When God Was a Rabbit cover art

When God Was a Rabbit

Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

When God Was a Rabbit

By: Sarah Winman
Narrated by: Sarah Winman
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

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 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 Funny Heartfelt Witty Thought-Provoking

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)

What listeners say about When God Was a Rabbit

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    73
  • 4 Stars
    18
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    77
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    63
  • 4 Stars
    21
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing!

Her audiobooks are incredible I love that she reads them herself and she does such a good job at it!
One of the better reads of mine this year 🌺❤️👍🏼
Story so beautiful and unique and just as special as her other book Still Life

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Amazing debut, clever but confused.

I came to this having read and loved Still Life. You can clearly see the more sophisticated novelist Winman will be in time and I enjoyed this book but it is a little confused. The ending doesn’t seem to connect to the rest of the story but does give the book a dramatic culmination. The growth of Elly from childhood to adulthood is cleverly shown in writing style but it does mean the first have of the book is disjointed. I believe it’s to show a child’s mind.

I don’t think authors should read their own books. Actors are always much better. Winman does an ok job but I did slow it down a bit to have time to process and enjoy the words. Something I’ve never done before.

To conclude, if you’re a fan of Winman definitely read it! It’s a good listen/read but her work gets stronger in her later novels.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Wonderful

I loved this book, my second by Sarah Winman and her narration is perfect! thankyou!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

When a book just resonates…

Quirky and insightful catalogue of growing up. Following the somewhat tormented protagonist’s young life with an eclectic group of endearingly good, intrinsically antisocial or weird and unworthy people’s influence, we gain an insight into the myriad of experiences, relationships, thoughts and behaviours. This is an emotional rollercoaster - of hilariously laughable situation, heartening kindnesses, sour dejection and gut wrenching tragedy. Fabulous narrator performs this fabulous author’s gift of prose. This story will stay with me…

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another brilliant novel from Sarah Winman

Love everything about Sarah Winmans writing - it’s so poetic and lyrical. Didn’t realise that she also narrated the book too which was so perfectly done. Could not recommend this book more highly! Sitting joint first place with Lola in the Mirror for this years favourite reads.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable read

This book has firmly established Sarah Winman as one of my favourite authors. Great read

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great reading and unusual story.

A little too much swearing but I guess you get used to that these days.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Just a great and at times funny story.

Loved it all. That was my second Sarah Winman book and now I will look for another.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

My favourite author by far!

I just love Sarah’s stories and writing style. The tenderness, the rawness, the humour, the sadness, the magic. It has it all. Thank you for this wonderful novel x

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

beautifully written

The insight into 'ordinary' lives, I felt the generosity of spirit and the love in this novel. it felt so honest. I loved the writing. I laughed and I cried - which for me makes it a favourite. 5 stars.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.