Welcome to my stop on the blog tour to celebrate Anna McPartlin's Below the Big Blue Sky,which was published by Zaffre on 23rd July.
How do you pick up the pieces when the person that held them
together is gone?
When forty-year-old Rabbit Hayes dies, she leaves behind a
family broken by grief. Her mother Molly is distraught and in danger of losing
her faith. Her father Jack spends hour upon hour in the family attic, poring
over his old diaries, losing himself in the past.
Rabbit's brother Davey finds himself suddenly guardian to
her twelve-year-old daughter Juliet. Juliet might be able to fill a hole in
Davey's heart - but how can he help Juliet through her grief when he can barely
cope with his own?
But even though the Hayes family are all fighting their own
battles, they are drawn together by their love for Rabbit, and their love for each
other. In the years that follow her death they find new ways to celebrate and
remember her, to find humour and hope in the face of tragedy, and to live life
to its fullest, as Rabbit would have wanted.
From the bestselling author of The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes
comes a huge-hearted novel about death, family and finding laughter in the most
unexpected of places. Below a Big Blue Sky will make you laugh, cry and shout
with joy.
My Thoughts
This is a book which will truly make you laugh and make you cry. Actually, it made me cry by the second page and at several other points throughout the story but that doesn't matter, as the overall tone of the book is so inclusive and caring. It follows on from The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes but can absolutely be read as a standalone. The Hayes family leap off the page at you, they are all so beautifully described. You see them in the years following Rabbit's death and the profound effect it has on each of their lives.
Molly, the matriarch, has to be my favourite character. She is feisty and down to earth but, as you discover, nursing some heartbreaking feelings. Each family member finds their own way to come to terms with the loss of Rabbit. Her Dad, Jack, disappears into the attic to dwell on his thoughts alone. Grace, her sister, has her own terrible reckoning. Yet what carries them all through is their fundamental love for each other. Thsi is a story which makes you think of your own life. Throughout the story, you hear Rabbit. Sometimes, it will feel like she is speaking to you!
In short: Life affirming
About the Author
International bestselling author Anna has been writing
heart-breaking yet uproariously uplifting novels since 2006.
In recent years she has turned her attention to
scriptwriting for TV serial dramas featured on BBC UK, RTE Ireland and A&E
America.
Anna’s first children’s book and a labour of love ‘Fearless
Five,’ is due to be published by Bonnier Zaffre in May 2019.
Anna describes herself as a feeder and a lazy workaholic.
She’s happily married to a very loud musician named Donal and is mammy to four
spoiled and flatulent dogs.
You can follow Anna here: Website | Twitter
Book link: Amazon UK
Thanks to Anna McPartlin, Bonnier Zaffre and Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Reads for a copy of the book and a place on the tour.
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