typical 70s freedom book for women, as a teen reader I was fascinated by a woman who leaves it all and fixes up an old shed, maing a new living for herself. Years later, reading the book in English (Abra), I find it strange and egoistical that Abra left not only her husband but her teenage daiughter..... ( )

3.5 stars. Loved it early on; dragged a bit by the end. ( )

I can't say much about this book, because it would give away too much about me. Suffice to say that it is an excellent book which presents a rather different perspective on a woman's relationship with her husband and children. ( )

I absolutely adore this book. Read it many years ago when I was working as a Library Tech, and recently, unable to buy it, purchased it online through a bookshop who sells hard to get books. The story of a woman who gives up her family life and goes to live in a cottage in the country in the United States, and exists on mainly her own vegies, learns how to chop wood, and generally isolates herself happily gives me such a sense of yearning. Her daughter turns up, full of anger, hurt and also shame, over her mother's actions, her appearance, and her belief her mother is selfish. It brings up all sorts of emotions for both women, and the storyteller goes as far as getting into her daughers car to return with her to the city. As her daughter clips on the seat belt, the woman panics, jumps out of the car and goes back to resume her solitary life. An absolute joy to read!!!! Especially if city life and other people are bugging you and a change of life is what you yearn for. ( )

Imagine yourself sitting in your garden, digging in the earth when suddenly a young woman you never have seen appears in the middle of nowhere, cause that's where you live, and says, that she is your daughter. You, in the contrary, didn't even remeber to have any children. That's what happened to Abra, the protagonist of this unusual book. Her daughter Katie just appeared in her garden at her hut in the wilderness, but Abra first didn't remember to have children and then, when she remembers, did not beliee that Katie is her daughter, because she remembers her daughter, because Abra left her family nine years ago. Although Abra is very unfriendly and harsh to her, Katie decides to stay and learn mor about her mother and why she left them. Abra, who hadn't thought about her husband or two children for the last nine years, slowly remembers why she left and what she felt about this little place in the middle of nowhere, why she decided to live here all alone.

Gaining Ground is the readable story of women, who left her family because she didn't feel right in the midst of them. Abra had a very bad depression and the hut was her kind of cure, she felt peace there and so decided to stay and leave her family, without any further explanation, just a little note.
This book encouraged for reflexion about what is the right thing to do: should we do what felt right to us and for us, not considering what we are doing to others? Or should we in the contrary balance our own wishes with the wishes of the ones we love and belong to? Do we have in fact the duty to care for someone we have sweared to, like husband or children or are we free to do whatever we like? What is the aim in life of everyone and who is it to be reached? Happiness? Care for other people? Being a good mother and wife? Should we disguise ourselves to make others happy, should we give ourselves up? Or is it ourself who is the most important, should it be the most important thing in life?
This book provides with this questions and a lot more about the decisions we have to make in life and the position we state our own feelings and needs. Of course everyone decides different and everyone will have an own opinion about this book and the morals ist contains.
For myself I can say: Gaining Ground is a very impressive, thought encouraging book, that taught me a lot about myself and brought to some crosroads in my life where I had the chance to decide about some very aspects about my future and the people around me whom I love. ( )