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Hurry Up and Wait by Isabel Ashdown (2011) Paperback
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.
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First published May 1, 2011
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About the author
Isabel Ashdown
15 books254 followersIsabel Ashdown is an award-winning author and writing coach. 'One Girl, One Summer' is her tenth novel.
Isabel’s writing career launched with her critically acclaimed debut 'Glasshopper', which was twice named among Best Books of the Year after winning first prize in a national competition judged by Fay Weldon, Sir John Mortimer, and Michael Ridpath. Since then, her thrillers 'Little Sister' and 'Beautiful Liars' have been shortlisted in the Dead Good Reader Awards, while '33 Women' was an Amazon bestseller within weeks of release. Alongside her own work, Isabel is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and a coach to developing writers.
Born in London, Isabel grew up on the south coast, and she now spends much of her time in a writing cabin in West Dorset, built for her by carpenter husband, Colin. She is a member of the Society of Authors and is represented by Kate Shaw of The Shaw Agency. Isabel lives with her husband, with whom she has two grown-up children and a pair of ageing dogs. Her happy place is anywhere with a coastal view.
Find out more about Isabel via her website, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.
Isabel’s writing career launched with her critically acclaimed debut 'Glasshopper', which was twice named among Best Books of the Year after winning first prize in a national competition judged by Fay Weldon, Sir John Mortimer, and Michael Ridpath. Since then, her thrillers 'Little Sister' and 'Beautiful Liars' have been shortlisted in the Dead Good Reader Awards, while '33 Women' was an Amazon bestseller within weeks of release. Alongside her own work, Isabel is a Royal Literary Fund Fellow and a coach to developing writers.
Born in London, Isabel grew up on the south coast, and she now spends much of her time in a writing cabin in West Dorset, built for her by carpenter husband, Colin. She is a member of the Society of Authors and is represented by Kate Shaw of The Shaw Agency. Isabel lives with her husband, with whom she has two grown-up children and a pair of ageing dogs. Her happy place is anywhere with a coastal view.
Find out more about Isabel via her website, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
February 17, 2022
I loved it!
I loved the trip down memory Lane, 1980’s. I was in my mid 20’s then? Married. Child in 1983 and 1985.
I forgot so many things and it was exciting remembering them, some I owned!
The characters were so thrillingly real to me. Oh boy how things have changed. For the better? Maybe? Some for the worse.
We all had friends of varying characters.
Travelling back home to where she was raised by her dad evokes many, many memories.
There’s a reunion to look forward to.
How I enjoyed this book.
I’m glad I read the prelude to this one it enhanced my reading.
I loved the trip down memory Lane, 1980’s. I was in my mid 20’s then? Married. Child in 1983 and 1985.
I forgot so many things and it was exciting remembering them, some I owned!
The characters were so thrillingly real to me. Oh boy how things have changed. For the better? Maybe? Some for the worse.
We all had friends of varying characters.
Travelling back home to where she was raised by her dad evokes many, many memories.
There’s a reunion to look forward to.
How I enjoyed this book.
I’m glad I read the prelude to this one it enhanced my reading.
July 17, 2011
Hurry Up and Wait is the second novel by Isabel Ashdown following on the from the award-winning success of Glasshopper.
A 39 nine-year old Sarah Ribbons is preparing to attend a reunion at her old School, Selton High School for Girls. Can she bring herself to revisit the 1980's?
It's 1985 and Sarah is 15 years old living with her elderly Father with all the usual issues any 15-year-old girl has in her final year at High School. The ever-changing friendship status with Katie and Tina she embarks upon a year she will never forget. With the sudden illness of her father, Sarah has to stay with Kate's family, who appear to be so young and exciting but nothing is ever the same again.
I'll be honest I had no idea what this novel was about. I saw people chatting with Isabel on Twitter and saying how much they loved the story so I decided to read it also. Isabel has written a wonderful story which on the surface is light and funny and which will transport you back the 1980's, the music, the fashion and Our Price. It starts in the present day but you slip back to 1985 and re-live that final year at school with Sarah.
The story has so much more to offer which I was not expecting. It focuses on Sarah's relationships with her friends, family, boyfriends and other people she comes into contact with. It has lovely moments of friendship but also times of heartbreak and realisation for Sarah that there is big bad world out there.
I read this book in a day as I just couldn't put it down. An excellent story, which I really enjoyed and totally recommend. I will certainly now be getting a copy of Glasshopper if this is anything to go by.
A 39 nine-year old Sarah Ribbons is preparing to attend a reunion at her old School, Selton High School for Girls. Can she bring herself to revisit the 1980's?
It's 1985 and Sarah is 15 years old living with her elderly Father with all the usual issues any 15-year-old girl has in her final year at High School. The ever-changing friendship status with Katie and Tina she embarks upon a year she will never forget. With the sudden illness of her father, Sarah has to stay with Kate's family, who appear to be so young and exciting but nothing is ever the same again.
I'll be honest I had no idea what this novel was about. I saw people chatting with Isabel on Twitter and saying how much they loved the story so I decided to read it also. Isabel has written a wonderful story which on the surface is light and funny and which will transport you back the 1980's, the music, the fashion and Our Price. It starts in the present day but you slip back to 1985 and re-live that final year at school with Sarah.
The story has so much more to offer which I was not expecting. It focuses on Sarah's relationships with her friends, family, boyfriends and other people she comes into contact with. It has lovely moments of friendship but also times of heartbreak and realisation for Sarah that there is big bad world out there.
I read this book in a day as I just couldn't put it down. An excellent story, which I really enjoyed and totally recommend. I will certainly now be getting a copy of Glasshopper if this is anything to go by.
July 29, 2012
I'd been putting off reading this book as a friend who also read & loved Glasshopper, Isabel Ashdown's first novel, told me that this wasn't as good, and I didn't want to be disappointed. I finally started it a few days ago, and I haven't been able to put it down - I absolutely love books like this!
It's a fairly simple story, of a girl returning to her old high school for a school reunion, who is obviously uneasy about going. Then the story moves back to the mid-1980s, when she was in her fifth year of school, and we slowly learn about the dark secret in her past. As another reviewer has said, the clues are there all the way through, subtly woven into the story, so the secret is no real surprise, but it isn't intended to be.
The complete & utter beauty of this story is in the storytelling & descriptions. Isabel Ashdown has such a talent for putting the reader right in the heart of the story & bringing back memories of childhood. Although I started high school at about the time our main character was finishing, I was flooded with memories, both good & bad, from my childhood - the music, the make-up & perfume, the clothes, how fractious friendships can be, how mean schoolchildren are, not realising the damage words can do. And the wonderful sense of place of the book. I loved it, and found the final scenes heartbreaking.
So now I can't wait for her next book, and I won't leave this one sitting on my bedside table for so long!
It's a fairly simple story, of a girl returning to her old high school for a school reunion, who is obviously uneasy about going. Then the story moves back to the mid-1980s, when she was in her fifth year of school, and we slowly learn about the dark secret in her past. As another reviewer has said, the clues are there all the way through, subtly woven into the story, so the secret is no real surprise, but it isn't intended to be.
The complete & utter beauty of this story is in the storytelling & descriptions. Isabel Ashdown has such a talent for putting the reader right in the heart of the story & bringing back memories of childhood. Although I started high school at about the time our main character was finishing, I was flooded with memories, both good & bad, from my childhood - the music, the make-up & perfume, the clothes, how fractious friendships can be, how mean schoolchildren are, not realising the damage words can do. And the wonderful sense of place of the book. I loved it, and found the final scenes heartbreaking.
So now I can't wait for her next book, and I won't leave this one sitting on my bedside table for so long!
July 31, 2011
Ironically, I read this while sitting on Paddington station, waiting for my train to hurry up - and I can honestly say that the five hours simply flew past...I was actually sorry when my journey finally ended. I still had a few pages to go!
