Glasshopper Review: “A stirring coming-of-age novel”

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Isabel Ashdown

Glamour

“This stirring coming-of-age novel evokes the strictures of the ’50s and the tacky flamboyance of the ’80s brilliantly. Narrated through 13-year-old Jake’s eyes, it’s 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.”

Reviewed this month alongside The Brightest Star in the Sky by Marian Keyes, Naked Truths by Jo Carnegie and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.

Glasshopper Review: “carefully observed … mesmerisingly beautiful”

Posted on October 5, 2009 by Isabel Ashdown

Easy Living

“The future looks bleak for 13-year-old Jake growing up in the 1980s. Abandoned by a missing brother and absent father, he’s left with Mary, his bipolar, alcoholic mother, and seeks escapism in the stories of Greek mythology. Then, just as reconciliation with long-lost family members means things start to look up, a holiday unearths unbearably dark secrets. The narratives of both Jake and his mother weave a poetic web from the strands and secrets of their unpredictable and unstable family life into a tale that’s carefully observed, unexpected and mesmerisingly beautiful.”

Reviewed this month alongside A Gate at the Stairs by Lorrie Moore and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger.

Glasshopper Review: “immaculately written with gentle wit”

Posted on October 3, 2009 by Isabel Ashdown

Waterstone’s Books Quarterly

“A moving novel told from two points of view: 13-year-old Jake in the mid-1980s, who’s trying to deal with his mother Mary’s alcoholism, his parents’ split and growing pains; and Mary herself, going off the rails from the 1960s to the present. An immaculately written novel with plenty of dark family secrets and gentle wit within. Recommended for book groups.”

Reviewed this season under ‘Great debuts this season’, alongside Legend of a Suicide by David Vann and Kissing Alice by Jacqueline Yallop.

Glasshopper Review: “intelligent and beautifully observed”

Posted on September 27, 2009 by Isabel Ashdown

The Mail on Sunday

“By the worthy winner of the 2008 Mail on Sunday Novel Prize, Glasshopper is an intelligent, beautifully observed coming-of-age story, packed with vivid characters and inch-perfect dialogue. The book opens in Portsmouth in the Eighties, with 13-year-old Jake struggling to cope as his family disintegrates. He is a bright boy, fascinated by Greek mythology, but finds his mother’s decline into alcoholism difficult to fathom. Can’t she see what a self-destructive course she is set on? Then, little by little, as the novel takes us back in time, the riddle resolves itself. Isabel Ashdown is not a flashy writer, but her storytelling skills are formidable; her human insights highly perceptive.”

Reviewed this week alongside Noah’s Compass by Anne Tyler and The Bradshaw Variations by Rachel Cusk.

Glasshopper Review: “An intriguing, atmospheric read”

Posted on September 24, 2009 by Isabel Ashdown

The Argus

“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.”

Reviewed this week alongside Fever of the Bone by Val McDermid.

Glasshopper featured in Bella Magazine

Posted on September 16, 2009 by Isabel Ashdown

Yesterday I went along to Brighton to meet with my agent and chat about plans for Glasshopper, and discuss the progress of my second novel.

On the way, I stopped by WHSmith’s and bought a copy of Bella magazine (22nd September issue), which features Glasshopper in its ‘Dont miss . . .’ review section, alongside The Surrogate by Tania Carver and The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. It was thrilling to see it there in print!

I met Adrian and Jemima from Raft in the fab Due South restaurant down at the seafront, where we enjoyed a celebratory meal and raised a glass to Glasshopper. It was a welcome pause in the busy schedule ahead, before my official book launch, Havant Literary Festival on 25th September, and a good number of book readings and signings between now and November. Click on the Events tab to see more.

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