This coming-of-age novel is praised for its comments on familial ties and the loss of childhood innocence. This novel follows the life of Eleanor Maud Portman, or Elly, from childhood to adulthood, and chronicles her relationship with her brother Joe, as well as other prominent characters throughout the story.
Spanning from the late s through the s in England to the early s in New York, the first person narrative depicts the turbulent and fictitious life of Elly against the backdrop of political and cultural history. The first half of the novel takes place in England. From the beginning, protagonist Elly narrates the story, starting with her birth in in Essex.
To ask other readers questions about When God Was a Rabbit , please sign up. An amazing novel, one of the best I ever read Lindsey Davidson I totally agree. I couldn't put this book down. It made me laugh and cry throughout.
This question contains spoilers Jen No. Elly always said that Jenny would be the one to finish her own part of the series of articles on missing people reappearing. See all 4 questions about When God Was a Rabbit….
Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Start your review of When God Was a Rabbit. 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 wonderf I found this book to be a delightful, sometimes compelling, read. 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 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. That being said, the story overall is beautifully told and a gorgeous read.
View all 69 comments. I read these book descriptions. They sound on the far side of boring. They almost scream: "I am literature. 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. Why do people publish these books? 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.
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. View all 49 comments. I hated this in and i hated it in Thought re-reading might change my opinion on it but it didnt at all.
So boring. Had to really force myself. Hated everyone. So glad when it was over. View all 5 comments. 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 a I found this book when I was browsing in Kindle store. 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!
I'm so glad I've done reading it. That says all, doesn't it? View all 11 comments. Guilty again : This book "bought" me with just few sentences and I had to buy the rights and be its editor Unfortunately due to Serbian publisher the book hasn't reached all the readers it should reach But it's never late!
Hurry up! Debut jewel of coming of age novel View all 10 comments. Apr 19, Bianca rated it it was amazing Shelves: debut-novel , female-author , lgbtiq , literary-fiction , , british-author. 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. View all 26 comments. Mar 30, Sahil Javed rated it it was amazing Shelves: contemporary , lgbtq , bookshelf. When God Was a Rabbit is told in two parts and follows brother and sister, Elly and Joe, across four decades, from onwards.
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.
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. To stand apart and be different? 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. 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. View 2 comments. Sep 16, Jenna rated it really liked it Shelves: out-of-europe , fiction.
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. View all 13 comments.
Aug 25, Sharon rated it it was amazing. 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. There are some conversations in there that I have marked, as I think they speak such truth.
One in particular about the last par I have just started this book and am absolutely loving it. One in particular about the last paragraph of page , which continues onto page 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. Sep 10, Dem rated it really liked it. 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 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 ra 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.
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. I found the characters so quirky and while not all likeable still interesting and I found myself wanting to know what happened to them. View all 9 comments. Sep 08, Mark rated it liked it Shelves: bookclub-reads. 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 Sorry. Your Rating:. Your Comment:. Read Online Download. Great book, When God Was a Rabbit pdf is enough to raise the goose bumps alone.
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