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Rabbit Hayes #1
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes
Here is a truth that can't be escaped: for Mia "Rabbit" Hayes, life is coming to an end ...
Mia-"Rabbit"-Hayes knows that life is hard for everyone. And she knows that she's one of the lucky ones. She loves her life, ordinary as it is. And she loves the extraordinary people in it: her spirited daughter, Juliet; her colorful, unruly family; the only man in her big heart, Johnny Faye. Rabbit has big ideas, full of music and love and so much life. She has plans for the world. But the world, it turns out, has other plans for Rabbit: a devastating diagnosis.
Rabbit is feisty. And with every ounce of love and strength in her, she promises that she will overcome. She will fight fight fight. She will be with those who love her for as long as she can, and she will live as long as she can with music and love and so much life. And as her friends and family rally round to celebrate Rabbit's last days, they look to her for strength, support, and her unyielding zest for life. Because she is Rabbit Hayes and she will live until she dies.
Mia-"Rabbit"-Hayes knows that life is hard for everyone. And she knows that she's one of the lucky ones. She loves her life, ordinary as it is. And she loves the extraordinary people in it: her spirited daughter, Juliet; her colorful, unruly family; the only man in her big heart, Johnny Faye. Rabbit has big ideas, full of music and love and so much life. She has plans for the world. But the world, it turns out, has other plans for Rabbit: a devastating diagnosis.
Rabbit is feisty. And with every ounce of love and strength in her, she promises that she will overcome. She will fight fight fight. She will be with those who love her for as long as she can, and she will live as long as she can with music and love and so much life. And as her friends and family rally round to celebrate Rabbit's last days, they look to her for strength, support, and her unyielding zest for life. Because she is Rabbit Hayes and she will live until she dies.
368 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2014
467 people are currently reading
11.8k people want to read
About the author
Anna McPartlin
28books576followersAnna McPartlin is an international best selling author, currently published in 15 languages across 18 countries. Pack Up The Moon and The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes were nominated for Irish book awards. Rabbit Hayes also won a silver readers book award in Germany. In the UK it was a Simon Mayo and Richard and Judy book club pick and in the USA it was a Barnes & Nobel Book of the Month.
In the last few years Anna has been honing her TV scriptwriting skills working on medical drama ‘Holby City� for the BBC (UK), legal drama ‘Striking Out,� for RTE (IRE) and historical adaptation Jesus His Life for History Channel (USA).
Anna was nominated for an Irish Film & Television Academy award for her one off bi-lingual drama ‘School Run,� and is currently in development with Hot Drop Films / Treasure Entertainment and funded by Screen Ireland for the film adaptation of ‘Rabbit Hayes.� She is also in development for a crime series ‘Serious Crimes,� with Blinder Productions (Virgin Media) in IRE. A historical crime drama with Noho Film & TV (UK) and ‘Richter,� an RTE/NZ TV co-production crime drama with Blinder Productions.
Anna’s first children’s book the ‘Fearless Five� came out May 2019. Her next fiction novel ‘Below The Big Blue Sky,� is on shelves in UK and IRE in April 2020 and she is currently working on her ninth commercial fiction title.
Anna started out briefly as an actress and stand-up comedian but although her heart wasn’t in performance, she revels in storytelling and shining a light in dark places. Anna’s USP is in tackling difficult subjects with understanding, empathy and humour that spills onto every page.
In the last few years Anna has been honing her TV scriptwriting skills working on medical drama ‘Holby City� for the BBC (UK), legal drama ‘Striking Out,� for RTE (IRE) and historical adaptation Jesus His Life for History Channel (USA).
Anna was nominated for an Irish Film & Television Academy award for her one off bi-lingual drama ‘School Run,� and is currently in development with Hot Drop Films / Treasure Entertainment and funded by Screen Ireland for the film adaptation of ‘Rabbit Hayes.� She is also in development for a crime series ‘Serious Crimes,� with Blinder Productions (Virgin Media) in IRE. A historical crime drama with Noho Film & TV (UK) and ‘Richter,� an RTE/NZ TV co-production crime drama with Blinder Productions.
