About the Book:
Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the slew of ordinary and extraordinary incidents that shape their everyday lives.
It is a story about childhood and growing up, loss of innocence, eccentricity, familial ties and friendships, love and life.
Stripped down to its bare bones, it's about the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.
Published by Hachette - Tinder Press
Released March 2011
My Thoughts:
When God Was a Rabbit, well, from its quirky title right through to the last word, I was spellbound. I listened to this one on audio and it was fabulous, made even more so because it was read by the author herself, Sarah Winman. There's something so wonderful about listening to a marvellous book being read by the author, all the expressions and inflections and the overall tone are always just that little bit more perfect.
The story itself is sublime. I have read quite a few reviews on Goodreads which state that this book is boring, nothing happens, it's just about a family. It most certainly was not boring, and so much happened, and yes, it's just about a family, but that, right there, is why it is so good. This is a book about life. About growing up in a time past, when childhoods were less monitored. It's about the bad things that used to sometimes happen to these children. And it's about the good things too, the weird and funny, the adults viewed through a child's gaze, the friendships that transcend age, the unbreakable bonds that can exist within a family, the stuff that life throws at a person and how they wade through it all to the other side. It made me laugh out loud, cry, and do both at the same time.
There was so much wit and humour in this story, as well as sadness and grief. The characters are larger than life, something Sarah Winman is known for. I just love a story about an eccentric English family and this one even moved to Cornwall and opened up a B&B, absorbing into their family several eccentric guests that never ended up leaving, so what could be more perfect than that.
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