When God Was a Rabbit (original 2011; edition 2011)

Beautiful book, loved the characters and tho there wasn't much of a plot, more like a series of stories, I was pulled deeper and deeper into the forest as much by the breadcrumbs Winman shows us as by the shadows she hurries us past. ( )

Loved this book. The characters were great. Who wouldn't love a rabbit named God? The parents were very open and loved their children unconditionally. Great characters entered their lif like Arthur and Ginger. The Aunt was the best and had great lines. Wonderful read. ( )

More or less exactly what I expected. Reasonably light (in terms of prose), a quick read. It's definitely a solid three stars: the characters are likeable, and Winman fleshes them out well. If the narrative hadn't been so jumpy and incomprehensible in places, I would probably have given this four stars. Some things come out of the blue (dead baby jesus springs to mind) and aren't really all that relevant. Some things (like the boy who drowns and the guy Elly has sex with) are under-explained or never really fleshed out.

I liked it quite a bit though, despite it feeling a bit roughly put together. I'd read something else by her. ( )

Taken home with me from the table with 'recommendations' at the BC-meeting in Castricum.

Very difficult to put the feelings this book gave me into words. I felt very sorry for the little girl, was happy whenthe rabbit came into her life, when she was (more or less) happy with her girlfriend, brother and his friend.
The adventures they experienced when they were young were somehow strange to me though: I had a lot of fantasy as a child, but is was a practical one: playing with dolls and lego I made up stories, families etc., but never to the extend I foudn in the book here.

The woman that appeared later in the book was more my kind of person, her ideas, emotions were more recognizable to me and I guess that is why I liked the thecond part of the book a lot better, although it was also a sad part, with lots of emotional events.

All in all: I was curious about this book because of its title and now that I've read it I'm glad I did :-) It is not going to linger on very long, I guess. I won't be chewing on the contents, on why this and how that BUT it also won't be completely forgotten. It is not the kind of book that I can't remember the contents of after I've read it and started in another book.
It sits somewhere in the middle and that is very much okay. ( )

This was my 2nd attempt at reading it. It is very fragmented, especially at the front end of the book, and although it does improve it then completely changes style in the final quarter. Oddly unsatisfying throughout, including the ending, although there were some fun characters along the way. Inconsistent is probably the best word to describe this book. ( )

Very unusual book both in plot and in writing style. I really liked it, but it's certainly not for everybody. The rabbit/god played a surprisingly small part though.

A sweet childhood/growing-up story where people were just generally nice for a change. Not unrealistically so, but kind people who made mistakes not out of maliciousness, but because they were human. I grew to care about all the characters and were happy to see them evolve. ( )

I really enjoyed this book! It was a sweet, yet at times somewhat sad about two children's relationship throughout life. The title definitely drew me in. Great book- if you haven't read it, check it out. ( )

Well written, imaginative. Sad when it came to an end. ( )

This book is so well written! ( )

I wanted to like this book...but I just couldn't take the premise seriously and felt the writing was flawed.

Not the worst book I've ever read but not the best either - I'm typically not fond of books that skirt around what they are trying to say, I prefer a straight-out story line. ( )

Written in the first person, this is a (fictitious) biographical account of Eleanor and her unconventional, yet loving family. The reader accompanies her through childhood trauma and friendship until the age of twelve; we then rejoin her at the age of 26, now a rather disillusioned adult.