Set in an English sea side town, Isabel Ashdown's novel begins with an adult Sarah gathering her courage to enter a school reunion party. From then on the main body of the story is made up of Sarah's school day memories which are superbly observed. Details from the 80's are there in abundance to firmly anchor this 'historical' piece, but the real skill is in the characterisation which is superb. The relationship between teenage girls is painful in its accuracy. A coming of age at a very young age. A story of abuse, endurance and love.
Set in an English sea side town, Isabel Ashdown's novel begins with an adult Sarah gathering her courage to enter a school reunion party. From then on the main body of the story is made up of Sarah's school day memories which are superbly observed. Details from the 80's are there in abundance to firmly anchor this 'historical' piece, but the real skill is in the characterisation which is superb. The relationship between teenage girls is painful in its accuracy. A coming of age at a very young age. A story of abuse, endurance and love.
August 24, 2011
Underwhelmed - have read much better books recently! It didn't really grip me and I felt a certain part of the story was a cop-out.I often keep books to re-read but this is going on ebay - its okay but no better than that.
April 1, 2013
One of the best books I've read. I was right back there in the 80s, complete with crimped hair! There were times of sadness and laughter and definitely times that were reminiscent of my youth :-) Would definitely recommend this book to all, but particularly if you grew up in the 80s...
April 10, 2018
We first meet Sarah on her way - reluctantly - to a high-school reunion. Then we’re plunged back to her final year of school and come to understand a little of how she has come to be in this situation.
Sarah, Kate and Tina are inseparable as they start their fifth year. However, relationships shift and sometimes a shared history isn’t enough to get through the events that take place. It’s certainly the case with these three.
I liked the way we follow Sarah through events, seen from her teenage viewpoint, but it did mean I spent a lot of time second-guessing just what might actually be happening.
The attention to detail was spot-on. I found the secondary characters intriguing, and it was definitely a story that encouraged you to look beyond the events on the page.
Sarah, Kate and Tina are inseparable as they start their fifth year. However, relationships shift and sometimes a shared history isn’t enough to get through the events that take place. It’s certainly the case with these three.
I liked the way we follow Sarah through events, seen from her teenage viewpoint, but it did mean I spent a lot of time second-guessing just what might actually be happening.
The attention to detail was spot-on. I found the secondary characters intriguing, and it was definitely a story that encouraged you to look beyond the events on the page.
February 15, 2022
Four stars, not for easiness, but the tragedy and coming to terms we get in the end. Sarah is a character to pity and rally around. I wanted to shake her awake to the snarky fakeness of her "friends", Tina and Kate, but then again, I had to put myself back in adolescent shoes (for better or worse) and remember that if they're not spoken by your peers, the words weren't worth much.
Interesting Elements
-Memories And Mysteries
*We open in the year 2010, where Sarah is waiting for her old friend, John, to pick her up and escort her to her high school reunion. Sarah's looking around the street, recalling the little things, such as the corner store where her father took her on weekends to get candy, even the crunching of gravel beneath her feet as she walked; it haunted more than it calmed her, enforcing the notion that nostalgia can be triggering.
*Who is John? Why is she dreading seeing Tina and Kate again? These are things that are never told, but rather shown. We see what made Sarah miss her class photo, the circumstances that tore her and Kate apart. But these are things we're not privy to until more than halfway through the novel.
-Dreadful Tidings Tied up in a Nice Narrative
*Because of the above mentioned mysteries, I was literally waiting for Sarah's other shoe to drop. From the back blurb, I was kind of afraid this would give me heavy handed Lifetime vibes, you know (say it with me: whoever you are), chapter switches between decades, Sarah waxing introspective on all the silly dramatics of high school life. But the novel is pretty much set in 1985/'86, with only the last chapter or so really taking place amid the drive and the reunion itself.
*The novel is beautifully deceptive, everything taking place so matter of fact/innocuously, that when we get to the unfortunate bits (i.e. Jason essentially R wording Sarah-consent with that age difference doesn't excuse his behavior; he's a creep, end of story), it's effectively jarring. We get snippets of how Sarah cooks, what she and her father eat, we watch the girls get hot chocolate and talk up party plans, and then BAM! Tragedy. Really kept me on my toes.
-John=The Voice of Reason
*And with a name like that (see my profile), you know I'm already biased. John (and Marianne) is the only person really sticking by Sarah:
1. Calling out her co workers' behavior (these two grown ass women literally laugh as they step over Sarah, who's slipped on the ice/landed on her shoulder on her way into the chemist's),
2.Warns Sarah about her "friends'" not so friendly antics way before Sarah catches on
3.Takes her home after her very painful/traumatizing miscarriage and keeps the secret of said miscarriage and who the father unfortunately was.
4.Tells Sarah that even though their four year age difference isn't a big deal now, that back in the day when she was fifteen and he was nineteen, it would've (and still is) been very wrong.
*He doesn't do any of these things hoping for recognition or romance when they see each other again. John never even makes a move on Sarah, opting instead to find out about her life/see that she made it out of the tragedy ok.
-Sarah and John staying late to set up Xmas décor at their job while blasting their own music to keep them entertained. Ah, yes. I know it well.
-Teenage Tactics
*Don't get me wrong, Kate (and by default, Tina) is a class-A bully. But like a lot of teens, her bullying is about getting other people involved in her petty antics: having acquaintances follow Sarah around campus, whisper nasty things about her in passing, and then turning around, giving Sarah "there's no me without you" nonsense.
-Mental Warfare
*The way I interpreted Kate's bullying was that she meant to confuse Sarah/keep her under her thumb. For instance, there's a scene early on where Dante asks Sarah out but before Kate realizes this, she's all about getting Sarah to introduce her. When she finds out Sarah's the object of Dante's "adoration" (he's an asshole too, go figure), Kate's extra malicious, starting to guilt Sarah into "choosing him over me", calling him disgusting and her by extension. All of this culminates in a very nasty and public note she sends Sarah's way in class. And it all ends with Kate randomly showing up at Sarah's house, not to apologize, but to judge her "decrepit house" and accuse Sarah of never inviting her over.
*When someone else picks on Sarah (i.e. that horrible art teacher), Kate steps in and defends her. On the outside, it's a nice "no one messes with my friend". But look closer and you'll see the whole picture "No one messes with my girl... except me". Power move, much?
*Even Kate's bragging is meant to manipulate the girls. She takes presents from Tina, and then whispers in front of Sarah that the necklace she was gifted is plastic. All with a smile to boot.
*I also read the way Kate talks about her parents' wealth and money as way to show her value to the girls, that they're low class without her.
-Sexist Overtones
*It begins, strangely enough, with someone Sarah's quite close to: her father. There are countless scenes of Sarah preparing breakfast, coffee, snacks, and tea all while her father calls her "good girl". And later, Sarah's put through the ringer about a youth club she's going to (who's there, curfew, the whole nine) but later, her father just breezes through the house, puts on a coat and when Sarah asks, where he's going, he's all "out to see a friend". Again, a power dynamic problem in Sarah's life.
-Holier Than Thou
*In the midst of that youth club scene, Sarah's father begins bemoaning how she's "not like the other girls", how he wishes he could send her to a better school. On the surface, super sweet. But dig deeper, and it kind of instills outsider status in Sarah and perhaps may explain why she makes these bad decisions (AKA losing her virginity to Jason, going to the youth club, keep coming back to Kate no matter how many times she treats Sarah like dirt). She craves acceptance/being like all the other girls.
-Age Shaming
*Throughout the novel, Sarah is made painfully aware of her age: when she's with older boys, she'll look down at her clothes and realize how "youthful" she appears, enforcing later why she feels the R word incident was "her fault" (horrible thinking, BTW), and why Jason was "able" to perform the act in the first place: He's a much older guy; perhaps for her, being able to snag him was a strange ego boost, because Jason also stated when they first kissed (seriously? WTF? and the worst reveal is yet to come) that she's better than Dante/not like all those other kids at the party.
-The Big Reveals
1.The Jason in question, the person Sarah lost her virginity to is Kate's father. Yep.
