She attended Waitaki Girls' High School, then graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Otago in 1968.

[1] Farrell moved to Oxford in the United Kingdom with her husband after graduating and was enrolled at the University of London in art history.

She and her husband then moved to Canada where Farrell graduated Master of Arts (1973) and MPhil in drama (1976) at the University of Toronto.

Farrell has held numerous residencies and been recognised for her writing in many ways, including at the New Zealand Book Awards where she has been a finalist in all three categories, for fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

[5] She has been a frequent guest at festivals throughout New Zealand and abroad, including Adelaide, Vancouver, Salisbury UK and Edinburgh.