Anna’s first children’s book the ‘Fearless Five� came out May 2019. Her next fiction novel ‘Below The Big Blue Sky,� is on shelves in UK and IRE in April 2020 and she is currently working on her ninth commercial fiction title.
Anna started out briefly as an actress and stand-up comedian but although her heart wasn’t in performance, she revels in storytelling and shining a light in dark places. Anna’s USP is in tackling difficult subjects with understanding, empathy and humour that spills onto every page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,559 reviews
March 19, 2022
this is a gorgeously-layered prolonged gaze at a life lived beautifully and the unfairness of its end.
a novel that takes place in a hospice where a young mother spends her last days saying farewell to her family, most notably her twelve-year-old daughter, might sound unremittingly bleak, until you take into account that this is an irish novelist, and if any culture has a tradition of confronting death with a defiant laugh and the strength of family rallying together, well�
this is daring and brave and bittersweet and blistering and nostalgic and all five stages of grieving all at one time. it's a whirlwind of memories and goodbyes and waiting. it's wanting to suck the juice from every remaining moment of a loved one's life but also wanting their suffering to end. it's the secret shame of wanting it to all be over so the living can return to their own lives, put on hold to see their sister, daughter, aunt, friend, through to the end. it's such an honest look at the realities of watching while someone slowly slips away. sometimes it's boring watching someone just sleep in a hospital bed for hours, as horribly selfish as that sounds. but this book is bold enough not to sugarcoat or ennoble the experience of watching someone linger on, in pain and with no hope of recovery. the very natural emotions of grief - all the anger and frustration and helplessness, all the tender memories and regrets and the painfully stubborn hope that refuses to be extinguished by unyielding facts.
it's tough and delicate in tone as it switches between the exhausted clinging of the terminal patient and the agonizing of the family waiting for the end, laughter and tears and memories spent with rabbit in her final days. rabbit's diagnosis seems particularly cruel for a woman who lived as she did - capable and strong from her earliest days, being the rock through the terrible illness of her one great love. rabbit is a woman who abandoned catholicism as a child on the grounds that the old-testament god was "mean," and bought a buddha statue as a teenager because she preferred to look at a fat god laughing than a skinny one dying. to see the life of someone so in love with life cut short is incredibly powerful.
but it's funny, i swear. funny and bighearted.
a lot of the humor comes from molly, the matriarchal center of the family, loved and feared by practically the whole neighborhood. she's a no-nonsense bluster of cursewords and unintentional foot-in-mouth, but she's also a tornado of love and care and strength. yet even she is subject to grief, and unextinguishable hope, as she grasps at last-minute straws, both medical and spiritual, refusing to give up hope for her daughter.
the story is told from the entire family's perspectives, and swings from the past to the present to the concerns of the future. it's early promise cut short and the near-stardom of a rock band, and celebrating all of life, even its end.
not at all my usual fare, but i was completely caught up in it. beautiful heartwaves.
tl;dr: The Commitments with cancer.
a novel that takes place in a hospice where a young mother spends her last days saying farewell to her family, most notably her twelve-year-old daughter, might sound unremittingly bleak, until you take into account that this is an irish novelist, and if any culture has a tradition of confronting death with a defiant laugh and the strength of family rallying together, well�
this is daring and brave and bittersweet and blistering and nostalgic and all five stages of grieving all at one time. it's a whirlwind of memories and goodbyes and waiting. it's wanting to suck the juice from every remaining moment of a loved one's life but also wanting their suffering to end. it's the secret shame of wanting it to all be over so the living can return to their own lives, put on hold to see their sister, daughter, aunt, friend, through to the end. it's such an honest look at the realities of watching while someone slowly slips away. sometimes it's boring watching someone just sleep in a hospital bed for hours, as horribly selfish as that sounds. but this book is bold enough not to sugarcoat or ennoble the experience of watching someone linger on, in pain and with no hope of recovery. the very natural emotions of grief - all the anger and frustration and helplessness, all the tender memories and regrets and the painfully stubborn hope that refuses to be extinguished by unyielding facts.
