in which women could compete in track events - and they did so despite opposition. But now Aganetha Smart is in a nursing home, and nobody realizes that the frail centenarian was once a bold pioneer.
When two young strangers appear asking to interview Aganetha for their film about female athletes, she readily agrees. Despite her frailty, she yearns for adventure and escape. And though her achievement may have been forgotten by history, her memories of chasing gold in Amsterdam remain sharp. But that triumph is only one thread in the rich tapestry of her life. Her remarkable story is colored by tragedy as well as joy, and in Girl Runner Carrie Snyder pulls back the layers of time to reveal how Aganetha's amazing athleticism helped her escape from a family burdened by secrets and sorrow.
However, as much as Aganetha tries, she cannot outrun her past or the social conventions of her time. As the pieces of her life take shape, it becomes clear that these filmmakers may not be who they seem...
"Infused with striking imagery and pearls of wisdom, Snyder's novel attempts to capture how it feels to be a female athlete, an independent woman, and above all a runner." - Publishers Weekly
"Aggie's strength and independence in a time of gender inequality will be an inspiration to readers in this poignant story of a life and its redemption." - Booklist
"[A] well-crafted meditation on aging and loss…. [Snyder's] inspirational protagonist pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable for women in the first half of the 20th century makes this novel a winner." - Library Journal
"A tale of family and life after the gold medal that struggles to gain momentum. " - Kirkus
This information about Girl Runner was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Carrie Snyder's Girl Runner is shortlisted for the 2014 Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Her previous book, The Juliet Stories, was shortlisted for the prestigious Governor General's Literary Award and named one of the Globe and Mail's Top 100 Books of the Year. Her first book, the short story collection Hair Hat, was shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Award for Short Fiction. A mother of four, Carrie lives with her family in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
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