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Hurry Up and Wait
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Hurry Up and Wait
Unavailable
Hurry Up and Wait
Ebook318 pages5 hours

Hurry Up and Wait

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this ebook

In her eagerly anticipated second novel Mail on Sunday Novel Competition winner Isabel Ashdown explores the treacherous territory of adolescent friendships, and traces across the decades the repercussions of a dangerous relationship.It's more than twenty years since Sarah Ribbons last set foot inside her old high school, a crumbling Victorian-built comprehensive on the south coast of England. Now, as she prepares for her school reunion, 39-year-old Sarah has to face up to the truth of what really happened back in the summer of 1986.August 1985: Sarah celebrates her fifteenth birthday in the back garden of the suburban seaside house she shares with her ageing father. As she embarks on her fifth and final year at Selton High School for Girls Sarah's main focus is on her erratic friendships with Tina and Kate; her closest allies one moment, her fiercest opponents the next as they compete for the attention of the new boy, Dante. When her father is unexpectedly taken ill, Sarah is sent to stay with Kate's family in nearby Amber Chalks. Kate's youthful parents welcome her into the comfort of their liberal family home, where the girls can eat off trays and watch TV in Kate's bedroom. They've never been closer -- until a few days into her stay, events take a sinister turn, and Sarah knows that nothing will ever be the same again.
LanguageEnglish
Release dateJun 16, 2011
ISBN9780956792624
Unavailable
Hurry Up and Wait
Author

Isabel Ashdown

Isabel Ashdown is the author of four critically acclaimed novels: Flight (2015), Summer of ’76 (2013), Hurry Up and Wait (2011) and Glasshopper (2009). Her first novel, Glasshopper (Observer Best Debuts, Evening Standard Best Books of the Year), won the Mail on Sunday Novel Competition. She lives in West Sussex with her husband and two children.

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Reviews for Hurry Up and Wait

Rating: 3.4333332 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed this somewhat powerful and intuitive coming of age story. It begins in 2010 with 39 year old Sarah Ribbons returning to the seaside town of her childhood to attend a reunion, which brings back some painful memories of her schooldays in the 1980s.I thought the title had an interesting metaphor. Most of us as teenagers are all too eager and in a rush to grow up. It's not until we are a little older that we realise just how fleeting youth is and that it is quite normal to make mistakes along life's journey, even if we sometimes cringe at the memories! Perhaps we should take a hint from the title and wait a little and not be hasty - enjoy life whilst we are still young, which, of course, is easier said in hindsight.The story gave a good sense of time and place and portrayed the 1980s effectively. I found it rather nostalgic as I remember them well myself. There were plenty of reminders of events gone by and there was also a smattering of name dropping, ie with regards to music, films, pop groups, food, etc. It was lovely to have a trip down memory lane and reminisce!I thought the characters were well drawn and I particularly liked Sarah, her father and also Sarah's friend in the chemist where she worked part-time, John Gilmore. I felt Sarah's angst as she wandered back in time - the wanting to fit it and belong, the bitchiness of her girlfriends and the roller coaster of emotions regarding boys. I thought she was quite a remarkable girl in a lot of ways as she had a fair amount to deal with.In a nutshell, it's an easy, compelling and captivating little read told with a touch of humour about all those feelings we have as young adults. It's a tale which should resonate with most people and I think there is much to discuss here within a book group. I look forward to reading further work by this author.Reviewed for Newbooks Magazine.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I found this quite a compelling read and could really empathise with the main character Sarah, a 15 year old girl, desperately trying to fit into her social group, although her home life was somewhat different to most of her peers. I found her a very likeable character and really warmed to her, as she struggled to maintain her friendship with two other, extremely unlikeable, contemporaries. I thought the construction of the story was strange and a bit awkward. It starts with Sarah and an old friend John, just about to attend a school reunion, then tells the story of Sarah's experiences at the school and home 25 years previously, with this section ending on a bit of a cliff-hanger. We know nothing about her life between leaving school and the reunion, but details of the events of her last day at school are revealed right at the end of the book.I found it an easy and enjoyable read - it was very true true to it's time and portrayed all the anxieties of growing up so accurately. I'd happily read more by this author.