When God Was a Rabbit 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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About this listen

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 tap-dances 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 when a single, earth-shattering event 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, and 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 Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking

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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)
All stars
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You can lose yourself in her stories and feel like you’re there witnessing them unfolding with emotion and connection to the characters.

Deep and unfolding storylines as always to immerse yourself in.

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How the journey of the characters wove to create the story. Especially loved the character portrayal of God The Rabbit!

A journey of characters

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I just loved listening to every second of this book. So beautifully written with simple raw emotion. I was lost to in Ellie’s world. An ordinary story about an unordinary family. So thought provoking. I’ll be thinking about this book for a long time I think.

Amazing author and narrator

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I loved this book got fully immersed by characters all the way through. Really well written and read

Brilliant

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Really enjoy her story telling. Nicely observed across the ages of all her characters. Can be touch and go with actors reading books but as the author she’s brilliant at narrating and makes for a really engaging listen.

Always enjoy her books & story telling

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