When God Was a Rabbit Audiobook By Sarah Winman cover art

When God Was a Rabbit

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When God Was a Rabbit

By: Sarah Winman
Narrated by: Sarah Winman
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Young Elly's world is shaped by those who inhabit it: her loving but maddeningly distractible parents; a best friend who smells of chips and knows exotic words like 'slag'; an ageing fop who tapdances his way into her home, a Shirley Bassey impersonator who trails close behind; lastly, of course, a rabbit called God. In a childhood peppered with moments both ordinary and extraordinary, Elly's one constant is her brother Joe.

Twenty years on, Elly and Joe are fully grown and as close as they ever were. Until, that is, one bright morning and a single earth-shattering event that threatens to destroy their bond for ever.

Spanning four decades and moving between suburban Essex, the wild coast of Cornwall and the streets of New York, this is a story about childhood, eccentricity, the darker side of love and sex, the pull and power of family ties, loss and life. More than anything, it's a story about love in all its forms.

©2011 Sarah Winman (P)2011 Headline Publishing Group Ltd Family Life Fiction Friendship Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt

Critic reviews

"Author/narrator Winman pulls listeners in with her beautiful prose and vivid descriptions.... Thoughtful, unexpectedly funny, and ultimately compelling." (AudioFile)

'Thronging with incident and wonder.' (The Guardian)

'Beguiling... You can't get the voice out of your head.' (Daily Mail)
Lovable Characters • Rich Story • Beautiful Writing • Heartfelt Tale • Captivating Performance • Engaging Storytelling
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Each character is unique and as the story continues it’s easy to feel you know them

Excellent!

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The story was was so rich, the characters so lovable and complex, the written word beautiful.

The characters in this book were so beautifully portrayed, I felt that I knew them all.

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I loved this book! I can’t wait to listen to it again. I bought two more books by the same author.

Family

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When God was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman exceeded my expectations overall. This book is so realistic, clever, funny, sad and moving! The situations, characters, and relationships are both extraordinary and mundane.

The style of writing is beautiful and also restrained in the best way. Many writers who employ flowery descriptions show a lack of restraint. That is not the case here. Elements of fantasy and magical realism are blended and woven together in an expertly crafted, believable tale.

The rich descriptions draw the reader in and we experience all of the events as though we were active participants. The only reason that this book did not receive 5 stars from me was because of the rather abrupt and somewhat disappointing ending. However, Sarah Winman’s talent both as a writer and as a narrator is to be respected and enjoyed.

I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction, and especially fans of richly detailed writing that contains a big range of emotions from funny to grief stricken and everything in between. I would not recommend this book to folks who are offended by depictions of graphic sexual situations. Trigger warning also for readers who have experienced trauma and sexual trauma specifically.

It is very rare for an author to do a great job with the narration. Sarah Winman is an accomplished actor if this performance is any indication. In addition to being a great writer, Sarah Winman’s narration performance was almost as strong as her excellent writing.

Ordinary, Magical Adventures

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I enjoyed the history of Still Life and enjoyed the more contemporary history of When god was a rabbit.

Even better

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I love all of Sarah Winman’s books. She writes with such beautiful, thoughtful and poetic prose. This is a story of friendship and family. Highly recommend

Beautiful story with a heartbeat

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Poignant and comical but most of all empowering. Each character is beautifully flawed and irascible but no one walks away.

How happy families can be weird too

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I fell in love with this book on so many levels. The reader pulled me in from the start. The story was so layered and complex and mostly I am in awe of the author’s beautiful descriptions that made me see and feel every detail.

Luscious writing.

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I absolutely love Sarah Winman’s work both as a writer and as a narrator,

Her ability to write characters always leaves me open and vulnerable to learning their story. Ms. Winman writes about difficult topics with a truth, a gentle beauty, and an uncomplicated reality that allows you to hear what is happening but not dwell on upon it. In turn, your journey with the characters can move along too.

The themes she weaves throughout her books also allow many ‘ahh’ moments when you realise why a previous thought or sentence was hung on to. Lots of key moments, lots of resolution.

Another great book and Audible listen! Well done.

Another “Winman” Hit

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I can't do justice to the extraordinary way that Winman uses words to weave magic which entrance and capture her readers. Suffice to say, her writing is extraordinary, immersing you in a swirling flight of imagination, transporting you on an emotional journey that is gentle. painful, sweet, complex, simple and always exquisitely beautiful. The end always comes too soon.

On the wings of words

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