2.Turns out, Jason had gotten another girl pregnant in their class. When questioned, the girl (who ended up keeping the baby, BTW, the way she found out: she was having what she thought was severe cramps and ended giving birth and herself a concussion-poor girl knocked herself out in a frantic thrashing about-in one afternoon-) claimed she thought the two were "going out"... she was thirteen when this began. Jesus H. Christ.
3.Sarah ends up miscarrying Jason's baby. That scene is crazy hard to read: Sarah begins feeling stabbing pains and tries to make her way to the bathroom, only to find out it's out of order just as the blood gushes down her legs. Not wanting to be seen, she slinks down to the boiler room and allows herself to bleed out in a bucket. After that traumatic event, Sarah's spotted struggling on the street as she attempts to walk home by John who offers to drive her there/keep her secret.
4.While at the reunion, Sarah asks Tina if she thinks Jason did it, to which Tina replies "Yes, Sarah. I've known since I was fourteen". Turns out, he's been R wording Tina as well. And Tina and Kate still remain tight.
-I really liked the fact that some people just don't change: Kate is still a gossip rag, only this time 'round, Sarah's not sticking around to be stepped on. She doesn't forgive/forget. Sarah leaves Kate behind in order to move forward.
-Sarah's Salvation
*It's revealed that Sarah and her father's planned summer vacation (unknowingly happening post miscarriage) soon becomes a whole new life: after the miscarriage, her father asks if she's cool to just stay on in their new town, miles and miles from "home". So he sells their house and Sarah gets motivated in school, beginning a career in the education branch. I love seeing people get to leave their hometown or at least come to terms with the idea that maybe all that glitters wasn't gold there after all.
-Finale
*The last words of the whole novel: "All done". *Chef's kiss*.
Ref. Light
-One of Sarah's Bday presents is I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith, a novel about a girl living with her eccentric father and family in a rundown castle as the MC comes of age. Very similar to Sarah living in a crumbling Victorian with her eccentric father and coming of age.
-The Song "Sunday Girl" by Blondie is pretty heavily referenced throughout:
1.The song itself tells the story of a girl who's seeing a guy who's cheating on her and how her parents freak if she goes out with him, a la Tina later catching Dante out with Kate, as well as her father freaking if she goes out to the club.
2.It literally plays at the youth club and is later requested by Kate for Sarah at the reunion as some strange peace offering.
3.The lyrics are referenced in both iterations of the story: The first short story version was called "Sunday Girl" and the repetition of "hurry up and wait" is of course this version's title.
-Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
*Kate's a richer girl who likes to both bully Sarah but also be nice enough to keep her around, similar to the film SKOW's protagonist, Amanda Jones, being part of the upper crust scene on the outside, but all of them make sure she knows she's beneath them, that they own her.
Jason is con, but he's meant to be. Was this an easy read? God no. But it was enthralling and unique, and Sarah got her own release/HEA in a way that I needed.
Interesting Elements
-Memories And Mysteries
*We open in the year 2010, where Sarah is waiting for her old friend, John, to pick her up and escort her to her high school reunion. Sarah's looking around the street, recalling the little things, such as the corner store where her father took her on weekends to get candy, even the crunching of gravel beneath her feet as she walked; it haunted more than it calmed her, enforcing the notion that nostalgia can be triggering.
*Who is John? Why is she dreading seeing Tina and Kate again? These are things that are never told, but rather shown. We see what made Sarah miss her class photo, the circumstances that tore her and Kate apart. But these are things we're not privy to until more than halfway through the novel.
-Dreadful Tidings Tied up in a Nice Narrative
*Because of the above mentioned mysteries, I was literally waiting for Sarah's other shoe to drop. From the back blurb, I was kind of afraid this would give me heavy handed Lifetime vibes, you know (say it with me: whoever you are), chapter switches between decades, Sarah waxing introspective on all the silly dramatics of high school life. But the novel is pretty much set in 1985/'86, with only the last chapter or so really taking place amid the drive and the reunion itself.
*The novel is beautifully deceptive, everything taking place so matter of fact/innocuously, that when we get to the unfortunate bits (i.e. Jason essentially R wording Sarah-consent with that age difference doesn't excuse his behavior; he's a creep, end of story), it's effectively jarring. We get snippets of how Sarah cooks, what she and her father eat, we watch the girls get hot chocolate and talk up party plans, and then BAM! Tragedy. Really kept me on my toes.
-John=The Voice of Reason
*And with a name like that (see my profile), you know I'm already biased. John (and Marianne) is the only person really sticking by Sarah:
1. Calling out her co workers' behavior (these two grown ass women literally laugh as they step over Sarah, who's slipped on the ice/landed on her shoulder on her way into the chemist's),
2.Warns Sarah about her "friends'" not so friendly antics way before Sarah catches on
3.Takes her home after her very painful/traumatizing miscarriage and keeps the secret of said miscarriage and who the father unfortunately was.
4.Tells Sarah that even though their four year age difference isn't a big deal now, that back in the day when she was fifteen and he was nineteen, it would've (and still is) been very wrong.
*He doesn't do any of these things hoping for recognition or romance when they see each other again. John never even makes a move on Sarah, opting instead to find out about her life/see that she made it out of the tragedy ok.
-Sarah and John staying late to set up Xmas décor at their job while blasting their own music to keep them entertained. Ah, yes. I know it well.
-Teenage Tactics
*Don't get me wrong, Kate (and by default, Tina) is a class-A bully. But like a lot of teens, her bullying is about getting other people involved in her petty antics: having acquaintances follow Sarah around campus, whisper nasty things about her in passing, and then turning around, giving Sarah "there's no me without you" nonsense.
-Mental Warfare
*The way I interpreted Kate's bullying was that she meant to confuse Sarah/keep her under her thumb. For instance, there's a scene early on where Dante asks Sarah out but before Kate realizes this, she's all about getting Sarah to introduce her. When she finds out Sarah's the object of Dante's "adoration" (he's an asshole too, go figure), Kate's extra malicious, starting to guilt Sarah into "choosing him over me", calling him disgusting and her by extension. All of this culminates in a very nasty and public note she sends Sarah's way in class. And it all ends with Kate randomly showing up at Sarah's house, not to apologize, but to judge her "decrepit house" and accuse Sarah of never inviting her over.
*When someone else picks on Sarah (i.e. that horrible art teacher), Kate steps in and defends her. On the outside, it's a nice "no one messes with my friend". But look closer and you'll see the whole picture "No one messes with my girl... except me". Power move, much?
*Even Kate's bragging is meant to manipulate the girls. She takes presents from Tina, and then whispers in front of Sarah that the necklace she was gifted is plastic. All with a smile to boot.
*I also read the way Kate talks about her parents' wealth and money as way to show her value to the girls, that they're low class without her.
-Sexist Overtones
*It begins, strangely enough, with someone Sarah's quite close to: her father. There are countless scenes of Sarah preparing breakfast, coffee, snacks, and tea all while her father calls her "good girl". And later, Sarah's put through the ringer about a youth club she's going to (who's there, curfew, the whole nine) but later, her father just breezes through the house, puts on a coat and when Sarah asks, where he's going, he's all "out to see a friend". Again, a power dynamic problem in Sarah's life.
-Holier Than Thou
*In the midst of that youth club scene, Sarah's father begins bemoaning how she's "not like the other girls", how he wishes he could send her to a better school. On the surface, super sweet. But dig deeper, and it kind of instills outsider status in Sarah and perhaps may explain why she makes these bad decisions (AKA losing her virginity to Jason, going to the youth club, keep coming back to Kate no matter how many times she treats Sarah like dirt). She craves acceptance/being like all the other girls.
-Age Shaming
*Throughout the novel, Sarah is made painfully aware of her age: when she's with older boys, she'll look down at her clothes and realize how "youthful" she appears, enforcing later why she feels the R word incident was "her fault" (horrible thinking, BTW), and why Jason was "able" to perform the act in the first place: He's a much older guy; perhaps for her, being able to snag him was a strange ego boost, because Jason also stated when they first kissed (seriously? WTF? and the worst reveal is yet to come) that she's better than Dante/not like all those other kids at the party.