it's tough and delicate in tone as it switches between the exhausted clinging of the terminal patient and the agonizing of the family waiting for the end, laughter and tears and memories spent with rabbit in her final days. rabbit's diagnosis seems particularly cruel for a woman who lived as she did - capable and strong from her earliest days, being the rock through the terrible illness of her one great love. rabbit is a woman who abandoned catholicism as a child on the grounds that the old-testament god was "mean," and bought a buddha statue as a teenager because she preferred to look at a fat god laughing than a skinny one dying. to see the life of someone so in love with life cut short is incredibly powerful.
but it's funny, i swear. funny and bighearted.
a lot of the humor comes from molly, the matriarchal center of the family, loved and feared by practically the whole neighborhood. she's a no-nonsense bluster of cursewords and unintentional foot-in-mouth, but she's also a tornado of love and care and strength. yet even she is subject to grief, and unextinguishable hope, as she grasps at last-minute straws, both medical and spiritual, refusing to give up hope for her daughter.
the story is told from the entire family's perspectives, and swings from the past to the present to the concerns of the future. it's early promise cut short and the near-stardom of a rock band, and celebrating all of life, even its end.
not at all my usual fare, but i was completely caught up in it. beautiful heartwaves.
tl;dr: The Commitments with cancer.
August 1, 2015
Of course , I knew what this book was about and knew from the first page it would be sad but I didn't know how heartbreakingly good it would be . It's not only about dying. This book is about living and about how much people love each other , about a good family and friends who are like family.
I almost immediately felt as if I knew them . McPartlin gets inside their heads and so perfectly conveys their grief and varying abilities to cope with what is happening to Rabbit and with Rabbit trying to cope with her illness while her only real concern is what will happen to her 12 year old daughter, Juliet . But the problem is they all want to take Juliet and a decision has to be made .
Rabbit's siblings are devastated and her parent will do anything to save her , grasping on the slightest hope . There was not one character in this book that I didn't love in spite of their flaws . No one is perfect here but what is perfect is how they care about each other . I've read my share of dysfunctional family sagas where the family comes together around a dying family member . This was not one of them. This Irish family was already together and while flawed , not dysfunctional in my view . They are funny and crude and real and they are heartbroken .
Through the stupor of her drug induced sleep we see in Rabbit's dreams flashbacks to her teenage age years and we meet Johnny , the love of her life , the singer in the band her brother belonged to . We also see this family through the years and recognize that these people, ordinary as they may seem in their daily lives are extraordinary.
There's not much more to say really, other than I highly recommend it . Meeting these characters is worth all of the sadness you will feel over Rabbit, and for them .
Thanks to Anna McPartlin for the experience of reading this story . Sad as it was, it was a beautiful story . Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGally.
September 25, 2018
� If you get there before I do, don't give up on me
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see
And between now and then, 'til I see you again
I'll be loving you
Love, me�
-- Love, Me, Colin Raye, Songwriters: Max Troy Barnes / Donald R Ewing
Mia ‘Rabbit� Hayes has just turned 40, and her family consists of her parents Jack and Molly, a brother and sister, Davey and Grace, and most importantly, her 12-year-old daughter Juliet, as well as (if not technically) including her best friend Marjorie. Rabbit has cancer, and is nearing the end of her days, although no one wants to believe this, including Rabbit.
This story begins as she enters into hospice care, determined to leave this place and return home to Juliet. She isn’t ready to begin thinking about decisions that must be made, and soon. It doesn’t help that her family is not united in any of these decisions, Rabbit is not even remotely interested in any religious-based discussions, wants no priestly blessings, and her mother fiercely disagrees. Rabbit needs to make arrangements for her daughter, who will her daughter live with after she is gone? Certainly not Juliet’s father.
This story is told over the course of nine days from Rabbit’s point of view, as well as her family members, her daughter and her best friend. As Rabbit drifts in and out of consciousness, aided by medications to ease her pain, she travels back and forth through time, and we see her life through the years, her journey for too short a time. In these moments, she can visit her one love, Johnny, the love of her life, but it seems as though it was only for a moment in time in real life.
And in the background, the family shows their grief each in their own way, still determined not to let her leave them, fighting over little things, trying to hold onto these moments together.
As they begin to face the inevitable, that losing the one that holds them all together can change the way they view life, the way they will live their lives, they begin to see the possibilities for the future.
