Authors: Isabel Ashdown

Summer of '76 (31 page)

BOOK: Summer of '76

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Praise for
Glasshopper

‘Tender and subtle, it explores difficult issues in deceptively easy prose. Across the decades, Ashdown tiptoes carefully through explosive family secrets.
This is a wonderful debut – intelligent, understated and sensitive.’
Observer

‘A disturbing, thought-provoking tale of family dysfunction, spanning the second half of the 20th century, that guarantees laughter at the uncomfortable familiarity of it all.’ Juliet Nicolson,
Evening Standard

‘An intelligent, beautifully observed coming-of-age story, packed with vivid characters and inch-perfect dialogue. Ashdown’s storytelling skills are formidable; her human insights highly perceptive.’
Mail on Sunday

‘I love it. It’s a book that’s very fast and really rewarding for the reader. There’s a wrenching end to the first chapter that switches the mood and absolutely hooked me for the rest of the book.’ David Vann, author of
Legend of a Suicide

‘An immaculately written novel with plenty of dark family secrets and gentle wit within. Recommended for book groups.’
Waterstone’s Books Quarterly

‘It’s an incredibly powerful, intense book. Very, very real. It reminded me of Iain Banks. If you enjoyed
The Crow Road,
you’ll get lots out of this book.’
Simon Mayo Show,
BBC Radio 5 Live

‘Carefully observed, unexpected and mesmerisingly beautiful.’
Easy Living

‘A heartbreaking, redemptive tale of family secrets that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. Arm yourselves with a box of Kleenex as you’ll be weeping into your pillow by the end.’
Glamour

‘A brilliant debut.’
Sainsbury’s Magazine

‘Engrossing and moving.’
Fay Weldon and Paula Johnson,
Mail on Sunday
Novel Competition

‘In Jake, Ashdown has created a beautifully realised character, totally believable as a 20th-century boy but imbued with qualities which should resonate with any reader and will surely stand the test of time. The prose is succinct and smooth, the dialogue crisp and convincing. An intriguing, atmospheric read with a healthy dollop of realism.’
Argus

‘Skilfully written and difficult to put down...
this novel is a page-turningly good read.’
Drink and Drugs News

‘Ashdown’s debut novel is accomplished, accessible and absorbing.’
NewBooks Magazine

‘The beauty of Ashdown’s writing is that readers are able to connect to the real characters presented and understand that life isn’t always all that easy. It’s hard to know who to recommend this to without encouraging everyone to go out and buy it. Ashdown is a definite one to watch in British literature.’
The Bookbag

Praise for
Hurry Up and Wait

‘With strong characters, a cleverly constructed story and masses of period detail, this vivid evocation of life in 1985 is a fine second book from a writer who first won the
Mail on Sunday
Novel Competition.’
Daily Mail

‘Ashdown’s depiction of a vulnerable teenager and the magnetic pull of a toxic friendship will have you wincing with recognition.’
Glamour

‘Haunting fiction.’
Stylist

‘Ashdown’s debut novel
Glasshopper
was named as one of the best books of 2009, and this well-crafted follow-up doesn’t disappoint.’
Heat

‘Funny, insightful and often tragic. A fascinating book whose apparent simplicity masks complexity as it reveals once again the strength of Ashdown’s talent as a perceptive and engaging writer.’
NewBooks Magazine

‘A darkly compelling read. A school reunion opens the floodgates to uncomfortable memories from 25 years ago in this powerfully compelling examination of the volatile and often toxic nature of adolescent relationships.’
Easy Living

‘A very enjoyable and engaging read. Those who lived the eighties to the full will find lots to entertain them.’
Between the Lines

‘What stood out for me above all else was the dialogue. Natural and spot-on. I truly felt as if I was eavesdropping. Teenagers and their troubled friendships – with both sexes – are at the book’s core.’
The Bookbag

‘Isabel Ashdown’s
Glasshopper
was one of our favourite reads of 2009, and her second novel is another mix of compelling characters and 1980s nostalgia.’
Bella

‘In
Hurry Up And Wait
Isabel Ashdown has produced a perfectly pitched trip back to the mid-80s, capturing every heartbeat of the uncertainty and excitement of growing up. Duplicitous friendships, awakening sexuality and the trials of school and exams are all depicted as Sarah’s story unfolds. Anyone who has ever attended a reunion with ambivalent feelings in their heart will identify strongly. I really enjoyed
Glasshopper
but, if anything,
Hurry Up And Wait
is even better. I loved everything about it.’
Bookersatz

‘Deftly handles big themes of love, loss and misplaced guilt… Heartbreakingly perceptive.’
Pamreader

‘Bursting with schoolgirl preoccupations of the 1980s – Andrew Ridgeley, Ryvita and rude words on the toilet wall – this lively journey through the embarrassments of growing up is tightly entwined with a darker tale.’
Sainsbury’s Magazine

‘By turns touching and funny.
Hurry Up and Wait
is unsurpassed.’
In Potentia

Copyright

First edition published in 2013
This ebook edition published in 2013 by

Myriad Editions
59 Lansdowne Place
Brighton BN3 1FL

www.myriadeditions.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library.

ISBN: 978–1–908434–34–0