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When God Was a Rabbit
This is a book about a brother and a sister. It's a book about secrets and starting over, friendship and family, triumph and tragedy, and everything in between. More than anything, it's a book about love in all its forms.
In a remarkably honest and confident voice, Sarah Winman has written the story of a memorable young heroine, Elly, and her loss of innocence-a magical portrait of growing up and the pull and power of family ties. From Essex and Cornwall to the streets of New York, from 1968 to the events of 9/11, "When God Was a Rabbit" follows the evolving bond of love and secrets between Elly and her brother Joe, and her increasing concern for an unusual best friend, Jenny Penny, who has secrets of her own. With its wit and humor, engaging characters whose eccentricities are adroitly and sometimes darkly drawn, and its themes of memory and identity, "When God Was a Rabbit "is a love letter to true friendship and fraternal love.
Funny, utterly compelling, fully of sparkle, and poignant, too, "When God Was a Rabbit" heralds the start of a remarkable new literary career.
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First published May 3, 2011
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About the author
Sarah Winman
10 books2,973 followersSarah Winman (born 1964) is a British actress and author. In 2011 her debut novel When God Was a Rabbit became an international bestseller and won Winman several awards including New Writer of the Year in the Galaxy National Book Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 4,480 reviews
August 14, 2019
I found this book to be a delightful, sometimes compelling, read.
Sarah Winman writes lovingly and honestly about family dynamics and human relationships.
Told through the narrative voice of the main character, Elly (from infancy through to adulthood), Winman reminds us that life's journey isn't always as smooth as envisaged.
The author draws inspiration from her English childhood, which awakened my own fond memories of that particular era: fish finger suppers, '70s family game shows and a wonderfully calamitous school nativity all brought a grin of remembrance to my face. This portrayal of once-innocent childhoods is referenced in the writer's personal notes. She remarks: 'Back then childhood independence was given, not stolen'
So true!
The first half of the story is bejewelled with love, in all of its guises. I was instantly beguiled by Winman's wonderful writing style and began to tell friends about this must-read novel before I was even one-third of the way through. The prose is natural, spirited and memorably poignant. There is a poetry to her writing: 'My mother lay down with me on my bed, her perfume tumbling over my face like breath, her words smelling of Dubonnet and lemonade'
Now what's not to like about that?
Sumptuous stuff!
The book is as reassuring as that oversized woollen jumper you reserve only for bouts of influenza. This isn't to say that the narrative is saccharine-sweet; far from it. Uneasy relationships and acts of senseless violence (some globally iconic) form a sombre backdrop. Amidst all the angst and the pathos, though, there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, which made me sense that the author must be great company on a night out on the town.
Best character for me was Elly's fabulously bohemian aunt Nancy, a rambunctious delight who travels the world snogging any similarly-fabulous females who might take her fancy.
And so the story rattled along nicely...
*But*
(Sharp intake of breath).
The book kind-of loses its breezy mojo around the halfway point, when the grind of imperishable relationships and the promise of resurrection becomes its focus.
I felt that the eponymous God/rabbit premise might have been developed further, and I would have loved for Elly to swapped her circumspection for just some of Nancy's devil-may-care personality traits.
That being said, the story overall is beautifully told and a gorgeous read. My sudden admiration for Sarah Winman has already led me to purchase her latest novel 'A Year of Marvellous Ways.'
Oh, and I LOVED the authorial add-ones at the back of the book - an idea that I intend to steal!
Sarah Winman writes lovingly and honestly about family dynamics and human relationships.
Told through the narrative voice of the main character, Elly (from infancy through to adulthood), Winman reminds us that life's journey isn't always as smooth as envisaged.
The author draws inspiration from her English childhood, which awakened my own fond memories of that particular era: fish finger suppers, '70s family game shows and a wonderfully calamitous school nativity all brought a grin of remembrance to my face. This portrayal of once-innocent childhoods is referenced in the writer's personal notes. She remarks: 'Back then childhood independence was given, not stolen'
So true!
The first half of the story is bejewelled with love, in all of its guises. I was instantly beguiled by Winman's wonderful writing style and began to tell friends about this must-read novel before I was even one-third of the way through. The prose is natural, spirited and memorably poignant. There is a poetry to her writing: 'My mother lay down with me on my bed, her perfume tumbling over my face like breath, her words smelling of Dubonnet and lemonade'
Now what's not to like about that?
Sumptuous stuff!
The book is as reassuring as that oversized woollen jumper you reserve only for bouts of influenza. This isn't to say that the narrative is saccharine-sweet; far from it. Uneasy relationships and acts of senseless violence (some globally iconic) form a sombre backdrop. Amidst all the angst and the pathos, though, there are some genuinely laugh-out-loud moments, which made me sense that the author must be great company on a night out on the town.
Best character for me was Elly's fabulously bohemian aunt Nancy, a rambunctious delight who travels the world snogging any similarly-fabulous females who might take her fancy.
And so the story rattled along nicely...
*But*
(Sharp intake of breath).
The book kind-of loses its breezy mojo around the halfway point, when the grind of imperishable relationships and the promise of resurrection becomes its focus.
I felt that the eponymous God/rabbit premise might have been developed further, and I would have loved for Elly to swapped her circumspection for just some of Nancy's devil-may-care personality traits.
That being said, the story overall is beautifully told and a gorgeous read. My sudden admiration for Sarah Winman has already led me to purchase her latest novel 'A Year of Marvellous Ways.'
Oh, and I LOVED the authorial add-ones at the back of the book - an idea that I intend to steal!
October 16, 2011
OH MY GOD WHY DO I DO THIS TO MYSELF WHYYYYYYY??!?!?!?!?
I read these book descriptions. They sound on the far side of boring. They almost scream: "I am literature. LIT-er-a-ture. Pronounced the douchey way, dear. I only bore you because you are dumb. If you were actually an intellectual, you would bow before my literary prowess. Read the New Yorker more, darling."
Whyyyyyyy?!?!? Why do people publish these books? Why do critics RECOMMEND them?!? Why do I read them?!?!? I know the answer to the last question: because sometimes these things surprise you and you end up with a Room, which you think sounds dumb and potentially boring and then ends up amazing.
I do wish, however, that books like this particular one got segregated onto their own shelves (and got their own Dewey decimal numbers) under the officially recognized genre of “books that are pretentious and boring but which critics will adore and which do nothing so much as invoke a bunch of sophisticates standing around at a wine and cheese party over-enunciating words and mocking those who do not understand the finer points of grammar and laughing at their own wit.” And then if they were shelved in their own section I could avoid them like the plague. Because right now they’re harder to detect.
Don't even ask me what this one was about. I think I went onto auto-pilot while reading this book, which means pages turned but inside my head I was thinking about more interesting things, like what color I was going to paint my room this year. I think there was a little girl. And some hinted-at secret that should've been intriguing but was not. And there was a rabbit name God, which I kind of remember but mostly know because of the title.
I read these book descriptions. They sound on the far side of boring. They almost scream: "I am literature. LIT-er-a-ture. Pronounced the douchey way, dear. I only bore you because you are dumb. If you were actually an intellectual, you would bow before my literary prowess. Read the New Yorker more, darling."
Whyyyyyyy?!?!? Why do people publish these books? Why do critics RECOMMEND them?!? Why do I read them?!?!? I know the answer to the last question: because sometimes these things surprise you and you end up with a Room, which you think sounds dumb and potentially boring and then ends up amazing.
I do wish, however, that books like this particular one got segregated onto their own shelves (and got their own Dewey decimal numbers) under the officially recognized genre of “books that are pretentious and boring but which critics will adore and which do nothing so much as invoke a bunch of sophisticates standing around at a wine and cheese party over-enunciating words and mocking those who do not understand the finer points of grammar and laughing at their own wit.” And then if they were shelved in their own section I could avoid them like the plague. Because right now they’re harder to detect.
Don't even ask me what this one was about. I think I went onto auto-pilot while reading this book, which means pages turned but inside my head I was thinking about more interesting things, like what color I was going to paint my room this year. I think there was a little girl. And some hinted-at secret that should've been intriguing but was not. And there was a rabbit name God, which I kind of remember but mostly know because of the title.
November 15, 2024
There are some stories that leave you wanting more.
Where you come to the last page, and you say to yourself, “Self, is this really the end?”
This is a book that is a homage to family, to relationships, and to love in all its forms.
There's something etheral, inexplicable about Sarah Winman's writing.
I can't quite put my finger on it.
It's different, it's imperfect, but, it's so darn affecting.
It's like loving someone deeply when you've passed the stage of blind love, the excitement of the newness. You get to know the quirks and the annoying bits, but you're still in love with that person. That's how I felt about this novel.
The cover says this:
“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.”
But you know what, it is even more.
Where you come to the last page, and you say to yourself, “Self, is this really the end?”
This is a book that is a homage to family, to relationships, and to love in all its forms.
There's something etheral, inexplicable about Sarah Winman's writing.