I was intrigued by the title and had heard lots of good reviews about this book but unfortunately it didn't live up to its expectations, in my opinion. As you can already tell from my synopsis, there isn't really much to say about the plot, mainly because it's such a hotchpotch of separate events that only have Eleanor in common. Some of the things happening to her and her family and friends are (in no particular order): a coach accident that kills her grandparents; her father escaping several bomb attacks; sexual abuse; a football pools win; a kidnap; a prison sentence for murder; cancer; an assault and mugging with resulting amnesia on the day before 9/11 - all a bit far-fetched, don't you think? As the author states in her notes at the end of the book, "had the book's timeframe extended beyond 2001, the atrocity of Bali in 2002, Madrid in 2004 and London in July 2005 would all have been mentioned too". I have no doubt that somehow Eleanor, a friend or a member of her family would all have been caught up in those events as well (rather like Forrest Gump?). The question is, why accumulate such an array of life-changing experiences when one or two would have sufficed and made the novel more credible? It's somehow like the author had lots of ideas to bring to this project, and lots of messages to get across, but didn't know how to tie them all together and so turned the book into a memoir of sorts. Some of the events are described in great detail, others are merely touched upon and then dropped. (Did anyone understand the bit with Jenny Penny pulling a 50-pence piece from the future from inside her arm?) Her prose is quite beautiful at times, and yet she could find no other verbs to replace "said": half a page of alternating "I said", "he/she said" made me want to scream at times. The mystical plot devices (Arthur's "knowledge" of his death, Jenny Penny reading tarot before 9/11, not to mention the rabbit) sit rather awkwardly amongst all the realism the novel is depicting, and I was left quite bewildered and confused, thinking that I'd missed some vital clues. In the end, it left a very unsatisfactory feeling and one of "glad that's over"; pity. ( )

This is a delightfully quirky coming-of-age story about a young girl growing up in the 70's in a slightly off-beat family. Elly grew up protected by her older brother Joe, who became her best friend and confidant over the years. The storyline integrates luck and fate as Elly's best friend, Jenny Penny, tends to predict the future throughout the novel. Though somewhat odd as a family, they are a heartwarming bunch who tend to draw in outsiders, particularly after the family decides to open a bed & breakfast, which draws in a few more quirky characters, who are also endearing and enjoyable. A number of the characters have openly gay relationships with one another and though not erotic, there is a good amount of humor in how the characters interact in their openness towards sexuality.

The second half of the story tightens up the plot as foreshadowing begins to pull the storyline together along several themes. As tragic events unfold, I found myself choked up at several points as I found I had become very attached to the relationships between the characters! Though only her debut novel, this was one of the best books I've read in a while. Highly enjoyable, touching storyline, great characters and a very well put-together plot. I definately look forward to reading another novel from Ms. Winman! ( )

Good read although sometimes I had to re-read a part to understand what was going on. Liked the use of world events to illustrate the effect on every day lives. ( )

Enjoyed this story from star to finish - whilst some readers found the two halves disjointed, I had no problem going with the flow.

Elly's family, and wider circle of characters are unique and often quirky without being over cute. There are a number of narratives, especially loss and reunions, but also whilst the storytelling has a light touch it is played against a background, a constant reminder, of violence. Trehaven, the family home in Penzance is the sanctuary.

Every character has significance and contributes something interesting to the tale, either because of their backstory, or their strengths or frailties. They also provide a mirror and enhance our understanding of the other characters. Even though she narrated the story, I didn't really 'get' Elly until the final 50 or so pages - regardless she is a delightful storyteller.

I loved everyone in this book and so was happy when scenes shifted - a lovely book.

Most memorable line from Elly - 'the need to be remembered is stronger than the need to remember'. ( )

This book has been on my tbr pile since it first came out and I just never felt like reading it however I bought a ticket to go see Sarah Winman at the Edinburgh International Book Festival and I thought I would make the effort and read her book before I went to see her. When I first started When God was a Rabbit I was convinced that this book was not going to be my cup of tea however I found myself pleasantly surprised the further into the book I got.

I found the plot hard to follow in places however this did not put me off this novel and it is one of my favourite books I have read so far this year. I found all the characters to be developed well and they all contributed to the plot of the novel. I found the relationship between the brother and sister to be a bit strange in places and that was not really my cup of tea.

This is an interesting and well thought out debut novel that I loved. I look forward to reading whatever Sarah Winman comes up with next.

