Running backwards Over Sand

by Stephanie Dowrick

Running Backwards Over Sand

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Zoe Hannay · Rating 3 out of 5]

inexplicably this largely unremarkable NZ novel was a favourite of my late mum’s – so much so that she named me after the protagonist.

i was entirely unprepared for the pages-long frida kahlo smut fic

[Janelle Cretney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my all time favorite. Read it over and over again but not for many years now. I remember that i loved Zoe and wished i was her. am going to find it on the bookshelf and read it again.

[Senna Rietveld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prachtig boek, goed geschreven en interessante hoofdpersoon. Mooi weergegeven hoe je verleden je soms ook kan leiden in plaats van alleen achtervolgen. De tocht door Europa zit vol met grote liefdes, kunst, nieuwe mensen, geld en mogelijkheden. Maar ook met eenzaamheid, verlorenheid en een man die geen geluid maakt tijdens de seks terwijl je zelf god en alle planeten bij elkaar schreeuwt. Waarom dat relevant is weet ik niet, maar met hoe het beschreven werd is het waarschijnlijk erg metaforisch. Het einde lag er net iets te dik bovenop, fijn dat het tot op zekere hoogte goedkomt, maar de laatste pagina's voelen als een standaardpraatje waar een particuliere therapeut (die al z'n diploma's aan de muur heeft hangen) minstens tweehonderd euro voor vraagt. Dit sluit ook niet aan bij het verder natuurlijke en meer impliciete gevoel van het boek. Alsnog een aanrader, groetjes Senna.

[Pip Tlaskal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this in a street book box and had always wanted to read it. SD writes so wonderfully in the self help vein that this novel was no disappointment. The story of a New Zealand girl navigating life and love in Europe is just intoxicating to read. I especially loved the beginning childhood years with her mother in NZ. The ending seemed a little rushed after Gabriel is no longer centre stage, but this is a glorious, womanly read that taps into that divide between colonial cultures.

[Kerry Wills]

I read this three decades ago and am suddenly wanting to read it again. The plot eludes me at the moment, but the way it made me feel sticks. I’m craving to remember what it was about.

[Sash · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book found me at exactly the right time

[Aiza Chaudry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dark, depressing but captivating. I almost thought it was an autobiography since I hadn't read the blurb. But nope it's just written that way.
A story of a woman who struggles through her tragic life.... Finds herself at-last. The self she had lost.. or the self that died with the death of her mother. An untamed, wild woman who learns to be happy despite of the sadness and the darkness that engulfs her. A woman who was once destroyed, takes the chances and rebuilds herself... Like a phoenix she rises out of her ashes. That's how I visualize it... Basically, that's what this book is about- in a nutshell of course.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Running Backwards over Sand was a promotional sale book that I picked up in a bargain bin. I really delved into the struggles of the main character and loved riding along on her various adventures in Germany etc. as she tries to grow up.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is actually a very popular book in Australia and Dowrick is a much-loved author. It's just that self-help books are not my kind of book...