{"product_id":"swimming-studies","title":"Swimming Studies","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA brilliantly original, meditative memoir, a ‘fusion of cool, clear-eyed prose and watercolours, photographs and portraits’ (\u003cem\u003eTime Out New York\u003c\/em\u003e), that explores the world of swimming.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntimate with chlorinated space; weightless yet limited; closed off to taste, sound, and most sight: this is a swimmer’s state. When ten-year-old Leanne Shapton joins a swim team, she finds an affinity for its rhythms – and spends years training, making it to the Olympic trials twice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSwimming Studies\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003ereflects on her time immersed in a world of rigour and determination, routine and competition. Vivid details of a life spent largely underwater emerge: adolescence in suburban Canada, dawn risings for morning practice, bus rides with teammates, a growing collection of swimsuits, dips in lakes and oceans. When she trades athletic pursuits for artistic ones, the metrics of moving through water endure.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn elegant, spare writing, Shapton renders swimming as a mode of experiencing time, movement, and perspective, capable of shaping our lives in every environment. The result is captivating and profound: a modern classic of sport writing and memoir from a singular talent.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Leanne Shapton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56220493250947,"sku":"9781917092272","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0573\/8600\/8738\/files\/SIMPLEWEBSITEPRODUCTIMAGE-2025-08-12T124350.584.png?v=1754999063","url":"https:\/\/rarebirdsbooks.live\/products\/swimming-studies","provider":"Rare Birds Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}