Once in a House on Fire

A lauded contemporary classic of the memoir form: devastatingly powerful, moving and uplifting. Winner of the Somerset Maugham Award ''Strong and admirable'' - Hilary Mantel ''Full of energy'' - Blake Morrison When our stepfather staggered home reeking of whisky, ceramic hit the wall. We got used to the smash and the next-day stain, but eventually the wallpaper began to fade . . . For Andrea Ashworth, home is not a place of comfort and solace, but of violence and fear. Her father died when she was five, leaving her close-knit, loving family to battle with poverty, abuse and the long shadow of depression. But from the ashes of 1970s Manchester and the hardships of her coming-of-age in the late 1980s, Andrea finds the courage to rise . . . Written with eye-opening honesty, rare beauty and intense power, Once in a House on Fire is a ground-breaking memoir, endearing in its humour and compassion, and life-affirming in its portrait of terrible circumstances triumphantly overcome. ''Enchanting and thrilling . . . extremely moving . . . and gratifyingly, very funny'' - The Times

Product details

• Authors: Andrea Ashworth, Ashworth Andrea
• Publisher: Picador Uk
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 18 to 99
• Product format: Paperback
• Release: 04.09.2025
• EAN: 9781035065264
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3506526-4
• No. of pages: 368
• Series: Picador Collection
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature > Letters, diaries; BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General, Autobiography: literary