I can't quite put my finger on it.
It's different, it's imperfect, but, it's so darn affecting.
It's like loving someone deeply when you've passed the stage of blind love, the excitement of the newness. You get to know the quirks and the annoying bits, but you're still in love with that person. That's how I felt about this novel.
The cover says this:
“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.”
But you know what, it is even more.
August 13, 2011
I found this book when I was browsing in Kindle store. The title got me. It's a nice title. So I downloaded the sample and found it quite interesting but with a hint of "the style of writing I'm not sure I'd enjoy".
I do like the main story; it's about the love and bond between a brother and sister, a family, friendships and love in all forms. It's a beautiful concept, really. But I'm afraid I cannot say I enjoyed the book as much, let alone reread it.
To me it's like a big jigsaw puzzle and the author tried to put the pieces back together, but sadly some pieces were not put in the right spots or missing, even.
I found chapters, paragraphs and lines that were unnecessary and just adding a bit more to the confusion that was already there. She crammed in a lot of big events into such short chapters, resulting in some left unexplored. There were times when I had to reread a paragraph or two (and sometimes even pages) just to really find out what she was trying to say - that's how vague it is - or which character(s) had appeared or been mentioned because she would just refer to them as She or He or We (leading you to an endless guessing game!), and the mystery would be solved paragraphs or pages later (there's actually an event in the book, where she and two others picked up a girl who was running away, and I still don't know who the other two were!).
The first 10% of the book was enough to make me want to read more of it, but after I got past that I had to struggle to finish the rest. I'm so glad I've done reading it. That says all, doesn't it?
I do like the main story; it's about the love and bond between a brother and sister, a family, friendships and love in all forms. It's a beautiful concept, really. But I'm afraid I cannot say I enjoyed the book as much, let alone reread it.
To me it's like a big jigsaw puzzle and the author tried to put the pieces back together, but sadly some pieces were not put in the right spots or missing, even.
I found chapters, paragraphs and lines that were unnecessary and just adding a bit more to the confusion that was already there. She crammed in a lot of big events into such short chapters, resulting in some left unexplored. There were times when I had to reread a paragraph or two (and sometimes even pages) just to really find out what she was trying to say - that's how vague it is - or which character(s) had appeared or been mentioned because she would just refer to them as She or He or We (leading you to an endless guessing game!), and the mystery would be solved paragraphs or pages later (there's actually an event in the book, where she and two others picked up a girl who was running away, and I still don't know who the other two were!).
The first 10% of the book was enough to make me want to read more of it, but after I got past that I had to struggle to finish the rest. I'm so glad I've done reading it. That says all, doesn't it?
September 21, 2019
After reading the terrific Tin Man I needed to read something else by Sarah Winman.
There's something etheral, inexplicable about Sarah Winman's writing. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's different, it's imperfect, but, it's so darn affecting. It's like loving someone deeply when you've passed the stage of blind love, the excitement of the newness. You get to know the quirks and the annoying bits, but you're still in love with that person. That's how I felt about this novel. It's the little things - the details, the quirks, the unexpected, the seemingly mundane - which made this novel special.
I see this novel has garnered the spectrum of ratings. I can see why some would have issues with the novel.
I am in the crazy in love camp.
There's something etheral, inexplicable about Sarah Winman's writing. I can't quite put my finger on it. It's different, it's imperfect, but, it's so darn affecting. It's like loving someone deeply when you've passed the stage of blind love, the excitement of the newness. You get to know the quirks and the annoying bits, but you're still in love with that person. That's how I felt about this novel. It's the little things - the details, the quirks, the unexpected, the seemingly mundane - which made this novel special.
I see this novel has garnered the spectrum of ratings. I can see why some would have issues with the novel.
I am in the crazy in love camp.
June 29, 2013
Guilty again :) This book "bought" me with just few sentences and I had to buy the rights and be its editor... :) I had that "something special" feeling I had buying the rights for THE CURIOUS INCIDENT... Unfortunately due to Serbian publisher the book hasn't reached all the readers it should reach... But it's never late! MUST READ! MUST READ! Hurry up! Debut jewel of coming of age novel... :) I rarely come across novels that give me such "discovery of new voice" thrill :)
September 16, 2021
I'll let you in on a little secret: I read this book because I like the title. Wanna know something else? I liked the book even more.
This is Sarah Winman's debut novel and I'm always amazed when a debut is this good. And so my TBR list grows as I now have another author whose books I have to read all of.....
This is Sarah Winman's debut novel and I'm always amazed when a debut is this good. And so my TBR list grows as I now have another author whose books I have to read all of.....
July 1, 2024
When God Was a Rabbit is told in two parts and follows brother and sister, Elly and Joe, across four decades, from 1968 onwards. It is a ‘beautiful story about 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.’
There was something about this book that captured my heart right from the very first page. It was a story that was told in two parts, the first being when Elly and Joe were children, and the second being told years later as they are now adults. I could not put this book down. I was beyond invested about the characters. It took me a chapter and I was in love with them and I don’t think I’ve ever been this invested in the lives of a group of characters than I was with the characters in this book. Elly and Joe, their family, and the friends they made along the way all captured my heart in a number of different ways and I found myself rooting for them right from the very beginning but also fearing for them because I wanted them all to be safe and okay forever. It’s crazy just how much happens in this one book. It spans four decades so that’s a lot of events to occur but this book just went on and on, in a really good way, so much so that I was scared because so much had happened to the characters in part one and I was scared of how much more these characters were going to go through before the story was finished.
My favourite aspect of this book was its portrayal of so many different relationships. The novel explores so many different kinds of love: platonic, familial, romantic and I’m glad that it wasn’t restricted to just one kind but all kinds. The relationships in this book, from the romantic bonds characters form with others throughout their life, to the relationship between members of the family and then their friendships with other people, such as the family’s ties to Ginger and Arthur, to Elly’s friendship with Jenny Penny, to Nancy’s relationship with Elly’s parents, to Joe’s romance with Charlie, to the sibling bond between Elly and Joe, everything was developed so naturally and beautifully that I cared deeply for every single character that appeared in this book. This is why I love Sarah Winman’s books, because she is the best at creating such real, loveable characters that you just can’t help but root for and love.
The writing in this book was absolutely beautiful. There were times where the story was vague which I think was deliberate but it only added to the overall atmosphere of the book. Sarah Winman is truly talented at what she does, especially when it comes to her writing. The way it flows and carries the story, its just so poetic and there were times I found myself crying not just because the story was sad, but because what I was reading was just so beautiful. This is the kind of writing I want tattooed on my body or engraved onto my headstone.
Overall, When God Was a Rabbit is a beautiful story about and family and friendship, and all of the different kinds of love you can encounter in your life. As long as Sarah Winman keeps writing these beautiful books that make me cry, I’m going to keep reading them.
“Do you think a rabbit could be God?’ I asked casually.
‘There is absolutely no reason at all why a rabbit should not be God.’
There was something about this book that captured my heart right from the very first page. It was a story that was told in two parts, the first being when Elly and Joe were children, and the second being told years later as they are now adults. I could not put this book down. I was beyond invested about the characters. It took me a chapter and I was in love with them and I don’t think I’ve ever been this invested in the lives of a group of characters than I was with the characters in this book. Elly and Joe, their family, and the friends they made along the way all captured my heart in a number of different ways and I found myself rooting for them right from the very beginning but also fearing for them because I wanted them all to be safe and okay forever. It’s crazy just how much happens in this one book. It spans four decades so that’s a lot of events to occur but this book just went on and on, in a really good way, so much so that I was scared because so much had happened to the characters in part one and I was scared of how much more these characters were going to go through before the story was finished.
“That’s a good thing, isn’t it? To stand apart and be different?’ he said.
‘I’m not sure,’ I said, quite aware of my own muted need to fit in, somehow simply to hide. ‘I don’t want people to know I’m different.’”
My favourite aspect of this book was its portrayal of so many different relationships. The novel explores so many different kinds of love: platonic, familial, romantic and I’m glad that it wasn’t restricted to just one kind but all kinds. The relationships in this book, from the romantic bonds characters form with others throughout their life, to the relationship between members of the family and then their friendships with other people, such as the family’s ties to Ginger and Arthur, to Elly’s friendship with Jenny Penny, to Nancy’s relationship with Elly’s parents, to Joe’s romance with Charlie, to the sibling bond between Elly and Joe, everything was developed so naturally and beautifully that I cared deeply for every single character that appeared in this book. This is why I love Sarah Winman’s books, because she is the best at creating such real, loveable characters that you just can’t help but root for and love.
“Nothing stays forgotten for long, Elly. Sometimes we simply have to remind the world that we’re special and that we’re still here.”
“‘Memories,’ she said to me, ‘no matter how small or inconsequential, are the pages that define us.”