-The Big Reveals
1.The Jason in question, the person Sarah lost her virginity to is Kate's father. Yep.
2.Turns out, Jason had gotten another girl pregnant in their class. When questioned, the girl (who ended up keeping the baby, BTW, the way she found out: she was having what she thought was severe cramps and ended giving birth and herself a concussion-poor girl knocked herself out in a frantic thrashing about-in one afternoon-) claimed she thought the two were "going out"... she was thirteen when this began. Jesus H. Christ.
3.Sarah ends up miscarrying Jason's baby. That scene is crazy hard to read: Sarah begins feeling stabbing pains and tries to make her way to the bathroom, only to find out it's out of order just as the blood gushes down her legs. Not wanting to be seen, she slinks down to the boiler room and allows herself to bleed out in a bucket. After that traumatic event, Sarah's spotted struggling on the street as she attempts to walk home by John who offers to drive her there/keep her secret.
4.While at the reunion, Sarah asks Tina if she thinks Jason did it, to which Tina replies "Yes, Sarah. I've known since I was fourteen". Turns out, he's been R wording Tina as well. And Tina and Kate still remain tight.
-I really liked the fact that some people just don't change: Kate is still a gossip rag, only this time 'round, Sarah's not sticking around to be stepped on. She doesn't forgive/forget. Sarah leaves Kate behind in order to move forward.
-Sarah's Salvation
*It's revealed that Sarah and her father's planned summer vacation (unknowingly happening post miscarriage) soon becomes a whole new life: after the miscarriage, her father asks if she's cool to just stay on in their new town, miles and miles from "home". So he sells their house and Sarah gets motivated in school, beginning a career in the education branch. I love seeing people get to leave their hometown or at least come to terms with the idea that maybe all that glitters wasn't gold there after all.
-Finale
*The last words of the whole novel: "All done". *Chef's kiss*.
Ref. Light
-One of Sarah's Bday presents is I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith, a novel about a girl living with her eccentric father and family in a rundown castle as the MC comes of age. Very similar to Sarah living in a crumbling Victorian with her eccentric father and coming of age.
-The Song "Sunday Girl" by Blondie is pretty heavily referenced throughout:
1.The song itself tells the story of a girl who's seeing a guy who's cheating on her and how her parents freak if she goes out with him, a la Tina later catching Dante out with Kate, as well as her father freaking if she goes out to the club.
2.It literally plays at the youth club and is later requested by Kate for Sarah at the reunion as some strange peace offering.
3.The lyrics are referenced in both iterations of the story: The first short story version was called "Sunday Girl" and the repetition of "hurry up and wait" is of course this version's title.
-Some Kind of Wonderful (1987)
*Kate's a richer girl who likes to both bully Sarah but also be nice enough to keep her around, similar to the film SKOW's protagonist, Amanda Jones, being part of the upper crust scene on the outside, but all of them make sure she knows she's beneath them, that they own her.
Jason is con, but he's meant to be. Was this an easy read? God no. But it was enthralling and unique, and Sarah got her own release/HEA in a way that I needed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 16, 2015
I started with this one thinking I was going to prefer Summer Of '76 but in the end enjoyed this one more ! Once again it's set on the south coast in the 80s this time so totally my era and my area which does make a great difference to the reading experience. So many times I was sniggering to myself at expressions and pop-culture references I remembered and some I'd forgotten like disc cameras !! They weren't around for long and I'd forgotten they existed. I've always loved photography and kicked off in the late 70s with a Polaroid Land Camera but the disc one passed my by. I progressed to a Canon Snappy instead-hehehe !!
The reference to Rock Hudson made me smile, also the Soda-Stream. Only one of our gang had one of those and we used to love going to her house to have a play. Sarah's dad saying "ruddy" made me laugh too as my dad always said that as well...fond memories....
The relationships in this with the teenaged boys and girls rings so true as well. You could be best mates one weekend but not speak to each other for a month then after a perceived slight !
I did spot some apostrophe errors again and a couple of times the word a was dropped in sentences and dyeing spelled as dying. I wondered too about Diet Coke being mentioned as I only recall that dire TAB being available during those years.
I loved the inclusion and description of Shattered Records as that shop existed and was just as the author described it and the coffee parlour they frequented also exists under a slightly different name and I spent many, many hours there making a coffee last 2 hours or more with a group of friends. We could people-watch to our heart's content in there. The funniest part for me was the doughnut incident. I actually laughed aloud at that. That was very funny indeed although bittersweet as I then managed to feel sad for the teacher as well.
Certainly an author I'll be sticking with. She's also kind enough to respond to questions you may have for her on Twitter-a nice lady.
The reference to Rock Hudson made me smile, also the Soda-Stream. Only one of our gang had one of those and we used to love going to her house to have a play. Sarah's dad saying "ruddy" made me laugh too as my dad always said that as well...fond memories....
The relationships in this with the teenaged boys and girls rings so true as well. You could be best mates one weekend but not speak to each other for a month then after a perceived slight !
I did spot some apostrophe errors again and a couple of times the word a was dropped in sentences and dyeing spelled as dying. I wondered too about Diet Coke being mentioned as I only recall that dire TAB being available during those years.
I loved the inclusion and description of Shattered Records as that shop existed and was just as the author described it and the coffee parlour they frequented also exists under a slightly different name and I spent many, many hours there making a coffee last 2 hours or more with a group of friends. We could people-watch to our heart's content in there. The funniest part for me was the doughnut incident. I actually laughed aloud at that. That was very funny indeed although bittersweet as I then managed to feel sad for the teacher as well.
Certainly an author I'll be sticking with. She's also kind enough to respond to questions you may have for her on Twitter-a nice lady.
April 17, 2013
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.
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.
August 13, 2016
I am so very glad I read Hurry Up And Wait. The memories of this novel will stay with me for a very long time. I think that Hurry Up And Wait should be made into a short film. I could not put this novel by Isabel Ashdown down. Every character is so believable you are just drawn in. Isabel Ashdown is a very clever author setting the scenes from the present day back to the past. This engaging story certainly took me back to my teenage years.Isabel Ashdown's storytelling skills I highly recommend to readers.
The story mainly involves the main character Sarah whose mother died and she lives with her father. Hurry Up And Wait takes readers through Sarah's friendship at school how one minute you are the best of friends and falling out the next minute. How Sarah is love with her boyfriend who has an enormous house and how Sarah works at a pharmacy to earn some money.
I can really assure readers that lots of things happen in Hurry Up And Wait. This novel honestly is a very good book and one not to be missed.I hope that readers will enjoy reading Hurry Up And Wait as much as I have.
Isabel first book Glasshopper was a real success by being winner of the Mail on Sunday novel competition. Hurry Up And Wait is Isabel Ashdown's second novel. With Summer Of 76 Isabel's third novel, which I must read.
The story mainly involves the main character Sarah whose mother died and she lives with her father. Hurry Up And Wait takes readers through Sarah's friendship at school how one minute you are the best of friends and falling out the next minute. How Sarah is love with her boyfriend who has an enormous house and how Sarah works at a pharmacy to earn some money.
I can really assure readers that lots of things happen in Hurry Up And Wait. This novel honestly is a very good book and one not to be missed.I hope that readers will enjoy reading Hurry Up And Wait as much as I have.
Isabel first book Glasshopper was a real success by being winner of the Mail on Sunday novel competition. Hurry Up And Wait is Isabel Ashdown's second novel. With Summer Of 76 Isabel's third novel, which I must read.
July 28, 2013
Probably 3 1/2, actually; I vacillated between 3 or 4 stars. It is quite a slight story and there are some clichéd aspects. (See below - spoiler alert.) However, I found it involving and it gains a sense of fate as the hints mount up. I don't usually like things written in the present tense but I didn't find it too irritating here. The sense of time and place are vivid. I did like the main character and her dad. She is far too forgiving, especially of her friend Kate, who is a complete bitch, but I think it is believable. Some people do put up with a lot of crap for some reason. She doesn't have a lot of gumption, though. I would have told Kate where to get off many times.
