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Chichester Observer (Phil Hewitt, Dec 09)
“Glasshopper, the debut novel from Chichester author Isabel Ashdown, has been listed in the Best Books of 2009 in both the London Evening Standard and the Observer Review.
Isabel said: “Since the launch in September we’ve had a hugely positive response to Glasshopper, with lots of great reviews in both the local and national press. Following my appearance on the Simon Mayo show in October, the book sold out online overnight!
When Waterstone’s magazine recommended it for book groups, sales spiked again, and we are now on to our third print run in just three months.
I was absolutely delighted when I heard that it had been included in the Best Books of 2009 listings in both the Observer Review and the London Evening Standard. It’s a great honour to be listed alongside so many wonderful writers.
I’ve really enjoyed all the book readings and interviews, but I’m now ready for a bit of quiet time.”
For more detailed reviews, please click here.
To buy Glasshopper, click here.
To view Glasshopper Book Club & Reading Group Discussion Questions, click here.
“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
“It’s hard to know who to recommend this to without encouraging everyone to go out and buy it. Such a great range of characters within such a small group of friends and family is enough to keep anyone turning the page. Ashdown is a definite one to watch for in British literature.” Bookbag.co.uk
“A beautifully poignant, multi-layered family story.” Bookersatz, literary blogsite
“Ashdown’s debut novel is accomplished, accessible and absorbing.” Newbooksmag.com
“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.
Rachel Jones looks at ten people who, in different ways, are likely to make an impact in 2010, including writer Isabel Ashdown.
The 2010 list is made up of: Aaron Sayers, Toby Meredith, Gemma Spofforth, Penny Mordaunt, Miranda Hart, Edward Perry, Alex Hibbert, Mike Fowler, Karen Moore and Isabel Ashdown.
To buy Glasshopper, click here.
The News
The News
Literary Festival Defies Recession
There may be a recession on, but the Havant Literary Festival is proving to be resilient after reporting healthy ticket sales.
While many art venues are taking a hit because of the economic downturn, more than 800 tickets have been sold so far for the festival which opens this Friday.
The 10-day festival will host 101 events across 23 venues in the borough – much bigger than the 40 events held over four days during the inaugural festival last year.
Among the big names giving talks are bestselling novelists Fay Weldon, Maggie Gee and Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin.
Arthur Conan Doyle and his most famous creation, Sherlock Holmes, are also heavily featured with five talks plus an exhibition at the Meridian Centre of the Conan Doyle Collection, which was bequeathed to Portsmouth City Council by leading expert Richard Lancelyn Green.
And there are plenty more unusual distractions such as a ghost walk, a tea leaf reading gypsy and a poet in a shed.
The big names and variety of events have helped to draw people into the festival which is designed to provide something for everyone – as the ticket sales show.
The festival’s artistic director, Lucy Flannery, said: ‘We’ve sold more than 800 ticket and it does seem that the recession hasn’t really affected us. People do need to go out and enjoy themselves and our tickets are good value. We’re going to do better than last year.
‘But while we’ve had strong ticket sales there are still plenty left for many of the events.’
Some of the other highlights include the literary editor of The Guardian, Claire Armitstead, examining the role of the critic, as well as workshops on online phenomenons such as blogging and Twitter.
Local writers Isabel Ashdown, Alex Bell and Yong Pease will feature in a panel discussion on writing for and about teenagers.
And there are plenty of book fairs and sales and visits from children’s authors to schools.
Tickets can be bought from Havant Arts Centre in East Street. Call (023) 9247 2700 or go to havantartscentre.co.uk. For details visit havantlitfest.org.uk