The writing in this book was absolutely beautiful. There were times where the story was vague which I think was deliberate but it only added to the overall atmosphere of the book. Sarah Winman is truly talented at what she does, especially when it comes to her writing. The way it flows and carries the story, its just so poetic and there were times I found myself crying not just because the story was sad, but because what I was reading was just so beautiful. This is the kind of writing I want tattooed on my body or engraved onto my headstone.
“As I walked down I was overwhelmed with the gratitude of wellness. I walked out and breathed fresh air. I felt the sun on my skin. The world is a different place when you are well, when you are young. The world is beautiful and safe.”
Overall, When God Was a Rabbit is a beautiful story about and family and friendship, and all of the different kinds of love you can encounter in your life. As long as Sarah Winman keeps writing these beautiful books that make me cry, I’m going to keep reading them.
August 27, 2012
I have just started this book and am absolutely loving it. It is a hilarious book, with Ellie being just too sharp and dry with her little asides. I honestly love a book that sucks me in - especially after that nonsense Fifty shades of Grey rubbish. This is one that I will lend, but will always demand to be returned.
Just finished it today. I absolutely LOVED this book. There are some conversations in there that I have marked, as I think they speak such truth. One in particular about the last paragraph of page 141, which continues onto page 142. It reminds me of "The Velveteen Rabbit", where those deeper life mysteries are discussed within conversation between close friends.
I love Sarah Winman's writing. The way she just puts in these unexpected hilarious little statements kept me laughing out loud. I wear reading glasses, and they kept fogging up at times. It made my mascara run, leaving my husband worried that I was upset about something!!!!
The bonus material at the end was great to read as well. Being a teacher myself, I think that the way in which she describes her writing process, her encouragement to others to write, and her love of writing were fantastic.
This is one book that must be read.
Just finished it today. I absolutely LOVED this book. There are some conversations in there that I have marked, as I think they speak such truth. One in particular about the last paragraph of page 141, which continues onto page 142. It reminds me of "The Velveteen Rabbit", where those deeper life mysteries are discussed within conversation between close friends.
I love Sarah Winman's writing. The way she just puts in these unexpected hilarious little statements kept me laughing out loud. I wear reading glasses, and they kept fogging up at times. It made my mascara run, leaving my husband worried that I was upset about something!!!!
The bonus material at the end was great to read as well. Being a teacher myself, I think that the way in which she describes her writing process, her encouragement to others to write, and her love of writing were fantastic.
This is one book that must be read.
May 26, 2020
Not my usual type of book and had been very reluctant to read this one, several friends recommended it to me but I had put it off for a long time.
But I was presently surprised by this book and found it engaging ,funny and sad.
This Novel is in two parts and is about Elly who was born in 1968. The first part of the Novel deals with her relationships with her older brother, her family and her best friend Jenny Penny. I really loved this part of the book and the way it is written. I loved her pet rabbit named God and her friendship with Jenny penny. There were some really funny moments in this book that had me laughing out loud.
The second half of the Novel takes on a more serious tone and deals with Elly’s later years and touches and some sad experiences and not sure if all of them fitted into this Novel however I still enjoyed this book.
I found the characters so quirky and while not all likeable still interesting and I found myself wanting to know what happened to them .
Overall I found this an interesting and quirky read, not my usual book choice but hey sometimes it’s good to go outside the comfort zone.
But I was presently surprised by this book and found it engaging ,funny and sad.
This Novel is in two parts and is about Elly who was born in 1968. The first part of the Novel deals with her relationships with her older brother, her family and her best friend Jenny Penny. I really loved this part of the book and the way it is written. I loved her pet rabbit named God and her friendship with Jenny penny. There were some really funny moments in this book that had me laughing out loud.
The second half of the Novel takes on a more serious tone and deals with Elly’s later years and touches and some sad experiences and not sure if all of them fitted into this Novel however I still enjoyed this book.
I found the characters so quirky and while not all likeable still interesting and I found myself wanting to know what happened to them .
Overall I found this an interesting and quirky read, not my usual book choice but hey sometimes it’s good to go outside the comfort zone.
September 8, 2011
Sorry. This review contains a mini spoiler but I couldn't work out how to hide it so if you don't want any giveaway info you'd better ignore this one. However if you are continuing to read, thanks.
Having read this for my local bookclub meeting this evening I am not quite sure what I would want to say. It seems to me that Sarah Winman is not quite sure what she is writing. Is it the story of family relationship both 'nuclear ' and extended, is it a treatise on gay relationships, is it an account of a brother and sister growing to adulthood across the latter part of the 20th Century and of course all of these can be totally harmoniously co-joined and indeed they are but the story comes off its rails because of the bizarre and unreasonable loading up of accidents of chance and fantasy as it goes on.
When two of the characters,one of whom is besotted with the other, having been apart for years and having had no contact whatsoever, suddenly meet up at a party on another continent from the one in which they had originally met I immediately thought ' of all the parties in all the world you had to walk into one of mine'. I do appreciate that chance and co-incidence often plays an important part in love and romance but this grated as unbelievable. When the father, having all the time been banking on winning a large prize, does just that I thought unbelievable. When another character supposedly knew the time and manner of his death, a falling coconut,and at one point the very act happened but served not to kill him but to restore his sight I thought unbelievable. I could go on but though there is a good deal of really funny dialogue and some witty descriptions I found the overall affect dubious.
Winman addresses beautifully the questions of love, fidelity, expectation and the ability of friendship whether sexually expressed or platonic to enhance and transform but i do wish she had written in a way that did not rely upon, in my opinion, a regular need to massively suspend if not belief then the over the top coincidence quotient. This story could have been written without them and in that way the story would not have been so much of an obvious novel. I found the characters endearing, maddening, stupid and amusing but they always remained obvious characters in a story. I never felt moved to believe in their independant existence which is bizarre since they were theoretically growing up as I was and their journey should have been mine
Having read this for my local bookclub meeting this evening I am not quite sure what I would want to say. It seems to me that Sarah Winman is not quite sure what she is writing. Is it the story of family relationship both 'nuclear ' and extended, is it a treatise on gay relationships, is it an account of a brother and sister growing to adulthood across the latter part of the 20th Century and of course all of these can be totally harmoniously co-joined and indeed they are but the story comes off its rails because of the bizarre and unreasonable loading up of accidents of chance and fantasy as it goes on.
When two of the characters,one of whom is besotted with the other, having been apart for years and having had no contact whatsoever, suddenly meet up at a party on another continent from the one in which they had originally met I immediately thought ' of all the parties in all the world you had to walk into one of mine'. I do appreciate that chance and co-incidence often plays an important part in love and romance but this grated as unbelievable. When the father, having all the time been banking on winning a large prize, does just that I thought unbelievable. When another character supposedly knew the time and manner of his death, a falling coconut,and at one point the very act happened but served not to kill him but to restore his sight I thought unbelievable. I could go on but though there is a good deal of really funny dialogue and some witty descriptions I found the overall affect dubious.
Winman addresses beautifully the questions of love, fidelity, expectation and the ability of friendship whether sexually expressed or platonic to enhance and transform but i do wish she had written in a way that did not rely upon, in my opinion, a regular need to massively suspend if not belief then the over the top coincidence quotient. This story could have been written without them and in that way the story would not have been so much of an obvious novel. I found the characters endearing, maddening, stupid and amusing but they always remained obvious characters in a story. I never felt moved to believe in their independant existence which is bizarre since they were theoretically growing up as I was and their journey should have been mine
March 11, 2013
Every once in a while you read a book that passes straight into your bloodstream, and you are hardly aware of how it happened.
When God was a Rabbit describes itself as the story of a brother and sister, "about childhood and growing up, friendships and families, triumph and tragedy and everything in between...about love in all its forms". That is a perfectly fair description as far as it goes. What it doesn't say is anything of the quiet and kindly magic with which Sarah Winman defines her characters.
Elly, her brother Joe and her childhood friend Jenny Penny are all outsiders - not the angry and embittered kind, though, but the kind who know they are in some small way different, unique, set apart. They, their family, and the friends who become a part of that extended family may be fictional, but they have the immediacy and honesty and vibrancy of real people, and their lives have the ring of a true story. They are flawed, passionate, muddled, baggage-laden, generous, tragic, vibrant, good, above all human. They are the people we know, the people we are, the people with whom we want to surround ourselves.
Elly and her family live through the events of the 1970s, 1990s and the early years of the new millennium - a shared experience for many readers, and one that rings true even at those points where are own memories are different. Winman has the particular gift for being able to spring a momentous event on the reader, whether historical or fictional, with all the unexpected impact of real life.
And then there is the language. Winman has the eye for observation of a small child and the pen of a poet, but combines them with the technical skill and self-control to reserve her poetic imagery for the moments that really matter, big and small. The result is that we are never inured to her description, we never lose the sense of wonder or the ability to see the extraordinary nature of the ordinary.
Read this book late at night, when the house is quiet and your defences are down. Let it work its magic. Drink in its imagery and its goodness and its sadness and its hope like a drowning man inhales the ocean. Let it into your DNA; let it enlarge and enrich your emotional vocabulary. Let it tell you that you are not alone.
