“A wonderful debut – intelligent, understated and sensitive.” Observer
“Ashdown’s storytelling skills are formidable; her human insights highly perceptive.” Mail on Sunday
“An immaculately written novel with plenty of dark family secrets and gentle wit within. Recommended for book groups.” Waterstone’s Books Quarterly
“A tender and subtle novel about alcoholism that explores difficult issues in deceptively easy prose.” Observer Books of the Year 2009
“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.” London Evening Standard Best Books of 2009
“I love it. It’s a book that’s very fast and really rewarding as a 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
“A great story. It is incredibly sad but it’s incredibly enjoyable, like watching a horror film; you enjoy being frightened.” Lemn Sissay on the Simon Mayo Show
“A brilliant debut.” Sainsbury’s Magazine
“A heartbreaking redemptive tale of family secrets that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster.” Glamour
“It reminded me of Iain Banks. If you enjoyed The Crow Road, I think you’ll get lots out of this book.” Joel Morris on the Simon Mayo Show
“Carefully observed, unexpected and mesmerisingly beautiful.” Easy Living
“It’s an incredibly powerful, intense book. Very, very real.“ Boyd Hilton on the Simon Mayo Show
“The prose is succinct and smooth, the dialogue crisp and convincing. An intriguing, atmospheric read with a healthy dollop of realism.” Argus
“An outstanding debut novel.” The Kemptown Rag
“Glasshopper is skilfully written and hard to put down. A page-turningly good read . . . a perceptive insight into alcohol’s hidden harm.” Drink & Drugs Review
“Ashdown deals with Mary’s alcoholism and accompanying mental illness with sensitivity and unpeels the cruelty that the nearest and dearest are capable of inflicting on one another unflinchingly.” Helen J Beal, literary blogsite
“A beautifully poignant, multi-layered family story.” Bookersatz, literary blogsite
“A great book group read – in fact, I’m going to recommend it to mine.” Lizzie’s Literary Life, literary blogsite
For more detailed reviews, please click here.
To buy Glasshopper, click here.
To view Glasshopper Book Club & Reading Group Discussion Questions, click here.
