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• This is the story of Elly and her brother Joe growing up in the 1970s. The book is in two parts and narrated by Elly. The first part begins with her birth in 1968 and follows her ordinary family through a series of extraordinary events - child abuse, cancer scare, sudden wealth, nativity play tragedy, brutal kidnap. You would think such big themes would make for a heavy read but they are dealt with in a light and subtle way.Winman introduces lots of lovely, quirky characters: Jenny Penny, Nancy, Arthur, Ginger as well as elements of fantasy - god the rabbit, Hollywood stardom, coconuts. I loved the eternal optimism and openness of the parents and that, despite the curveballs thrown at their marriage, they stick together through good times and bad. So much better and more realistic than the usual tendency to break up good marriages for dramatic effect.The second half of the book starts in 1995 when Elly is 27 and we see the person she has grown up to be. She is bright and successful in her career but she has struggled to make lasting friendships and relationships. The tragedy of 9/11, when Joe is living in New York, is dealt with convincingly and sympathetically and ultimately brings the characters together as they realise their dependency on each other.This book crept up on me. It is light and easy to read and yet it had me gripped to the end. This is the sort of book I would aspire to if I was ever to sit down and write one. Winman's use of similies was original and breathtakingly accurate and there were moments where I had to stop to absorb the genius of what I had just read. Some people will hate this book, will wonder how anyone can find humour in such darkness, but I loved it and admire the author's courage and originality. That she could throw so much into one novel, turning tragedy into comedy whilst moving the reader to tears, demonstrates what an extraordinary book this is.

  5.00 out of 5

  tortoisebook

• The story starts from Elly's youth, and is written in her voice - quite childlike, quite innocent, funny and touching at times. As an adult reading the first half of the book you can see what is happening and know that there will be effects in the future as the characters grow up. The main characters are Elly and her brother and her best friend Jenny Penny and all three characters have something happen to them which will change their lives forever.The adult part of the book is harder to read - the reality of their childhoods is explored, with all three ending up in dysfunctional relationships.It's an excellent book, a really fast read and quite emotional.

  5.00 out of 5

  Fluffyblue

• The story is presented in two halves, first as a child then as an adult, the first half being a more pleasant experience than the second, which feels much darker. Sarah Winman is a clever and talented writer; I think she may have used a number of writing 'tricks' that really worked. She starts the story off in 1968 with Eleanor being born and, as I was born in 1969, all of the little memories she throws in took me on many a journey. One day I was reading with chuckles of delight, the next with tears of laughter and the following day with tears of recognition of times gone by. It is a quietly powerful tale that is jam packed with real life. Very little time is wasted describing scenes but you always know where you are and there's always something happening, something to make you think or remember. The story takes you on a journey with Eleanor, or Elly, through four decades of her life and the ups and downs she faces. There is happiness, humour, sadness, loss, grief, fear, philosophy, psychology, and anything else you could think of to throw into the mix, but it is all done so continuously that it seems to carry you along gently like a boat along a river. The only couple of sandbanks it seems to snag on are when she mentions sex which comes across as quite coarse compared with the rest of the book and I don't know if this is on purpose or if she has chosen the wrong language. Thankfully, those parts are both very brief. I really enjoyed reading this book on many levels and I would recommend it highly.

  5.00 out of 5

  LindaRollins

• While some spend their adult lives running away from their memories of childhood, others embrace them. Sarah Winman's <em>When God Was a Rabbit</em> amazingly captures both such struggles as experienced by Elly who looks back and describes the array of people who loved, harmed, confused, and helped her in her journey through the wilderness of growing up. Through an odd assortment of family, friends, and neighbors, Elly lets us remember that time of childhood innocence before we understood what all those people in our lives were really saying, doing, implying, and meaning—the time of see no, hear no, speak no evil because we knew no better. She also reminds us of the pain caused by disappointment in those we trusted, by loss of the dream for the person we could never be, and by sadness as childhood friends and siblings grow away from us. As Elly herself realizes, “Our lives had become tidal: friendships, money, business, love—nothing ever stayed the same.” Yet throughout the story, the belief that love, loyalty, and acceptance will heal a multitude of pains beats a constant refrain.Central to the story are Elly's brother, Joe, whose homosexuality is incidental to the fabric of relationships woven into Elly's life. The other central figure is Jenny Penny, Elly's only childhood friend whom she must leave behind when the family moves to Cornwall. Although Jenny visits once and they write to each other, they gradually lose touch until the day, years later, when Elly receives a letter from Jenny in prison. Jenny is the beginning and the end of Elly's story. In between are “years of the late adolescent or the twentysomething . . . Wandering years I waste no time in recalling.” Through various characters Winman presents a kaleidescope of lifestyles that reside naturally within the narrative. The neighbors of Elly's childhood are varied and real, and not always nice. Her portrait of Elly's family that refuses to bow to conformity, and the eccentric people that find acceptance and love in their home, is genuine and inspirational. Elly's voice as she recalls the events and reactions that formed her psyche is honest and engaging. Like Alice Hoffman, there is a magical quality to the story through the presence of Elly's pet rabbit named god, who doesn't abandon her even after his death. I could not put this book down and wish I could read it again for the first time.

  5.00 out of 5

  jmyers24

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