Anyway, over all, I found it an easy read and quite enjoyable.
Spoiler alert:
I really think it's astonishing how many books I've read where a character has sex just once and gets pregnant. I know it *can* happen but it is not all that likely - you're only fertile for a few days a month. It's really annoying: as soon as they do it just once, you know that they're going to be up the duff. Tediously inevitable.
Anyway, over all, I found it an easy read and quite enjoyable.
Spoiler alert:
I really think it's astonishing how many books I've read where a character has sex just once and gets pregnant. I know it *can* happen but it is not all that likely - you're only fertile for a few days a month. It's really annoying: as soon as they do it just once, you know that they're going to be up the duff. Tediously inevitable.
April 16, 2014
Take three school friends in the 1980's and throw in the usual rivalries, bitchiness, and squabbles and this, basically, is what the book is about. Fifteen year old Sarah lives with her father, the mother she never knew having died in childbirth or soon after; she desperately wants to know about her mother but her father constantly evades the question, as though there is a Great Mystery. If there is, it is never revealed. Sarah's friends are Tina and Kate the self-obsessed bitch of the trio. The author makes the reader aware that these are 1980's teenagers with her constant references to the music and fashion of the decade, but there is no atmosphere to the book, and no real depth to any of the characters, making it difficult to identify or sympathise with them.
The story doesn't develop into anything interesting or surprising, and to me was totally predictable; nor did I like the style of writing. I usually don't mind present tense, but there was something about this which made me think I was reading a manual rather than a novel.
I doubt if I'll read anything else by this author.
The story doesn't develop into anything interesting or surprising, and to me was totally predictable; nor did I like the style of writing. I usually don't mind present tense, but there was something about this which made me think I was reading a manual rather than a novel.
I doubt if I'll read anything else by this author.
July 27, 2014
This is the first Isabel Ashdown book I read, and I was unable to put it down.
In Hurry Up and Wait, Sarah's tale is one of childhood innocence, naivety and deception. Sarah's adult interpretation of what has happened to her creates an interesting perspective.
Isabel Ashdown has such a unique method of writing, where she flawlessly becomes the character in the book. This allows a faultless understanding of the story's themes and the characters' problems, making the book so enjoyable.
The style of writing also creates beautiful imagery, so that I almost felt I was experiencing the story and not just reading it.
I wouldn't like to say more and give the plot away, read this book! It is fantastic.
In Hurry Up and Wait, Sarah's tale is one of childhood innocence, naivety and deception. Sarah's adult interpretation of what has happened to her creates an interesting perspective.
Isabel Ashdown has such a unique method of writing, where she flawlessly becomes the character in the book. This allows a faultless understanding of the story's themes and the characters' problems, making the book so enjoyable.
The style of writing also creates beautiful imagery, so that I almost felt I was experiencing the story and not just reading it.
I wouldn't like to say more and give the plot away, read this book! It is fantastic.
January 14, 2012
I read this book several months ago, while on holiday in a hot country, yet the sense of place and time captured within the pages of this bitter-sweet coming-of-age story was so vivid that I was transported back to the salty sea-spray of a 1980s English seaside town; I became nostalgic for my duffle coat and scarf. Authentic in the tiniest detail, this is a captivating story of a woman who goes back to her home town, and in doing so finally comes to terms with the events that shaped her in her youth. Beautifully written, with a haunting quality that resonates long after the book is finished. A lovely book, highly recommended.
March 17, 2025
Isabel Ashdown delves into the complexities of teenage friendships and romances with this journey into 80s nostalgia and explores the lasting impact of past choices, or situations where maybe there was no choice. The story follows Sarah Ribbons now 39 years old, who returns to her old hometown by the coast and her high school for a reunion and is forced to confront memories from her teenage years in the 1980s, that she seems to have suppressed in order to move forwards. The 1980s narrative is bracketed by the arrival in 2010 at the school reunion with her friend John, the reunion itself and the aftermath. This enables us to see the shifts between the past and present and reveals the challenges and betrayals that shaped Sarah’s teenage life.
The relationships between Sarah and her two best friends, Kate and Tina are volatile and mercurial. There is no loyalty on their side, Kate is a nasty piece of work (though her family life may offer some clues) and Tina is just a lapdog. Sarah is too good for the pair of them and makes a real true friend in John, the son of her employer at the town chemist shop where she has a Saturday and summer job. Most of the other boys were horrors, too. I loved the detailed references to music, fashion, and social norms of the time. The book captures the challenges of growing up in that time and what it feels like to be a girl with no experience of how to deal with boys, men and their lack of understanding of themselves.
It’s easy to read and follow and the structure is good. There were some really horrible characters and much is made of showing Sarah as different, along with Marianne, another girl at the school who wears unfashionable outfits. “Oh I had those last year” is thrown out by Kate when she spots someone’s new shoes. Kate really does not show any character development, being the same at the age of 40 as she was at 15.
Though I read it in two days, it was a very detailed story which is the sort of pace I like. Sarah’s home and everyday life adds to the realism, whereas Kate’s is touched upon and Tina’s not mentioned at all. It wasn’t predictable for me, as I didn’t work out what was going to happen, but I found it very impactful and evocative.
I did like John, his mother and Sarah’s oddball Dad and the school nurse. All the other characters were truly awful, and I think I’d like to have seen more of a balance of personalities. I don't feel it realistic to portray all teenage girls as catty, or all teenage boys as sex maniacs and this lack of balance is my main criticism.
I thought the title was simply a reference to the song Sunday Girl which plays a key part and Sarah has a Debbie Harry haircut. But at that stage of life, you are longing for change, wanting it to hurry up and happen, yet realising they don't always turn out as you want, and you might have to wait. It encapsulates urgency and frustration at the same time.
The relationships between Sarah and her two best friends, Kate and Tina are volatile and mercurial. There is no loyalty on their side, Kate is a nasty piece of work (though her family life may offer some clues) and Tina is just a lapdog. Sarah is too good for the pair of them and makes a real true friend in John, the son of her employer at the town chemist shop where she has a Saturday and summer job. Most of the other boys were horrors, too. I loved the detailed references to music, fashion, and social norms of the time. The book captures the challenges of growing up in that time and what it feels like to be a girl with no experience of how to deal with boys, men and their lack of understanding of themselves.
It’s easy to read and follow and the structure is good. There were some really horrible characters and much is made of showing Sarah as different, along with Marianne, another girl at the school who wears unfashionable outfits. “Oh I had those last year” is thrown out by Kate when she spots someone’s new shoes. Kate really does not show any character development, being the same at the age of 40 as she was at 15.
Though I read it in two days, it was a very detailed story which is the sort of pace I like. Sarah’s home and everyday life adds to the realism, whereas Kate’s is touched upon and Tina’s not mentioned at all. It wasn’t predictable for me, as I didn’t work out what was going to happen, but I found it very impactful and evocative.
I did like John, his mother and Sarah’s oddball Dad and the school nurse. All the other characters were truly awful, and I think I’d like to have seen more of a balance of personalities. I don't feel it realistic to portray all teenage girls as catty, or all teenage boys as sex maniacs and this lack of balance is my main criticism.
I thought the title was simply a reference to the song Sunday Girl which plays a key part and Sarah has a Debbie Harry haircut. But at that stage of life, you are longing for change, wanting it to hurry up and happen, yet realising they don't always turn out as you want, and you might have to wait. It encapsulates urgency and frustration at the same time.
June 12, 2024
This book took me on a trip down memory lane! The characters were so real to life , the groups of girls I read about could have been in any high school and were certainly in mine.
The storyline which takes us from present day to the past enriched the book, as we travelled with Sarah who was uneasy returning to her old high school for a school reunion. We soon learn of a secret from her past which still impacts on her everyday life.
The beautiful descriptions throughout the book made me recall my own teenage years and the friendships I had which at the time were important but have changed as life moved on.
I recently was invited to my own school reunion but unlike Sarah I decided to not go at the last minute! I applauded her bravery and was pleased she could put her past behind her .