I loved this family, loved their banter, their familial obnoxiousness, the teasing, the love they had for each other underneath all the brashness. Loved the setting of Dublin, and just being immersed in this loud, Irish family, each grieving in their own way, each of their heartbreaks broke my heart, in turn.
Many thanks to all of my friends on goodreads who read this and whose reviews convinced me to read this!
I'll meet you when my chores are through
I don't know how long I'll be
But I'm not gonna let you down, darling wait and see
And between now and then, 'til I see you again
I'll be loving you
Love, me�
-- Love, Me, Colin Raye, Songwriters: Max Troy Barnes / Donald R Ewing
Mia ‘Rabbit� Hayes has just turned 40, and her family consists of her parents Jack and Molly, a brother and sister, Davey and Grace, and most importantly, her 12-year-old daughter Juliet, as well as (if not technically) including her best friend Marjorie. Rabbit has cancer, and is nearing the end of her days, although no one wants to believe this, including Rabbit.
This story begins as she enters into hospice care, determined to leave this place and return home to Juliet. She isn’t ready to begin thinking about decisions that must be made, and soon. It doesn’t help that her family is not united in any of these decisions, Rabbit is not even remotely interested in any religious-based discussions, wants no priestly blessings, and her mother fiercely disagrees. Rabbit needs to make arrangements for her daughter, who will her daughter live with after she is gone? Certainly not Juliet’s father.
This story is told over the course of nine days from Rabbit’s point of view, as well as her family members, her daughter and her best friend. As Rabbit drifts in and out of consciousness, aided by medications to ease her pain, she travels back and forth through time, and we see her life through the years, her journey for too short a time. In these moments, she can visit her one love, Johnny, the love of her life, but it seems as though it was only for a moment in time in real life.
And in the background, the family shows their grief each in their own way, still determined not to let her leave them, fighting over little things, trying to hold onto these moments together.
As they begin to face the inevitable, that losing the one that holds them all together can change the way they view life, the way they will live their lives, they begin to see the possibilities for the future.
I loved this family, loved their banter, their familial obnoxiousness, the teasing, the love they had for each other underneath all the brashness. Loved the setting of Dublin, and just being immersed in this loud, Irish family, each grieving in their own way, each of their heartbreaks broke my heart, in turn.
Many thanks to all of my friends on goodreads who read this and whose reviews convinced me to read this!
November 27, 2022
3.5 Stars
Thank you GR Friend Tania for reviewing “The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes�. This was a heart-wrenching, laugh-out-loud funny story about a happy gregarious Irish family as they face the ultimate sadness: a death of one of their clan.
Rabbit is a 40-year-old single mother who unfortunately is losing her battle with metastatic breast cancer. Rabbit has always lived on her own terms, with her own rules. She thought she had it licked, and then it came back. While Rabbit deals with this gracefully, her family deals with her decline in their own different ways.
What I enjoyed about this story was that author Anna McPartlin did a character study of differing reactions to handling the death of a loved one. She broke up the story by the days Rabbit is in hospice, beginning with the day that her physician decides it’s time to move her into Hospice care.
Her father, Jack, feels this move is premature. In fact, he comes close to accusing his wife Molly of giving up on Rabbit’s health. Meanwhile, Molly is devotedly catholic (Rabbit is a lifelong atheist). Molly wants her beautiful daughter to be blessed by a priest (Rabbit is adamantly against any sort of religious sendoff). Her older sister Grace has three wonderfully funny sons who add a needed humor to the story. Grace’s husband Lenny finds the reckoning difficult. The young sons feel their life is on hold until Rabbit dies although they love her dearly. Her older brother Davy, who lives in the United States and is a professional musician. He wants to help by taking responsibility for Rabbit’s daughter, Juliet. Juliet is twelve, and everyone is keeping her mother’s ultimate demise from her. In fact, the move to Hospice was just a move to make it more comfortable for Rabbit. Juliet has not been told of the seriousness of her mother’s health. It is Rabbit who wants to withhold the information, trying to allow Juliet to have just a few more days of innocence.
As the story progresses, we get flashbacks of teenage Rabbit and her first and only love, Johnny. In the backstory, we get a glance at Rabbit’s fortitude, even as a youngster. Johnny was the lead singer in a band that included Davy on the drums. Rabbit worked as the unpaid sound person as a teen. Even in her younger years, she was resolute in her feelings for Johnny and her ideas of how she plans to live her life.