When God was a Rabbit describes itself as the story of a brother and sister, "about childhood and growing up, friendships and families, triumph and tragedy and everything in between...about love in all its forms". That is a perfectly fair description as far as it goes. What it doesn't say is anything of the quiet and kindly magic with which Sarah Winman defines her characters.
Elly, her brother Joe and her childhood friend Jenny Penny are all outsiders - not the angry and embittered kind, though, but the kind who know they are in some small way different, unique, set apart. They, their family, and the friends who become a part of that extended family may be fictional, but they have the immediacy and honesty and vibrancy of real people, and their lives have the ring of a true story. They are flawed, passionate, muddled, baggage-laden, generous, tragic, vibrant, good, above all human. They are the people we know, the people we are, the people with whom we want to surround ourselves.
Elly and her family live through the events of the 1970s, 1990s and the early years of the new millennium - a shared experience for many readers, and one that rings true even at those points where are own memories are different. Winman has the particular gift for being able to spring a momentous event on the reader, whether historical or fictional, with all the unexpected impact of real life.
And then there is the language. Winman has the eye for observation of a small child and the pen of a poet, but combines them with the technical skill and self-control to reserve her poetic imagery for the moments that really matter, big and small. The result is that we are never inured to her description, we never lose the sense of wonder or the ability to see the extraordinary nature of the ordinary.
Read this book late at night, when the house is quiet and your defences are down. Let it work its magic. Drink in its imagery and its goodness and its sadness and its hope like a drowning man inhales the ocean. Let it into your DNA; let it enlarge and enrich your emotional vocabulary. Let it tell you that you are not alone.
June 13, 2012
Part One
the story of Elly as a little girl is magical, heart breaking, sweet, sad, funny, and in a few words: literary perfection
Part Two
I feel like, had this part of the novel been removed completely, this book would have been perfect. I think the most fascinating part about stories is not knowing the TRUE ending. About being left at one part of someone's life and imagining just what happened afterwards. By showing Elly as an adult, the mystery was lost and expectations were not met. The wonder and insecurity and confusion of childhood Elly is missing and because of this, part two just doesn't have the same impact.
Regardless, the sheer perfection of part one makes up for any flaws of part two, and I would still happily recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a story about family, love, faith, and wonder.
the story of Elly as a little girl is magical, heart breaking, sweet, sad, funny, and in a few words: literary perfection
Part Two
I feel like, had this part of the novel been removed completely, this book would have been perfect. I think the most fascinating part about stories is not knowing the TRUE ending. About being left at one part of someone's life and imagining just what happened afterwards. By showing Elly as an adult, the mystery was lost and expectations were not met. The wonder and insecurity and confusion of childhood Elly is missing and because of this, part two just doesn't have the same impact.
Regardless, the sheer perfection of part one makes up for any flaws of part two, and I would still happily recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a story about family, love, faith, and wonder.
July 15, 2011
An amazing book - if it doesn't win a prize I'll be VERY surprised!
Even though Elly is older than me, much of her childhood resonates with familiarity - watching the Generation Game and shouting out the prizes in excitement, the magic of polaroid cameras, chocolate teacakes and doing the pools! Elly shares not just a deep and binding bond with her brother Joe, but also a sensitivity and awareness of the world that seems to separate them from the world of their peers. They are, in everything, a team.
The voice of Elly is so pure and magical, extremely evocative - I read the book on the brink of tears for the most part, simply because I could see everything do clearly, I felt I was an onlooker in her life. The love of the family permeates the story, they might not be conventional in the usual way - this becomes more apparant as the story goes on - but they are a very close unit. At times both Joe and Elly try to escape but they are always drawn back to the warmth and eccentricity of the family unit.
There are some laugh out loud moments and some that make you tear up, it's a tale that rings of truth throughout, heartbreaking, poignant, hilarious, cruel, it's quite simply beautiful.
After dissecting this for my book group I have to amend what I have written! Although I did enjoy the book and found it easy to read and involve myself in, the discussion I have since had has made me think more about it. I still stand by the above but would like to add that actually the story is pretty implausible - everything that could possibly happen to this family does, the author seems to have taken every plot under the sun and crammed them into this one novel,so whilst it does make for an exciting read, when you do step back and think, it does make it a less realistic. Also the 70's reminiscence is too modern in feeling. I don't remember much of the 70's but my fellow group members do and their feeling was that the things discussed so openly in the book would not have been in the 70's as everything was much more pushed under the carpet, politely ignored - the way that domestic abuse, homosexuality, child abuse is discussed in the book is much more post 90's than 70's. Again, some story lines are started but not adequately finished or even explained and as for God being a rabbit, the premise started off well but seemed to peter into nothng. Then, with reflection, Elly is annoying! She starts by being such a great little girl and develops into a big wet who can't hold anything down and is obsessed with a childhood friend she hasn't seen in years and her equally self-obsessed brother, but why this happens is only implied and supposed rather than told as fact. I think if more had been adequately explained instead of threads been given and then left hanging it would have been much more satisfying and if we had had a couple of major themes in the book rather than 101 we might have had more loose ends tied up. Yes, with hindsight it is rather fantastical, but if you like drama and high maintenance characters who have everything happen to them and it all turns out really well, then read it, you won't be disappointed - just don't expect much in the way of reality!
Even though Elly is older than me, much of her childhood resonates with familiarity - watching the Generation Game and shouting out the prizes in excitement, the magic of polaroid cameras, chocolate teacakes and doing the pools! Elly shares not just a deep and binding bond with her brother Joe, but also a sensitivity and awareness of the world that seems to separate them from the world of their peers. They are, in everything, a team.
The voice of Elly is so pure and magical, extremely evocative - I read the book on the brink of tears for the most part, simply because I could see everything do clearly, I felt I was an onlooker in her life. The love of the family permeates the story, they might not be conventional in the usual way - this becomes more apparant as the story goes on - but they are a very close unit. At times both Joe and Elly try to escape but they are always drawn back to the warmth and eccentricity of the family unit.
There are some laugh out loud moments and some that make you tear up, it's a tale that rings of truth throughout, heartbreaking, poignant, hilarious, cruel, it's quite simply beautiful.
After dissecting this for my book group I have to amend what I have written! Although I did enjoy the book and found it easy to read and involve myself in, the discussion I have since had has made me think more about it. I still stand by the above but would like to add that actually the story is pretty implausible - everything that could possibly happen to this family does, the author seems to have taken every plot under the sun and crammed them into this one novel,so whilst it does make for an exciting read, when you do step back and think, it does make it a less realistic. Also the 70's reminiscence is too modern in feeling. I don't remember much of the 70's but my fellow group members do and their feeling was that the things discussed so openly in the book would not have been in the 70's as everything was much more pushed under the carpet, politely ignored - the way that domestic abuse, homosexuality, child abuse is discussed in the book is much more post 90's than 70's. Again, some story lines are started but not adequately finished or even explained and as for God being a rabbit, the premise started off well but seemed to peter into nothng. Then, with reflection, Elly is annoying! She starts by being such a great little girl and develops into a big wet who can't hold anything down and is obsessed with a childhood friend she hasn't seen in years and her equally self-obsessed brother, but why this happens is only implied and supposed rather than told as fact. I think if more had been adequately explained instead of threads been given and then left hanging it would have been much more satisfying and if we had had a couple of major themes in the book rather than 101 we might have had more loose ends tied up. Yes, with hindsight it is rather fantastical, but if you like drama and high maintenance characters who have everything happen to them and it all turns out really well, then read it, you won't be disappointed - just don't expect much in the way of reality!
October 11, 2018
”I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all”
-- Both Sides Now, Songwriters: Joni Mitchell
4.5 Stars
1968
“I decided to enter this world just as my mother got off the bus after an unproductive shopping trip to Ilford. She’d gone to change a pair of trousers and, distracted by my shifting position, found it impossible to choose between patched denims or velvet flares and, fearful that my place of birth would be a department store, she made a staggered journey back to the safe confines of her postcode where her waters broke just as the heavens opened. And during the seventy-yard walk back down to our house, her amniotic fluid mixed with the December rain and spiraled down the gutter until the cycle of life was momentously and, one might say, poetically complete.
“I was delivered by an off-duty nurse in my parents’ bedroom on an eiderdown that had been won in a raffle, and after a swift labor of twenty-two minutes my head appeared and the nurse shouted Push! and my father shouted Push! and my mother pushed, and I slipped out effortlessly into that fabled year. The year Paris took to the streets. The year of the Tet Offensive. The year Martin Luther King Jr. lost his life for a dream.”
”’What’s going on?’ sang Marvin Gaye, but no one had an answer.”
Elly’s brother Joe, older by five years, becomes her eyes to the world outside, his thoughts inform her thoughts, his reading shapes her world, he becomes her world. Which is just as well, her parents seem so easily preoccupied, distracted by life, in general. As she grows older, others chime in, a friend, colourful characters – friends of her parents, and a rabbit, whose appearance seems to coincide with a child’s questioning of the nature of God. ”And so at Christmas,” as she explains to her class, ”god finally came to live with me.”
