’Ashdown’s storytelling skills are formidable; her human insights highly perceptive’ – Mail on Sunday

The Observer: ‘A wonderful debut – intelligent, understated and sensitive.’

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.’

Fay Weldon and Paula Johnson (Mail on Sunday Novel Competition): ‘Engrossing and moving.’

Amazon: Hurry Up and Wait named in Amazon’s Top 100 ‘Customer Favourites in 2011′.

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

The Observer Books of the Year 2009: ‘A tender and subtle novel about alcoholism that explores difficult issues in deceptively easy prose.’

London Evening Standard Best Books of 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.’

Heat Magazine: ‘The story addresses some pretty dark themes, but never strays into misery-lit territory.  A slow-burner, which makes the revelation at the end even more heart-wrenching.’

Sainsbury’s Magazine: ‘A brilliant debut.’

Glamour: ‘A heartbreaking redemptive tale of family secrets that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster.’

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

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

Stylist: ‘Haunting fiction exploring the treacherous territory of adolescence.’

David Vann, author of Legend of a Suicide: ‘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.’

Lemn Sissay on the Simon Mayo Show: ‘A great story.  It is incredibly sad but it’s incredibly enjoyable, like watching a horror film; you enjoy being frightened.’

Joel Morris on the Simon Mayo Show: ‘It reminded me of Iain Banks.  If you enjoyed The Crow Road, I think you’ll get lots out of this book.’

Boyd Hilton on the Simon Mayo Show: ‘It’s an incredibly powerful, intense book.  Very, very real.’

New Books Magazine: ‘Ashdown’s debut novel is accomplished, accessible and absorbing.’