A great book one which I really enjoyed .
The storyline which takes us from present day to the past enriched the book, as we travelled with Sarah who was uneasy returning to her old high school for a school reunion. We soon learn of a secret from her past which still impacts on her everyday life.
The beautiful descriptions throughout the book made me recall my own teenage years and the friendships I had which at the time were important but have changed as life moved on.
I recently was invited to my own school reunion but unlike Sarah I decided to not go at the last minute! I applauded her bravery and was pleased she could put her past behind her .
A great book one which I really enjoyed .
October 2, 2019
This is a real memory trip to the 1980s with lots of authentic period-detail. The story centres on three teenage girls and the minutiae of their lives: relationships, make-up, hair dye, youth clubs and embarrassing teachers and parents. It sounds mundane and in a way it does have the feel of a soap opera cum kitchen-sink drama in the way that it’s written. But it’s all the better for that! The straightforward narrative takes you directly back to those times with a refreshing clarity. Yet behind the nostalgic brand-name-dropping and 80’s pop bands lies the more disturbing presence of a sex predator preying on vulnerable young girls. A totally absorbing read!
May 26, 2019
Having previously read 'Beautiful Liars' by Isabel Ashdown, and really enjoyed it, I was hoping that this would be more of the same. It didn't disappoint.
A novel set in the present, but mainly about events that happened twenty years ago, this novel was dark and sinister. I felt it perfectly captured what it's like to be a teenage girl with all its insecurities, worries and expectations.
A good page-turner.
A novel set in the present, but mainly about events that happened twenty years ago, this novel was dark and sinister. I felt it perfectly captured what it's like to be a teenage girl with all its insecurities, worries and expectations.
A good page-turner.
October 12, 2020
Absolutely outstanding, I could not put this down. Perfectly paced and characters that drew me in completely I wanted to really hurt some of them in defense of Sarah who’s struggle was real. Loved every moment!
December 23, 2023
was super unsure of the plot for a while but a good ending
September 10, 2024
3.25 stars
May 6, 2012
"Sarah schnappt nach Luft, und ihr Bewusstsein scheint zu schwinden. Kalter Schweiß bedeckt ihren Körper. Sie presst den Turnbeutel an die Brust, taumelt durch den Korridor und drückt die Knie zusammen, um die Flut zu stoppen. Sie schluchzt jetzt; um keinen Preis möchte sie so gefunden werden, und als sie den Heizungsraum erreicht, gibt die Tür nach, und sie ist auf der rohbebauenen Holztreppe, die in die feuchte, steinerne Dunkelheit des Kellers führt."
(S. 307, 3. Absatz)
Rezension:
Fast ein viertel Jahrhundert ist vergangen, seit Sarah das letzte Mal einen Fuß in ihre alte Heimat, East Selton, gesetzt hat.
Heute aber nimmt sie allen Mut zusammen und lässt sich von ihrem alten Freund John begleiten. Ein Freund, den sie wie all die anderen ohne große Worte zurück gelassen hat und dennoch niemals vergessen hat. Nur John weiß, was damals geschehen ist, warum sie diesen Ort verlassen musste.
Erst das Klassentreffen kann Sarah zurück locken, sie begegnet alten Freunden, Feinden und auch vergangenen Geistern. All die verdrängten Erinnerungen an eine Kindheit und Jugend, die nicht im glänzte, steigen wieder in ihr hinauf. Und auch ihr größtes Geheimnis verfolgt sie, als sie ihren eigenen Spuren in die Vergangenheit folgt.
"Sunday Girl" ist eines der Bücher, das es geschafft hat, vor Augen zu führen, wie eine Kindheit bzw. Jugend ganz schnell ihr Ende finden kann. Wie einfach ist Geheimnisse für sich zu behalten, auch wenn man nicht nur als Einziger diese Last auf den Schultern trägt.
Die Geschichte beginnt in der 5. Jahrgangsstufe der Mädchenschule, die Sarah mit ihren beiden besten Freundinnen Kate und Tina durchläuft. Man erfährt viel über Sarahs Alltag und ihr Leben, ihre Ängste und ihren Vater - der einiges älter ist als all die anderen Eltern. Sie schämt sich für ihr Zuhause, in dem es weder eine Zentralheizung gibt, noch einen gemütlichen Rückzugsort. Die drei Mädchen sind gerade in der Pubertät und man erlebt ihre Höhen und Tiefen. Es ist nicht nur das erwachsenwerden, dass alles schwer macht. Auch Eifersucht, Betrug und Lügen begegnen dem Leser.
Man merkt schnell, dass all die scheinbar banalen Erlebnisse auf etwas Großes zusteuern und eine wichtige Rolle spielen. Immer wieder begegnet man Jason, Kates Vater und sein Interesse an Sarah scheint nicht nur rein väterlich.
Sarah ist jung und naiv und gibt sich ihren Gefühlen hin ohne an die Konsequenzen zu denken und trägt schon bald eine schwere Last mit sich herum.
Die Wahrheit dringt nur nach und nach an die Oberfläche des Buches, auch wenn man sich schon fast denken kann, was geschieht.
Zu Anfang und am Ende des Buches findet man sich in der Jetztzeit wieder, in der Sarah sich ihrer Vergangenheit stellt und sich ihren Geistern stellt.
Mir hat das Buch sehr gefallen, denn trotz der immer wieder kindlichen Stimmung und der scheinbaren glücklichen Zeit, werden dem Leser Botschaften übermittelt, die nachdenklich machen und auch klar machen, was sich hinter so einer Fassade alles verbrigt. Isabel Ashdown verpackt eine Geschichte ums Heranwachsen in eine teils heitere, teils beängstigende Geschichte, die nicht weit hergeholt scheint, denn immer wieder entdeckt man sich selbst wieder und stellt fest wie nah manche Erlebnisse vielleicht an den eigenen Wahrheiten waren.
Durch den Klappentext habe ich mir die Geschichte etwas anders vorgestellt, so aber finde ich sie genau richtig, denn sie übermittelt trotz der vielen Geheimnisse eine klare Botschaft: Schweigen lindert vielleicht den eigenen Schmerz, aber die Wahrheit befreit und kann nicht nur einem selbst helfen...
(S. 307, 3. Absatz)
Rezension:
Fast ein viertel Jahrhundert ist vergangen, seit Sarah das letzte Mal einen Fuß in ihre alte Heimat, East Selton, gesetzt hat.
Heute aber nimmt sie allen Mut zusammen und lässt sich von ihrem alten Freund John begleiten. Ein Freund, den sie wie all die anderen ohne große Worte zurück gelassen hat und dennoch niemals vergessen hat. Nur John weiß, was damals geschehen ist, warum sie diesen Ort verlassen musste.
Erst das Klassentreffen kann Sarah zurück locken, sie begegnet alten Freunden, Feinden und auch vergangenen Geistern. All die verdrängten Erinnerungen an eine Kindheit und Jugend, die nicht im glänzte, steigen wieder in ihr hinauf. Und auch ihr größtes Geheimnis verfolgt sie, als sie ihren eigenen Spuren in die Vergangenheit folgt.
"Sunday Girl" ist eines der Bücher, das es geschafft hat, vor Augen zu führen, wie eine Kindheit bzw. Jugend ganz schnell ihr Ende finden kann. Wie einfach ist Geheimnisse für sich zu behalten, auch wenn man nicht nur als Einziger diese Last auf den Schultern trägt.
Die Geschichte beginnt in der 5. Jahrgangsstufe der Mädchenschule, die Sarah mit ihren beiden besten Freundinnen Kate und Tina durchläuft. Man erfährt viel über Sarahs Alltag und ihr Leben, ihre Ängste und ihren Vater - der einiges älter ist als all die anderen Eltern. Sie schämt sich für ihr Zuhause, in dem es weder eine Zentralheizung gibt, noch einen gemütlichen Rückzugsort. Die drei Mädchen sind gerade in der Pubertät und man erlebt ihre Höhen und Tiefen. Es ist nicht nur das erwachsenwerden, dass alles schwer macht. Auch Eifersucht, Betrug und Lügen begegnen dem Leser.