But time passes, as it is wont to do, and his life takes him in one direction, and hers takes another. The connection is still there, but distance adds challenges. And when she is suddenly faced with the tenuous nature of love and life, the connections we hold so dear, everything changes.
There’s an unfiltered immediate-ness to her writing that makes it feel as though it were written by a young girl, at least in parts, a youthful enthusiasm for life and all the promise it still holds, a delicate, childlike charm in her thoughts, a pure and candid honesty in her views.
Earlier this year, I read Sarah Winman’s Tin Man, which I loved, and within the last month or so have read her A Year of Marvellous Ways, and now this, her debut novel, When God Was a Rabbit, so now I will have to wait, in the meantime, looking forward to her next book!
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know life at all”
-- Both Sides Now, Songwriters: Joni Mitchell
4.5 Stars
1968
“I decided to enter this world just as my mother got off the bus after an unproductive shopping trip to Ilford. She’d gone to change a pair of trousers and, distracted by my shifting position, found it impossible to choose between patched denims or velvet flares and, fearful that my place of birth would be a department store, she made a staggered journey back to the safe confines of her postcode where her waters broke just as the heavens opened. And during the seventy-yard walk back down to our house, her amniotic fluid mixed with the December rain and spiraled down the gutter until the cycle of life was momentously and, one might say, poetically complete.
“I was delivered by an off-duty nurse in my parents’ bedroom on an eiderdown that had been won in a raffle, and after a swift labor of twenty-two minutes my head appeared and the nurse shouted Push! and my father shouted Push! and my mother pushed, and I slipped out effortlessly into that fabled year. The year Paris took to the streets. The year of the Tet Offensive. The year Martin Luther King Jr. lost his life for a dream.”
”’What’s going on?’ sang Marvin Gaye, but no one had an answer.”
Elly’s brother Joe, older by five years, becomes her eyes to the world outside, his thoughts inform her thoughts, his reading shapes her world, he becomes her world. Which is just as well, her parents seem so easily preoccupied, distracted by life, in general. As she grows older, others chime in, a friend, colourful characters – friends of her parents, and a rabbit, whose appearance seems to coincide with a child’s questioning of the nature of God. ”And so at Christmas,” as she explains to her class, ”god finally came to live with me.”
But time passes, as it is wont to do, and his life takes him in one direction, and hers takes another. The connection is still there, but distance adds challenges. And when she is suddenly faced with the tenuous nature of love and life, the connections we hold so dear, everything changes.
There’s an unfiltered immediate-ness to her writing that makes it feel as though it were written by a young girl, at least in parts, a youthful enthusiasm for life and all the promise it still holds, a delicate, childlike charm in her thoughts, a pure and candid honesty in her views.
Earlier this year, I read Sarah Winman’s Tin Man, which I loved, and within the last month or so have read her A Year of Marvellous Ways, and now this, her debut novel, When God Was a Rabbit, so now I will have to wait, in the meantime, looking forward to her next book!
October 21, 2012
I can imagine that as a writer it is tempting to do too much in one's first novel and I think this is what's wrong with this particular debut. As many have commented, the first section is far better than the second. It is in the first section, however, that we get a taste for the unnecessary and somewhat sloppy storytelling that's to come. It annoys me greatly when an author glosses over the realities of life by making characters incredibly rich. I saw no need for the sudden, imprecise wealth that befell this family before their relocation to Cornwall. It seemed to serve only to answer potential questions and explain how it was no one really worked for the rest of the book. Still the book and characters seemed comfortable in England and there the story made sense. When Joe oddly appeared in New York as a banker, I grew worried. First a Princess Di mention and now this a Sept 11 foreshadowing. And it was well written and definitely evoked emotion (although that's relatively easy with this subject); but was it necessary? If anything it distracted from the heart of the story and relied on the reader's existing emotional connection to the event to tug at the heart strings.
I read this book in a couple days on holiday and it suited that purpose well. I didn't dislike it, I was simply disappointed that no one encouraged the author to strip out the global events and concentrate on developing the characters she so lovingly introduced early in the book. There was enough there already.
I read this book in a couple days on holiday and it suited that purpose well. I didn't dislike it, I was simply disappointed that no one encouraged the author to strip out the global events and concentrate on developing the characters she so lovingly introduced early in the book. There was enough there already.
February 4, 2012
There’s only one word to describe Sarah Winman’s “When God Was A Rabbit” — disjointed.
If you read reviews on this and see critics describing it as having “an elegiac, simple beauty,” you can’t help but think that book reviewers like that serve only one purpose: to deter you from reading that book.
The story is supposed to be about a brother and sister named Joe and Elly — but mostly, it’s about Elly, who, as a child, is whimsically drawn and makes you excited to read the book.
As we hop, skip, jump through 30 years in their lives, we have fleeting snapshots of all of the personal calamities that strike them: cancer, suicide, murder, sexual abuse, domestic battery, accidental death, kidnapping, aggravated assault, bombing, mutilation, stroke, amnesia and the death of a pet rabbit named “god.”
Honestly, you could take any one of those calamities and zero in your focus on that and still have a compelling story — instead, we’re left holding blurry pictures with a few scribbled words on the back that are meant to mean something to the reader, but ultimately doesn’t.
If you read reviews on this and see critics describing it as having “an elegiac, simple beauty,” you can’t help but think that book reviewers like that serve only one purpose: to deter you from reading that book.
The story is supposed to be about a brother and sister named Joe and Elly — but mostly, it’s about Elly, who, as a child, is whimsically drawn and makes you excited to read the book.
As we hop, skip, jump through 30 years in their lives, we have fleeting snapshots of all of the personal calamities that strike them: cancer, suicide, murder, sexual abuse, domestic battery, accidental death, kidnapping, aggravated assault, bombing, mutilation, stroke, amnesia and the death of a pet rabbit named “god.”
Honestly, you could take any one of those calamities and zero in your focus on that and still have a compelling story — instead, we’re left holding blurry pictures with a few scribbled words on the back that are meant to mean something to the reader, but ultimately doesn’t.
November 1, 2011
Coming-of-age novels come with an absolution: They don’t actually have to be about-about anything. They can just be. A series of events, linked or otherwise, that start quirky and end artfully or in some combination of that.
Sarah Winman’s debut novel “When God was a Rabbit” takes advantage of this convention. Technically it’s about a brother and sister; that sister and her best friend; that brother and his best friend with benefits. It has no plot line that looms, waiting to be solved, fixed, redeemed or rectified, instead it has episodes that must be handled before the next episode or just later.
The story centers on Elly, a sassafrass little missy who auditions for the Christmas pageant with a monologue that references booze and abortions, lands the role of an innkeeper, then spontaneously changes the Christmas story mid-performance by assuring Mary and Joseph that there is plenty of room at the Inn, not to mention a view. She also has some thoughts on the illegitimate child.
When a life-changing incident occurs, and Elly mentions it to her older brother Joe in an off-handed way, he handles it the best he can and then gives her a gift, a rabbit that she names God. God talks to her, not in the obnoxious way of, say, TV’s Wilfred. Just a sentence or two that provides direction either from his mouth or her imagination.
Elly becomes best friends with Jenny Penny, a schoolmate with wild hair and a wilder mother. Jenny Penny is a little bit of a seer, as tamed and subtle in her art as the talking rabbit. Jenny Penny finds stability at Elly’s home and the two develop a thick bond that is severed when Elly’s father wins the lottery and moves the family far away to the country, to a house that looks like it belongs to rich people and will eventually double as a B&B. Elly keeps in phone contact, but eventually loses touch with her friend when Jenny Penny’s mom makes a bum relationship decision that has them scrambling for new identities and no forwarding address. Meanwhile, Joe goes off to school and later to New York and Elly is left to wander in the woods, delve further and further into herself and just get weird.
There is a cast of characters who are taken in by the family: An elderly man with a host of wild stories from his past and a woman who croons showtunes and is most comfortable with a feather boa.
In the second half of the book, lost characters return and characters become lost.
Winman is a super skilled in the art of subtlety. A lot of the biggest reveals in the book are unraveled either without words or backward. Young Elly doesn’t tell Joe that she was molested by the next-door neighbor, rather she explains that she knows the difference between circumcised and not and her brother fills in the blanks. Two characters are missing, one calls, it takes half a page to figure out who is on the phone with Elly.
And in a fun moment that epitomises her control with language: Winman writes a chaos scene, a party in which Jenny Penny’s mom is out front monitoring traffic and the girls are singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” along with a record. Eventually Jenny Penny’s mom’s lines sync up to the record and it is done so well and is so aural and visual that it’s fantastically exhausting and perfect.
This was a good book, a quick read and a nice introduction to a new writer.
