Set in 1970s Manchester Once in a House on Fire tells the true story of three sisters & their mother a close-knit & loving family forced to battle with poverty abuse & the effects of depression. Beautifully written & deeply inspiring with a new afterword by Andrea Ashworth it is a book that will stay with its readers for ever. ' This is a brilliant book. Brilliantly written brilliantly thought brilliantly remembered.. . Ashworth has written an extraordinary memoir; the only pity is that she had to live it to make it' Scotsman ' Enchanting & thrilling.. . As a chronicle of northern working-class life in the seventies & eighties.. .it would be hard to better this book. It is extremely moving.. . It is also at time surprisingly & gratifyingly very funny' Tim Lott The Times ' Full of energy wit & a child's wide-open gaze.. . Andrea Ashworth escaped the fire to write a remarkable book' Blake Morrison Independent on Sunday