Man merkt schnell, dass all die scheinbar banalen Erlebnisse auf etwas Großes zusteuern und eine wichtige Rolle spielen. Immer wieder begegnet man Jason, Kates Vater und sein Interesse an Sarah scheint nicht nur rein väterlich.
Sarah ist jung und naiv und gibt sich ihren Gefühlen hin ohne an die Konsequenzen zu denken und trägt schon bald eine schwere Last mit sich herum.
Die Wahrheit dringt nur nach und nach an die Oberfläche des Buches, auch wenn man sich schon fast denken kann, was geschieht.
Zu Anfang und am Ende des Buches findet man sich in der Jetztzeit wieder, in der Sarah sich ihrer Vergangenheit stellt und sich ihren Geistern stellt.
Mir hat das Buch sehr gefallen, denn trotz der immer wieder kindlichen Stimmung und der scheinbaren glücklichen Zeit, werden dem Leser Botschaften übermittelt, die nachdenklich machen und auch klar machen, was sich hinter so einer Fassade alles verbrigt. Isabel Ashdown verpackt eine Geschichte ums Heranwachsen in eine teils heitere, teils beängstigende Geschichte, die nicht weit hergeholt scheint, denn immer wieder entdeckt man sich selbst wieder und stellt fest wie nah manche Erlebnisse vielleicht an den eigenen Wahrheiten waren.
Durch den Klappentext habe ich mir die Geschichte etwas anders vorgestellt, so aber finde ich sie genau richtig, denn sie übermittelt trotz der vielen Geheimnisse eine klare Botschaft: Schweigen lindert vielleicht den eigenen Schmerz, aber die Wahrheit befreit und kann nicht nur einem selbst helfen...
May 25, 2011
Having enjoyed Isabel Ashdown’s first book ‘Glasshopper’, I was excited to have been chosen by Isabel to win a copy of this novel based on my review for her first book.
I couldn’t put it down …………….. having started reading on Monday evening, it was the first thing I did on waking Tuesday. Throughout the day I picked it up and had finished by that evening. It enthralled me.
Even though Hurry up and Wait is set in the 1980’s, you don’t have to remember that time period to enjoy it. Everyone will identify with the friendships of Sarah, Kate and Tina in their fifth year at secondary school. Everyone will have had similar experiences in school as well – and the fascination with the opposite sex (unavoidable really with all those rampaging hormones!). The majority of us have also had part-time jobs while still at school and will understand from a distance how other people’s jealousies play out.
The story starts in 2010 when Sarah and John are travelling to and waiting to go to their school reunion. We know from Sarah’s outward physical signs that this is something she is not looking forward to and has a great deal of discomfort attached to. We leave them in the car while we journey back in time to the summer holidays of 1985 and through to the end of the fifth year.
What follows is a story that builds in intensity, leading us along a path of friendships, betrayal and finally exposes the vulnerability and naivety of teenage girls. Eventually, 24 years later, we are back at the school reunion with flashbacks to the last day of school.
All the characters in the story are so true to life. We’ve all met girls (and those girls who are exactly the same in adulthood) like Kate. Kate who is charismatic and pulls you in despite her unpredictability; Tina who is the eternal side-kick and Sarah who is sometimes a part of the twosome and sometimes banished. The characters on the periphery of the story are just as fully-rounded and identifiable.
There are sub-plots running alongside the main one – I can guarantee you won’t be bored! I love the fact that nothing is explained to us in black and white – it is all by inference (not that you have to be good at reading between the lines to enjoy the story!). Despite guessing where the unfolding story was taking me, because Isabel Ashdown’s writing flows and you find yourself carried along on her words with vivid pictures in your mind …………….. and feeling the emotions on a deep level – it made no difference to my enjoyment of the story.
There is so much I could say here (I keep writing about the story but then deleting) but I can’t say one thing without giving away a part of the story! So if you’re interested you’ll have to wait until you read the book yourself.
This has to be my favourite read this year and I know the story will keep coming back into my thoughts. I haven’t been disappointed and I don’t think you will be either.
I couldn’t put it down …………….. having started reading on Monday evening, it was the first thing I did on waking Tuesday. Throughout the day I picked it up and had finished by that evening. It enthralled me.
Even though Hurry up and Wait is set in the 1980’s, you don’t have to remember that time period to enjoy it. Everyone will identify with the friendships of Sarah, Kate and Tina in their fifth year at secondary school. Everyone will have had similar experiences in school as well – and the fascination with the opposite sex (unavoidable really with all those rampaging hormones!). The majority of us have also had part-time jobs while still at school and will understand from a distance how other people’s jealousies play out.
The story starts in 2010 when Sarah and John are travelling to and waiting to go to their school reunion. We know from Sarah’s outward physical signs that this is something she is not looking forward to and has a great deal of discomfort attached to. We leave them in the car while we journey back in time to the summer holidays of 1985 and through to the end of the fifth year.
What follows is a story that builds in intensity, leading us along a path of friendships, betrayal and finally exposes the vulnerability and naivety of teenage girls. Eventually, 24 years later, we are back at the school reunion with flashbacks to the last day of school.
All the characters in the story are so true to life. We’ve all met girls (and those girls who are exactly the same in adulthood) like Kate. Kate who is charismatic and pulls you in despite her unpredictability; Tina who is the eternal side-kick and Sarah who is sometimes a part of the twosome and sometimes banished. The characters on the periphery of the story are just as fully-rounded and identifiable.
There are sub-plots running alongside the main one – I can guarantee you won’t be bored! I love the fact that nothing is explained to us in black and white – it is all by inference (not that you have to be good at reading between the lines to enjoy the story!). Despite guessing where the unfolding story was taking me, because Isabel Ashdown’s writing flows and you find yourself carried along on her words with vivid pictures in your mind …………….. and feeling the emotions on a deep level – it made no difference to my enjoyment of the story.
There is so much I could say here (I keep writing about the story but then deleting) but I can’t say one thing without giving away a part of the story! So if you’re interested you’ll have to wait until you read the book yourself.
This has to be my favourite read this year and I know the story will keep coming back into my thoughts. I haven’t been disappointed and I don’t think you will be either.
August 2, 2011
Being a teenager of the 80's I had a lot of fun reading Hurry Up and Wait taking a trip down the proverbial Memory Lane. Not just for the fashion, the music and social references but for the re-ignited feelings of fickle teenage friendships, falling in love not to mention falling out of it, shifting relationships with parents and adults and thinking I was already grown up and knew it all!
Hurry Up and Wait, although set in the 1980's, could actually be set just as well in the 1990's or 2000's - the events could be played out in any era as, fundamentally, the teenage angsts and crux of the story are timeless.
The story starts at a school reunion in 2010 where the main character, Sarah Ribbons, hooks back up with old friends. From the start there is the sense that Sarah is not exactly looking forward to it - something happened in the past, in the summer of 1986, that has not yet been resolved.
The reader is then taken back to the mid-80's where Sarah is 15 and attends the local high school with her friends Kate and Tina, although Sarah feels slightly on the outside, never truly comfortable within her peer group. Their everyday teenage life is depecited with an honesty and accuracy, showing the complexities and loyalties of friendship and love.
Essentially, this is a coming of age story where Sarah finds herself being drawn into a situation which as adults we can look at and the alarm bells ring madly, but as a teenager Sarah feels she is old enough to deal with.
The last part of the book comes full circle and is set back at the reunion where Sarah faces up to what happened all those years ago.
I really enjoyed reading Hurry Up and Wait. I felt the characters were realistic, the dialogue spot on and the relationship Sarah had with her father to be a candid portrayal - one of embarrassment and irritation at times but also one of a deep sense of love. Yep I can relate to that!
Hurry Up and Wait, although set in the 1980's, could actually be set just as well in the 1990's or 2000's - the events could be played out in any era as, fundamentally, the teenage angsts and crux of the story are timeless.