Sarah Winman’s debut novel “When God was a Rabbit” takes advantage of this convention. Technically it’s about a brother and sister; that sister and her best friend; that brother and his best friend with benefits. It has no plot line that looms, waiting to be solved, fixed, redeemed or rectified, instead it has episodes that must be handled before the next episode or just later.
The story centers on Elly, a sassafrass little missy who auditions for the Christmas pageant with a monologue that references booze and abortions, lands the role of an innkeeper, then spontaneously changes the Christmas story mid-performance by assuring Mary and Joseph that there is plenty of room at the Inn, not to mention a view. She also has some thoughts on the illegitimate child.
When a life-changing incident occurs, and Elly mentions it to her older brother Joe in an off-handed way, he handles it the best he can and then gives her a gift, a rabbit that she names God. God talks to her, not in the obnoxious way of, say, TV’s Wilfred. Just a sentence or two that provides direction either from his mouth or her imagination.
Elly becomes best friends with Jenny Penny, a schoolmate with wild hair and a wilder mother. Jenny Penny is a little bit of a seer, as tamed and subtle in her art as the talking rabbit. Jenny Penny finds stability at Elly’s home and the two develop a thick bond that is severed when Elly’s father wins the lottery and moves the family far away to the country, to a house that looks like it belongs to rich people and will eventually double as a B&B. Elly keeps in phone contact, but eventually loses touch with her friend when Jenny Penny’s mom makes a bum relationship decision that has them scrambling for new identities and no forwarding address. Meanwhile, Joe goes off to school and later to New York and Elly is left to wander in the woods, delve further and further into herself and just get weird.
There is a cast of characters who are taken in by the family: An elderly man with a host of wild stories from his past and a woman who croons showtunes and is most comfortable with a feather boa.
In the second half of the book, lost characters return and characters become lost.
Winman is a super skilled in the art of subtlety. A lot of the biggest reveals in the book are unraveled either without words or backward. Young Elly doesn’t tell Joe that she was molested by the next-door neighbor, rather she explains that she knows the difference between circumcised and not and her brother fills in the blanks. Two characters are missing, one calls, it takes half a page to figure out who is on the phone with Elly.
And in a fun moment that epitomises her control with language: Winman writes a chaos scene, a party in which Jenny Penny’s mom is out front monitoring traffic and the girls are singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” along with a record. Eventually Jenny Penny’s mom’s lines sync up to the record and it is done so well and is so aural and visual that it’s fantastically exhausting and perfect.
This was a good book, a quick read and a nice introduction to a new writer.
January 17, 2025
It is books like these that make me grateful to be a reader. These are the rare gems that make you feel like your heart has been wrenched apart and when you reach the last page you feel changed somehow- like they have left their mark on your inner psyche.
I read the phenomenal Still Life a few years back and thought I’d work my way through Sarah’s previous books. To be honest i wasn’t expecting much, and I can totally see why this a marmite type of book. To my GR friends that struggle with a 4 year old narrator at the beginning who feels like an adult at times this aspect will grate! But I was willing to look past these slight grievances because the characterisation is so strong. I was so invested in Eli’s life and that of her close , eccentric family and there were times it all became too intense and I had to stop reading. Themes of love in all its different kinds are prevalent throughout, as is loss, hurt and having to keep going despite all the knocks and heartbreak along the way. Yes it’s sad but it’s also extremely uplifting and a book that left me with hope.
I realise my book reviews rarely tell you anything about plot lines- I leave that for other reviewers. I had decided not to even write reviews until after my degree ended but sometimes a book is so special that it only feels right to tell you all about it 😌
I read the phenomenal Still Life a few years back and thought I’d work my way through Sarah’s previous books. To be honest i wasn’t expecting much, and I can totally see why this a marmite type of book. To my GR friends that struggle with a 4 year old narrator at the beginning who feels like an adult at times this aspect will grate! But I was willing to look past these slight grievances because the characterisation is so strong. I was so invested in Eli’s life and that of her close , eccentric family and there were times it all became too intense and I had to stop reading. Themes of love in all its different kinds are prevalent throughout, as is loss, hurt and having to keep going despite all the knocks and heartbreak along the way. Yes it’s sad but it’s also extremely uplifting and a book that left me with hope.
I realise my book reviews rarely tell you anything about plot lines- I leave that for other reviewers. I had decided not to even write reviews until after my degree ended but sometimes a book is so special that it only feels right to tell you all about it 😌
January 15, 2013
F Scott Fitzgerald famously wrote "character is plot, plot is character". Sarah Winman in When God Was a Rabbit, however, has decided to forego both. The characters, who could have been so interesting if fully formed, are half-baked, badly drawn, sketch outlines of characters, insipid and vapid, nothing substantial in them at all. The plot just isn't there. Where, I asked myself after nearly 200 pages of reading, is this story going? The answer - I didn't know - and worse - I didn't care. It was just meandering along, some questions being lifted into the mind of the reader, only to be abandoned and never picked up on again. To illustrate this point - early on in the book, the main character's brother asks how she knows about Mr Golan's penis. Good question - an interesting question, hinting at some trauma or tragedy which has befallen the heroine during her formative years. Sadly, by page 198, this question STILL had not been answered. It had just been glossed over. By page 198, I decided I didn't care all that much after all. I didn't like the heroine; the characters I did like, i.e. her brother and her supposed BFF, Jenny Penny, weren't formed or featured enough to save my interest, and I did something which I hardly ever do, and gave up reading. I know this book is bad, because generally no matter how dire it is, I'll always try and finish it. Here, in this instance, I failed. It makes my blood boil that books like this one: poorly conceived and executed, written by authors who are not writers at all but just thought "they'd have a go because how hard can it be" are picked up by companies like Headline and then shoved down enough people's throats to boost sales sufficiently to force it onto the best seller list. To add insult to injury there was then a section at the back of the book (albeit a short one) where Sarah Winman pontificates about her "life as a writer"; and then - even worse - there's a section on "Reading Group Questions" as if readers need to be told what to think anyway. This reader does not need 20 words to tell you what she thinks. I can sum it up in one: "DIRE".
July 9, 2015
This is one of those ubiquitous books that I ended up reading mainly because I kept seeing it everywhere, and it turned out to be a lot better than I thought it might be, given its obvious popularity. The plot revolves around Elly, who narrates the story, her brother Joe, and their eccentric family and acquaintances - most notably Elly's best friend, the strange and striking Jenny Penny. The book is divided into two halves - Elly's childhood, beginning in 1968, and her adulthood, from 1995 onwards - and these sections in turn are split up into lots of short chapters. The prose is fluid and delicately beautiful, and the characters are quirky and whimsical - except much less annoying, and much more likeable, than that makes them sound; they're not always believable, but they're engaging and colourful. The first half of the book is the best; it's quite magical and skilfully captures the wonders of childhood, the nuances of a child's thoughts and feelings, and the peculiar fascination of young friendship. The second half, picking up Elly's story after a gap of about 15 years, I didn't think was as successful, but I still found it both compelling and poignant. There were points when it reminded me of the two Siri Hustvedt books I've read this year - a pretty impressive achievement for a debut novel.
There are a few problems, however. Elly often starts a chapter without mentioning who she's talking about for several lines or even paragraphs, and a number of times I had to either re-read (in case I'd missed a name) or skip ahead (to figure out who she meant so I could make sense of it). Lack of detail is a problem at other points in the book, the most obvious example being that Elly is sexually abused by a neighbour as a child, but as it's never directly referred to or talked about (until the very end, and even then we don't find out what actually happened), this is a weirdly indistinct detail and you never get any sense of how it has truly affected her. Perhaps the absence of the event, the unspoken-ness of it, is supposed to be the point, but I found it all much too vague - if your concentration lapsed for a couple of sentences you could easily miss that it had happened at all.
I thought this book was gorgeously written, evocative and moving - but I did feel a little disappointed at the end. There's a curious coldness about the characters sometimes, and despite the vivid exploration of Elly's childhood, I didn't feel I knew much about who she was as an adult. There was a lot about how she interacted with Joe, Charlie, Arthur, Nancy et al, but hardly anything about what her own life amounted to apart from writing her column, which was only mentioned in passing anyway, and a one-night stand with a stranger. I couldn't even work out where she was actually supposed to live. I also felt a bit let down that Jenny didn't feature much in the second half, given her powerful presence in the first, and that the elements of magical realism weren't resolved/explained. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this book. It's full of big themes - love (more of the kind found between siblings and friends than the romantic sort, although there's a bit of that too), childhood and growing up, sexuality, mortality and bereavement, as well as the bigger world events going on in the background of all this, with 9/11 being particularly key. The scope of the story is huge, but Winman's light touch makes it very easy to read and it's incredibly beguiling; I found it instantly absorbing and read it very quickly.