Between the flashbacks, we get the final days of Rabbit Hayes. Molly, her mother, barely leaves her side. Her nephews come by with bursts of energy providing comic relief. But the main topic of conversation is who will take Juliette. As imagined, everyone wants her.
This is a story about a loving a beautiful family who works through trauma with humor and love. Even Rabbit’s wake, done with Irish jesting, is a show of grace under pressure.
I enjoyed this story of a family who works through one of the most difficult times in their lives. The characters are realistically portrayed, and it is easy to get caught up in the story. I recommend this for those who enjoy domestic dramas showcasing the strength of family bonds.
Thank you GR Friend Tania for reviewing “The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes�. This was a heart-wrenching, laugh-out-loud funny story about a happy gregarious Irish family as they face the ultimate sadness: a death of one of their clan.
Rabbit is a 40-year-old single mother who unfortunately is losing her battle with metastatic breast cancer. Rabbit has always lived on her own terms, with her own rules. She thought she had it licked, and then it came back. While Rabbit deals with this gracefully, her family deals with her decline in their own different ways.
What I enjoyed about this story was that author Anna McPartlin did a character study of differing reactions to handling the death of a loved one. She broke up the story by the days Rabbit is in hospice, beginning with the day that her physician decides it’s time to move her into Hospice care.
Her father, Jack, feels this move is premature. In fact, he comes close to accusing his wife Molly of giving up on Rabbit’s health. Meanwhile, Molly is devotedly catholic (Rabbit is a lifelong atheist). Molly wants her beautiful daughter to be blessed by a priest (Rabbit is adamantly against any sort of religious sendoff). Her older sister Grace has three wonderfully funny sons who add a needed humor to the story. Grace’s husband Lenny finds the reckoning difficult. The young sons feel their life is on hold until Rabbit dies although they love her dearly. Her older brother Davy, who lives in the United States and is a professional musician. He wants to help by taking responsibility for Rabbit’s daughter, Juliet. Juliet is twelve, and everyone is keeping her mother’s ultimate demise from her. In fact, the move to Hospice was just a move to make it more comfortable for Rabbit. Juliet has not been told of the seriousness of her mother’s health. It is Rabbit who wants to withhold the information, trying to allow Juliet to have just a few more days of innocence.
As the story progresses, we get flashbacks of teenage Rabbit and her first and only love, Johnny. In the backstory, we get a glance at Rabbit’s fortitude, even as a youngster. Johnny was the lead singer in a band that included Davy on the drums. Rabbit worked as the unpaid sound person as a teen. Even in her younger years, she was resolute in her feelings for Johnny and her ideas of how she plans to live her life.
Between the flashbacks, we get the final days of Rabbit Hayes. Molly, her mother, barely leaves her side. Her nephews come by with bursts of energy providing comic relief. But the main topic of conversation is who will take Juliette. As imagined, everyone wants her.
This is a story about a loving a beautiful family who works through trauma with humor and love. Even Rabbit’s wake, done with Irish jesting, is a show of grace under pressure.
I enjoyed this story of a family who works through one of the most difficult times in their lives. The characters are realistically portrayed, and it is easy to get caught up in the story. I recommend this for those who enjoy domestic dramas showcasing the strength of family bonds.
March 26, 2023
Mia "Rabbit" Hayes ist 42 Jahre alt, hat eine 12-jährige Tochter und wird bald sterben. Sie hat Krebs im Endstadium. Mias Eltern bringen sie ins Hospiz. Die 12-jährige Juliet weiß noch nicht, wie schlimm es um ihre Mutter steht, doch die Zeit drängt. Wer sagt dem Mädchen die Wahrheit?
💛💛💛💛
Mein Leseeindruck:
Die Geschichte von Mia ist sehr traurig, sehr bewegend und berührend, lässt sich aber trotz des ernsten Themas sehr flüssig und auch leicht lesen. Es gibt immer wieder Rückblenden auf Mias Kindheit und Jugendzeit. Dabei steht Mia gar nicht unbedingt im Vordergrund der Geschichte, obwohl es natürlich immer um ihren nahenden Tod geht. Doch Mias Familienangehörige und Freunde spielen auch eine große und wichtige Rolle in dem Buch. Jeder geht mit Mias Krankheit und baldigem Tod anders um, und dann ist da immer noch Mias Tochter Juliet, der man bald die Wahrheit sagen muss.