The story starts at a school reunion in 2010 where the main character, Sarah Ribbons, hooks back up with old friends. From the start there is the sense that Sarah is not exactly looking forward to it - something happened in the past, in the summer of 1986, that has not yet been resolved.
The reader is then taken back to the mid-80's where Sarah is 15 and attends the local high school with her friends Kate and Tina, although Sarah feels slightly on the outside, never truly comfortable within her peer group. Their everyday teenage life is depecited with an honesty and accuracy, showing the complexities and loyalties of friendship and love.
Essentially, this is a coming of age story where Sarah finds herself being drawn into a situation which as adults we can look at and the alarm bells ring madly, but as a teenager Sarah feels she is old enough to deal with.
The last part of the book comes full circle and is set back at the reunion where Sarah faces up to what happened all those years ago.
I really enjoyed reading Hurry Up and Wait. I felt the characters were realistic, the dialogue spot on and the relationship Sarah had with her father to be a candid portrayal - one of embarrassment and irritation at times but also one of a deep sense of love. Yep I can relate to that!
January 13, 2012
There's so much to love about Isabel Ashdown's second offering that it's difficult to know where to start. And much has been said already. So I'll keep it brief. The story - of a dangerous friendship that leads to tragedy - grips from the opening page to the devastating, yet ultimately uplifting, ending. All the characters, from `good girl' Sarah to manipulative, toxic Kate and her slimy father, are portrayed with a light, tender touch, and rendered so believable that I felt as if I was in the classroom, the disco, the beach hut with them. Ashdown's takes `ordinary' lives and strips away the layers to expose the extraordinary.
The writing is deceptively simple: lean, understated and revealing, it cuts to the heart of each and every scene with dazzling clarity. The period detail is pitch perfect and if, like me, you were young during the mid-eighties you'll be cringing and smiling in equal measure. And if you weren't, there's universal truth in the depiction of the treacherous journey from child to young adult.
Ashdown's debut, Glasshopper, was an absorbing read: tender, raw and almost unbearably moving in its portrayal of a family in crisis as seen through the eyes of irrepressible thirteen-year-old Jake. But, if anything, I preferred Hurry Up and Wait. It's simply glorious. GO OUT AND BUY IT.
The writing is deceptively simple: lean, understated and revealing, it cuts to the heart of each and every scene with dazzling clarity. The period detail is pitch perfect and if, like me, you were young during the mid-eighties you'll be cringing and smiling in equal measure. And if you weren't, there's universal truth in the depiction of the treacherous journey from child to young adult.
Ashdown's debut, Glasshopper, was an absorbing read: tender, raw and almost unbearably moving in its portrayal of a family in crisis as seen through the eyes of irrepressible thirteen-year-old Jake. But, if anything, I preferred Hurry Up and Wait. It's simply glorious. GO OUT AND BUY IT.
March 19, 2013
Gemeinsam mit ihren beiden Freundinnen Kate und Tina beginnt für die 15jährige Sarah das letzte Schuljahr. Doch irgendwas ist anders: Jungs werden interessant, erste Liebschaften entwickeln sich, Eifersucht und Neid machen sich breit zwischen den Freundinnen. Neue Menschen treten in das Leben von Sarah, doch sie kann nicht abschätzen, wie das ihr Leben verändern wird…
Es ist ein stiller, aber dennoch tiefgründiger Roman, der mich zum Nachdenken angeregt hat. In ruhiger und flüssiger Sprache erzählt Isabel Ashdown vom Erwachsenwerden der 15jährigen Isabel. Sie ist mir sehr sympathisch, ihre Art und Weise, mit Dingen umzugehen, zeigt Herz und Mitgefühl. Es scheint zunächst alles idyllisch, doch schon bald merkt man, dass etwas passieren wird, was das Leben Sarahs verändern wird. Die Freundinnen wenden sich ab, sind intrigant und hinterhältig, neue Freundschaften entstehen und geben Halt. Kates Vater scheint mit den Jugendlichen ganz besonders gut zu können, doch Sarah kann dies zunächst nicht einordnen.
Ich habe mitgefühlt und mitgelitten, gerade weil Sarah so sympathisch ist. Die Jugendzeit ist nicht immer nur schön und angenehm, sie kann unerbittlich und hart sein, und vor allem ganz plötzlich enden.
Ein schöner, atmosphärisch dichter Roman über das Erwachsenwerden, den ich sehr genossen habe zu lesen.
Es ist ein stiller, aber dennoch tiefgründiger Roman, der mich zum Nachdenken angeregt hat. In ruhiger und flüssiger Sprache erzählt Isabel Ashdown vom Erwachsenwerden der 15jährigen Isabel. Sie ist mir sehr sympathisch, ihre Art und Weise, mit Dingen umzugehen, zeigt Herz und Mitgefühl. Es scheint zunächst alles idyllisch, doch schon bald merkt man, dass etwas passieren wird, was das Leben Sarahs verändern wird. Die Freundinnen wenden sich ab, sind intrigant und hinterhältig, neue Freundschaften entstehen und geben Halt. Kates Vater scheint mit den Jugendlichen ganz besonders gut zu können, doch Sarah kann dies zunächst nicht einordnen.
Ich habe mitgefühlt und mitgelitten, gerade weil Sarah so sympathisch ist. Die Jugendzeit ist nicht immer nur schön und angenehm, sie kann unerbittlich und hart sein, und vor allem ganz plötzlich enden.
Ein schöner, atmosphärisch dichter Roman über das Erwachsenwerden, den ich sehr genossen habe zu lesen.
August 10, 2011
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It's not complicated or deep in any sense but it's a good page turner nonetheless.
I grew up in a seaside town in the 1980s so I could identify with a lot of this story - in fact what I loved most was the reminiscing about the fashion and the music and the posters of Morton Harket (and I really loved those posters).
The book tells the story of 39 year old Sarah Ribbons who is returning to her hometown for a school reunion. The bulk of the book centres around her final year and the drama associated with being a 15 year girl - falling in love, falling out of love, falling out with friends.
Isabel Ashdown paints a vivid picture of this era and you really do feel transported there. Anyone who has been a teenage girl will feel an enormous amount of empathy for a lot of these characters. Even the more loathsome of them are brilliantly dipicted.
The story slowy builds towards a more sinister plot line which is pretty obvious from the outset but the way that the story and the tension is built is what makes it a page turner.
If you're looking for a light read I highly recommend this.
I grew up in a seaside town in the 1980s so I could identify with a lot of this story - in fact what I loved most was the reminiscing about the fashion and the music and the posters of Morton Harket (and I really loved those posters).
The book tells the story of 39 year old Sarah Ribbons who is returning to her hometown for a school reunion. The bulk of the book centres around her final year and the drama associated with being a 15 year girl - falling in love, falling out of love, falling out with friends.
Isabel Ashdown paints a vivid picture of this era and you really do feel transported there. Anyone who has been a teenage girl will feel an enormous amount of empathy for a lot of these characters. Even the more loathsome of them are brilliantly dipicted.
The story slowy builds towards a more sinister plot line which is pretty obvious from the outset but the way that the story and the tension is built is what makes it a page turner.
If you're looking for a light read I highly recommend this.
June 23, 2011
This book certainly transported me back to the 80s and my adolescence. Some of the little details made me jump up and down squealing 'I had that' - like Cacharel Anais anais perfume and Boots no. 17 Twilight Teaser lipstick. but even if the 80s weren't your era this book is a good read as the relationships between the main characters apply to every generation, and you can probably identify yourself or people at your school with the 'type' of person portrayed - the 'third' person in a group who sometimes gets pushed out, the 'easy' one, the one who stole your boyfriend, the boy you knew fancied you but you didn't fancy him etc. I read the book in a day - you get caught up in the flow of the story, even though what happens isn't a surprise (you get plenty of clues and intimation on the way). At times it made me feel 'uncomfortable' because it was well written and made me remember some of those awkward teenage emotions. Perhaps to get the very best experience you should put on your 'hits of the 80s' playlist at the same time.
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