There are a few problems, however. Elly often starts a chapter without mentioning who she's talking about for several lines or even paragraphs, and a number of times I had to either re-read (in case I'd missed a name) or skip ahead (to figure out who she meant so I could make sense of it). Lack of detail is a problem at other points in the book, the most obvious example being that Elly is sexually abused by a neighbour as a child, but as it's never directly referred to or talked about (until the very end, and even then we don't find out what actually happened), this is a weirdly indistinct detail and you never get any sense of how it has truly affected her. Perhaps the absence of the event, the unspoken-ness of it, is supposed to be the point, but I found it all much too vague - if your concentration lapsed for a couple of sentences you could easily miss that it had happened at all.
I thought this book was gorgeously written, evocative and moving - but I did feel a little disappointed at the end. There's a curious coldness about the characters sometimes, and despite the vivid exploration of Elly's childhood, I didn't feel I knew much about who she was as an adult. There was a lot about how she interacted with Joe, Charlie, Arthur, Nancy et al, but hardly anything about what her own life amounted to apart from writing her column, which was only mentioned in passing anyway, and a one-night stand with a stranger. I couldn't even work out where she was actually supposed to live. I also felt a bit let down that Jenny didn't feature much in the second half, given her powerful presence in the first, and that the elements of magical realism weren't resolved/explained. Nevertheless, I would definitely recommend this book. It's full of big themes - love (more of the kind found between siblings and friends than the romantic sort, although there's a bit of that too), childhood and growing up, sexuality, mortality and bereavement, as well as the bigger world events going on in the background of all this, with 9/11 being particularly key. The scope of the story is huge, but Winman's light touch makes it very easy to read and it's incredibly beguiling; I found it instantly absorbing and read it very quickly.
March 26, 2012
Сара Уинман разказва много увлекателно, без да изпада в многословие, с изключително образен и точен език, кратки изречения и чудесни словесни попадения. Интимните сцени и тези с насилие са само загатнати, но въпреки това оставят тягостно усещане. Разсъжденията през очите на децата са по-��алко наивни и повече - затрогващи, мили и мъдри.
Въпреки чудатостите в нея, това е една много топла, човешка и истинска книга, забавна и весела, тъжна и жестока. Книга, в която няма нито една излишна дума, която хваща за гърлото и влиза под кожата. Влюбих се в нея, смях се с глас и плаках (последното, ако изобщо ми се е случвало, сигурно е било много, много отдавна).
И още за книгата: тук.
Въпреки чудатостите в нея, това е една много топла, човешка и истинска книга, забавна и весела, тъжна и жестока. Книга, в която няма нито една излишна дума, която хваща за гърлото и влиза под кожата. Влюбих се в нея, смях се с глас и плаках (последното, ако изобщо ми се е случвало, сигурно е било много, много отдавна).
И още за книгата: тук.
October 20, 2021
I found this book randomly while doing my usual charity shop haul for hidden gems. Let me say this book was not as i expected it to be. From the small synopsis on the back cover this book is so so much more. Without giving it away, as this is a read i would suggest to anyone, it has been a rollercoaster of emotions from laughter, turmoil, heartbreak and wonder. I have had tears in my eyes and also pleanty smiles while reading this. It follows one family through some of the best and worst and how the main theme is never give up. Stay committed. Make no mistake some bits of this book are hard to read or upsetting of course. There are is some slight sexual context but the overall book seems to have a bit of that vibe in a way so it is what it is in that respect. The story reveals the strength in each characters through loss, hurt and devastating circumstances.
As i say it was not what i was expecting but it is a 4star read for sure
As i say it was not what i was expecting but it is a 4star read for sure
June 30, 2023
Acest roman a fost în mare parte o adevărată delectare literară. Autoarea reușește să pună în lumină relațiile familiale și inter-umane, cu toate privilegiile și carențele pe care acestea le presupun. Mi-a plăcut mult și felul în care sunt conturate personajele : vii, credibile și umane.
Narațiunea este expusă din perspectiva protagonistei Elly, care își înșiruie povestea pornind din copilărie (începând cu 1968) și ajungând la maturitate (începând cu 1995). Aceasta ne dezvăluie momentele ce au marcat viața sa și a celor dragi ei, abordând teme precum legăturile puternice de familie, prietenia de durată, copilăria marcată de momente frumoase, dar și traumatizante, dragostea în toate formele ei de manifestare, pierderea și regăsirea de-a lungul vieții.
Ceea ce am apreciat mai puțin a fost finalul, colorat asemeni unui curcubeu dat fiind multitudinea de happy end-uri. Până și cele mai dramatice momente sunt depășite cu brio, iar traumele din copilărie sunt procesate cu dârzenie în exclusivitate pe cont propriu. Acest aspect mi s-a părut exagerat și puțin veridic luând în considerare avalanșa de evenimente nefaste ce s-au perindat de-a lungul întregii povești.
Exceptând acest fapt este o carte pe care am apreciat-o atât datorită problematicilor abordate, cât și a stilului de scriere.
📖 ”I-am privit ochii: albaștri, nespus de albaștri; la fel ca ai mei. Am fredonat în minte numele culorii, până când mi-a inundat întreaga ființă ca apa mării.”
📖 ”„Amintirile”, îmi spunea ea, „indiferent cât de mărunte sau de inconsecvente ar fi, sunt paginile care ne definesc”.”
📖 ” Urma să ne vedem, o singură dată – cel puțin în copilărie -, înainte ca viețile noastre să se despartă precum un râu ce se separă în două brațe, săpând fiecare pământuri noi.”
(Când Dumnezeu era iepure / Sarah Winman - București: Litera, 2012)
Narațiunea este expusă din perspectiva protagonistei Elly, care își înșiruie povestea pornind din copilărie (începând cu 1968) și ajungând la maturitate (începând cu 1995). Aceasta ne dezvăluie momentele ce au marcat viața sa și a celor dragi ei, abordând teme precum legăturile puternice de familie, prietenia de durată, copilăria marcată de momente frumoase, dar și traumatizante, dragostea în toate formele ei de manifestare, pierderea și regăsirea de-a lungul vieții.
Ceea ce am apreciat mai puțin a fost finalul, colorat asemeni unui curcubeu dat fiind multitudinea de happy end-uri. Până și cele mai dramatice momente sunt depășite cu brio, iar traumele din copilărie sunt procesate cu dârzenie în exclusivitate pe cont propriu. Acest aspect mi s-a părut exagerat și puțin veridic luând în considerare avalanșa de evenimente nefaste ce s-au perindat de-a lungul întregii povești.
Exceptând acest fapt este o carte pe care am apreciat-o atât datorită problematicilor abordate, cât și a stilului de scriere.
📖 ”I-am privit ochii: albaștri, nespus de albaștri; la fel ca ai mei. Am fredonat în minte numele culorii, până când mi-a inundat întreaga ființă ca apa mării.”
📖 ”„Amintirile”, îmi spunea ea, „indiferent cât de mărunte sau de inconsecvente ar fi, sunt paginile care ne definesc”.”
📖 ” Urma să ne vedem, o singură dată – cel puțin în copilărie -, înainte ca viețile noastre să se despartă precum un râu ce se separă în două brațe, săpând fiecare pământuri noi.”
(Când Dumnezeu era iepure / Sarah Winman - București: Litera, 2012)
December 4, 2016
Me pone muy triste pensar en la cantidad de árboles que murieron para dar vida a este ENGENDRO
April 16, 2012
Firstly, this is a fiction book of two halves. First half I was loving the book and would have given it five stars. Second half – I loved it less so three stars. Rather than go for the average I’ll keep the overall review at three stars. Good book, unusual but messy – I will explain further.
The fictional character of Elly is a real British girl. Born in 1968, she charts her life around popular culture and world events as she becomes self-aware and of what it means to be British, female and part of a loving family. As the book progresses into second half territory, Elly’s life becomes ultimately more complex. Life as an adult loses its sheen as reality bites and she becomes aware of the fact that adults can ‘crack’ under various guises and that nothing good is everlasting.
In an un-chick-lit way, the author Winman paints characters that seem to live whimsical lives lived between fact and fable. In many ways, Winman’s Cornish landscape becomes a fantasy idyllic ‘no man’s land’ where time has no meaning. When the chaotic disasters of modern culture and modern tragedies like 9/11 are pipped against a family setting of a sleepy British backdrop then it’s no wonder that Winman’s characters become confused with the expectations of their own mental world. Quite literally – like Elly’s brother – they crack up and subsequent themes of nothingness are perpetuated in a spiralling mythical way. Hard for any reviewer to describe quite frankly. Bonkers in a nutshell.
It with this then that I personally feel that Winman has gone too far with her work. At first, I found her characters, lovely, warm quaint and feasibly British with all their little quirks of decades gone by. In hyper adulthood, Winman stretches her characterisation like it’s on elastic and the themes, storylines and people are stretched far too much, in my humble opinion, to be believed and recognisable.
It’s when a character ceases to be believable that a book loses cachet for me and I felt cheated on the fact that good characters were going to rot somewhere during the mid-second half.
I love a book that pushes the boundaries and dares to be different but this book loses its ethic for me. I like good fiction but this is crazy-mad and a bit pithy, silly and desperate by the end.