This review was first published on http://everybookhasasoul.wordpress.com ( )

I bought this book purely because of the title, and the pretty cover. All it said on the back was that this was a story about a brother and a sister, and about growing up. Not much to go on, but I am glad I did.
The story is told by Elly, a girl growing up in England. She is very attached to her brother Joe, who is five years older than her, and took care of her when their mother was depressed because of the death of her parents. This makes the two of them very close. She has a friend, Jenny Penny, who is growing up with a young single mother, who has many boyfriends, and you just know that a lot is wrong in Jenny Penny's life. When Elly is 9 the family moves, making Elly slowly lose touch with Jenny Penny. The book has a pause, picking up again when Elly and Jenny Penny get re-acquainted. It is the end of the nineties, and Elly and Joe have grown up, but they don't know everything yet.
This is indeed a book about a brother and a sister, and their relationship. But also about how they grow up, and the influence they have on their friends and their friends have on them. It is also about their extended family, about growing older, about accepting death, about being content in your life. It is about finding love, and accepting who you are, and who others are. Quite a lot for a little over 300 pages, but it all fits. I really enjoyed the emotional rollercoaster of this book, to me, it is complete. I loved all the characters, and they seemed real to me, with good and bad sides. Four out of five stars. ( )

It has been a long time since I have read a novel this well written. From the first page to the very end, I was completely riveted by Elly and her story. The acts of violence that she has lived through and the understanding that love, family and friendship are a constant in her life makes her tale worthwhile. ( )

When God Was a Rabbit is mostly a love story. Love between Elly and her brother Joe, Elly and her best friend Jenny, and Elly and Joe's love for their unconventional parents. And although their lives aren't rosy and unsullied, the overall tone of the book is one of sweetness. A great coming of age story with a unique focus on sibling relationships. ( )

A lovely, enjoyable read, despite the story-book ending. ( )

I found the fact that this book was written with a great lack of detail a little frustrating at first. But about half way through the book I really started to enjoy the book and all the pieces came together in the end, even if it was in a happy-made-for-tv-ending way. But a nice switch from some of the other depressing novels I have read. ( )

i really enjoyed this book. It is quirky and the characters are really interesting. There were parts that made me smile and laugh out loud especially at the beginning. I loved the way the author described the wonder and questioning of childhood. Elly was a wonderful character. The friend that she developed in childhood lasts a life time. I think the latter part of the book was not quite so good as the beginning. I liked that the parents were positive and caring. It is a refreshing read. There is also sadness in the book as well.

The themes are of fitting in, coming of age and love and sexuality are all broached in a tender and original way. ( )

This is a real fresco spanning several decades where a young girl turns into a woman. I thoroughly enjoyed the first chapters, full of the wonder and questioning of a young child, eager to understand but at a loss with the subtleties. A friendship that will last throughout the book starts there: imaginative, comical but also sometimes dark as childhood secrets can be. Themes of fitting in, love and sexuality are all broached in a tender and original way.
The second part, I found, became disjointed: the focus shifts from the friendship to the sibling relationship all culminating with the 9-11 attacks foreshadowed by very uncreative imagery. I stopped really caring about the characters at that point: there seems to be an unending chain of events, the narrator hides behind her entourage, there seems to be a parade of people that are tenuously linked... it is very plot driven with none of the humour of the first part, even the imagery of god as a rabbit somewhat goes wayward.
Generally, it is a very pleasant book to read, with a refreshing outlook, but Winman should have concentrated on the childhood years and developing their meaning, instead of embarking in those cumbersome last years. ( )

As the title suggests, there’s more than just a little bit of quirkiness about this story. It’s in the writing style – fluid and lyrical and beautifully descriptive at times, terse and blasting with emotion at others; it’s in the voice of the main character, Elly, as she grows from a child into adulthood. It’s definitely in the plotline – but if you think you can’t stand it any longer (even in the early going), bear with it, and see it through to the end. The story is ultimately very rewarding… and it may even bring a tear or two to your eye.

Please see the rest of my review on my blog, The Door is Ajar, at http://shernor2.wordpress.com/2011/12/16/when-god-was-a-rabbit/

A prime instance of a book whose title and cover are what grab me initially, but luckily, unlike what can sometimes happen, this one didn't let me down. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, who were just eccentric enough to be interesting without being so over the top as to make you want to chuck the book across the room and was happy to follow them on their adventures to the conclusion. Many of my books go straight to the charity shop once read; this was a keeper. ( )