10 out of 10 for ambition but unfortunately 10 out of 10 for reader frustration. Sorry author!
The fictional character of Elly is a real British girl. Born in 1968, she charts her life around popular culture and world events as she becomes self-aware and of what it means to be British, female and part of a loving family. As the book progresses into second half territory, Elly’s life becomes ultimately more complex. Life as an adult loses its sheen as reality bites and she becomes aware of the fact that adults can ‘crack’ under various guises and that nothing good is everlasting.
In an un-chick-lit way, the author Winman paints characters that seem to live whimsical lives lived between fact and fable. In many ways, Winman’s Cornish landscape becomes a fantasy idyllic ‘no man’s land’ where time has no meaning. When the chaotic disasters of modern culture and modern tragedies like 9/11 are pipped against a family setting of a sleepy British backdrop then it’s no wonder that Winman’s characters become confused with the expectations of their own mental world. Quite literally – like Elly’s brother – they crack up and subsequent themes of nothingness are perpetuated in a spiralling mythical way. Hard for any reviewer to describe quite frankly. Bonkers in a nutshell.
It with this then that I personally feel that Winman has gone too far with her work. At first, I found her characters, lovely, warm quaint and feasibly British with all their little quirks of decades gone by. In hyper adulthood, Winman stretches her characterisation like it’s on elastic and the themes, storylines and people are stretched far too much, in my humble opinion, to be believed and recognisable.
It’s when a character ceases to be believable that a book loses cachet for me and I felt cheated on the fact that good characters were going to rot somewhere during the mid-second half.
I love a book that pushes the boundaries and dares to be different but this book loses its ethic for me. I like good fiction but this is crazy-mad and a bit pithy, silly and desperate by the end.
10 out of 10 for ambition but unfortunately 10 out of 10 for reader frustration. Sorry author!
February 5, 2024
4.5 🌟
Sarah Winman’s books always leave me a little speechless. They are so unique and wonderfully quirky that it is hard to put into words the gentle warmth they create inside of you.
The synopsis says this book is about a brother and a sister, but truly it is about so much more; family and friendships. Childhood and adulthood. It’s about life and everything that entails. And what surprised me the most was her inclusion of historical events.
This is my favourite of her books to date (I’ve read 3). I absolutely loved the characters, I thought there was a perfect balance, except I would have liked to hear more from the mother’s perspective. I particularly liked Elly’s brother Joe and Nancy (the aunt) but, of course, you can’t help but fall in love with the naivety, and later strength, of Elly herself. The characters are fantastically portrayed and I know I won’t forget about them and what they have been through for a long time.
This book is hilarious in places, sad in others and purely joyful in many. It is the rollercoaster that is life. It was honestly so captivating! I didn’t want to put it down; if my energy levels had allowed I would have definitely read it in one sitting because it is highly engaging. I would definitely recommend this beautiful book.
Ps. I didn’t actually realise that this was Sarah’s debut!! I thought it read like it was from an experienced author.
Sarah Winman’s books always leave me a little speechless. They are so unique and wonderfully quirky that it is hard to put into words the gentle warmth they create inside of you.
The synopsis says this book is about a brother and a sister, but truly it is about so much more; family and friendships. Childhood and adulthood. It’s about life and everything that entails. And what surprised me the most was her inclusion of historical events.
This is my favourite of her books to date (I’ve read 3). I absolutely loved the characters, I thought there was a perfect balance, except I would have liked to hear more from the mother’s perspective. I particularly liked Elly’s brother Joe and Nancy (the aunt) but, of course, you can’t help but fall in love with the naivety, and later strength, of Elly herself. The characters are fantastically portrayed and I know I won’t forget about them and what they have been through for a long time.
This book is hilarious in places, sad in others and purely joyful in many. It is the rollercoaster that is life. It was honestly so captivating! I didn’t want to put it down; if my energy levels had allowed I would have definitely read it in one sitting because it is highly engaging. I would definitely recommend this beautiful book.
Ps. I didn’t actually realise that this was Sarah’s debut!! I thought it read like it was from an experienced author.
February 7, 2018
The first half was pretty good. I enjoyed the writing and the characters. I had to force myself to get through the second half. I still liked the characters, but something had changed and I found this half a real grind to get through, and I was so happy to finally close the book at the end. First half was 4 stars, the second half was 2 stars, for an overall 3 stars, asI felt cranky by the time I finished the book.
April 1, 2021
I’d enjoyed Winman’s Tin Man so was very disappointed with this latest book club read. You can tell it was a debut novel because she really threw the kitchen sink in when it comes to quirkiness and magic realism. I don’t like when quirkiness is there just for the sake of it, or when secondary characters (who still manage to be more engaging than the primary ones) are little more than a thumbnail description: . I also hate the use of 9/11 as a plot device, something I have encountered several times in the last couple of years, and stupid names like Jenny Penny. Really, the second part of this novel just feels like a rehearsal for Tin Man in that it sets up a close relationship between two gay men and a woman.
Two major themes, generally speaking, are intuition and trauma: characters predict things that they couldn’t know by ordinary means, and have had some awful things happen to them. Some bottle it all up, only for it to explode later in life; others decide not to let childhood trauma define them. This is a worthy topic, certainly, but feels at odds with the carefully cultivated lighthearted tone. I note in my review of Tin Man that it is similar to John Boyne’s The Heart’s Invisible Furies, but Boyne got the balance of miserable and humorous right, whereas here it feels like Winman repeatedly introduces something sweet or hopeful only to undercut it with a tragic turn of events: .
The title phrase comes from a moment of pure nostalgia for childhood, and I think the novel may have been better if it had limited itself to that rather than trying to follow all the characters into later life and sprawling over nearly 40 years. Ultimately, I didn’t feel that I knew much about Elly, the narrator, or what makes her tick, and Joe and Jenny Penny almost detract from each other. Pick one or the other, brother or best friend, to be the protagonist’s mainstay; both was unnecessary.
Two major themes, generally speaking, are intuition and trauma: characters predict things that they couldn’t know by ordinary means, and have had some awful things happen to them. Some bottle it all up, only for it to explode later in life; others decide not to let childhood trauma define them. This is a worthy topic, certainly, but feels at odds with the carefully cultivated lighthearted tone. I note in my review of Tin Man that it is similar to John Boyne’s The Heart’s Invisible Furies, but Boyne got the balance of miserable and humorous right, whereas here it feels like Winman repeatedly introduces something sweet or hopeful only to undercut it with a tragic turn of events: .
The title phrase comes from a moment of pure nostalgia for childhood, and I think the novel may have been better if it had limited itself to that rather than trying to follow all the characters into later life and sprawling over nearly 40 years. Ultimately, I didn’t feel that I knew much about Elly, the narrator, or what makes her tick, and Joe and Jenny Penny almost detract from each other. Pick one or the other, brother or best friend, to be the protagonist’s mainstay; both was unnecessary.
September 3, 2023
4.5★ rounded up for the author's wonderful narration. Readers suffering withdrawal symptoms from Winman's Still Life are bound to be delighted to discover this debut novel, which I thought could almost be seen as an early blueprint for the brilliance to come. There are some striking similarities between the two.
When young Elly Portman suddenly loses her elderly Jewish friend, Mr Golan, in circumstances she doesn't fully understand, her older brother Joe promises to get her a proper friend. And he does. Before long Joe surprises Elly with a Belgian hare, that comes to be known by the name, God. She loves God deeply and he is immediately the friend to her that Joe promised. But Elly is soon to be spoiled for friendship when the mysterious Jenny Penny comes into her life as the new girl at school.
Apart from the familial adults in her life, these three are Elly's constants; Joe, God and Jenny Penny. Through major relocations - the Portmans from Essex to Cornwall, and then Joe from Cornwall to New York - heartbreaks and trauma, these are the relationships that keep her grounded and loved.
The story is told with such warmth and humour, it had me snorting out loud at times as I listened. And of course that makes the moments of sadness and fear all the more poignant.
This is definitely a book I will read again one day. Highly recommended, especially on audio.
When young Elly Portman suddenly loses her elderly Jewish friend, Mr Golan, in circumstances she doesn't fully understand, her older brother Joe promises to get her a proper friend. And he does. Before long Joe surprises Elly with a Belgian hare, that comes to be known by the name, God. She loves God deeply and he is immediately the friend to her that Joe promised. But Elly is soon to be spoiled for friendship when the mysterious Jenny Penny comes into her life as the new girl at school.
Apart from the familial adults in her life, these three are Elly's constants; Joe, God and Jenny Penny. Through major relocations - the Portmans from Essex to Cornwall, and then Joe from Cornwall to New York - heartbreaks and trauma, these are the relationships that keep her grounded and loved.
The story is told with such warmth and humour, it had me snorting out loud at times as I listened. And of course that makes the moments of sadness and fear all the more poignant.
This is definitely a book I will read again one day. Highly recommended, especially on audio.
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