Die Geschichte geht sehr ans Herz, und ich hatte schon damit gerechnet, viele Taschentücher zu benötigen. Das war aber gar nicht der Fall, nur am Ende hatte ich dann doch ein paar Tränen in den Augen. Die Geschichte lässt sich sehr angenehm lesen.
Negativ aufgefallen ist mir allerdings, dass für meinen Geschmack viel zu oft Ausdrücke wie "Leck mich" oder "Scheiße" in dem Buch vorkommen. Das fand ich unpassend und hat mir nicht gefallen.
Davon abgesehen, kann ich aber durchaus eine Leseempfehlung aussprechen. Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen; ich habe es gerne gelesen.
💛💛💛💛
Mein Leseeindruck:
Die Geschichte von Mia ist sehr traurig, sehr bewegend und berührend, lässt sich aber trotz des ernsten Themas sehr flüssig und auch leicht lesen. Es gibt immer wieder Rückblenden auf Mias Kindheit und Jugendzeit. Dabei steht Mia gar nicht unbedingt im Vordergrund der Geschichte, obwohl es natürlich immer um ihren nahenden Tod geht. Doch Mias Familienangehörige und Freunde spielen auch eine große und wichtige Rolle in dem Buch. Jeder geht mit Mias Krankheit und baldigem Tod anders um, und dann ist da immer noch Mias Tochter Juliet, der man bald die Wahrheit sagen muss.
Die Geschichte geht sehr ans Herz, und ich hatte schon damit gerechnet, viele Taschentücher zu benötigen. Das war aber gar nicht der Fall, nur am Ende hatte ich dann doch ein paar Tränen in den Augen. Die Geschichte lässt sich sehr angenehm lesen.
Negativ aufgefallen ist mir allerdings, dass für meinen Geschmack viel zu oft Ausdrücke wie "Leck mich" oder "Scheiße" in dem Buch vorkommen. Das fand ich unpassend und hat mir nicht gefallen.
Davon abgesehen, kann ich aber durchaus eine Leseempfehlung aussprechen. Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen; ich habe es gerne gelesen.
July 23, 2015
"She wasn't angry or even that frustrated. She wasn't scared or worried. She wasn't bitter
or vengeful. She was just sad to leave the people she loved most, especially her
daughter. She had fought for so long, but finally she knew that she couldn't go on."
Rabbit was dying of Cancer.
Looking Back:
Marjorie was Rabbit's best friend since they had been kids.
"Marjorie was very well cared for but there was no warmth in her house. Rabbit's world
was so much brighter, grubbier, and real. In Rabbit's house, nobody had to take an aspirin and go to bed if Rabbit spilled something on her dress. In Rabbit's house there were hugs
and laughter, and it didn't matter what you wore, what you did or what state you turned up in:
nothing was a problem, everything was solvable."
"Rabbit had a very glamorous life, as far as the young Marjorie was concerned. She had a cool older sister and brother, and the fact that Davey was in a band with other cool boys was a bonus."
Present Days:
The 'Hayes' family 'is' a damn cool family. They've always embraced their friends as part of their family.
Their family strength and love is contagious. Friends have gone to bat for them - and vice-versa.
Molly & Jack ( Rabbit's parents), Grace, & Davey, (Rabbit's sister & brother), Juliet, ( Rabbit's 12 year old daughter), Stephen, Bernard, Ryan, & Jeffrey ( Grace & husband-Lenny's, 4 children), Marjorie, (Rabbit's best friend), and Johnny ( ROCK STAR...LOVE of Rabbit's life since she was 12 years old), .... are each character's every reader will fall in love with.
We know from the start that a family member is dying ... ( Rabbit leaves behind people that
love her and a daughter that needs her)!
Yet... This is an inspiring story about a spirited family. We can learn from them - be encouraged by them...as we laugh and cry.
Ordinary normal days such as highlights for Molly's hair with the Russian hairdresser, .. or Davey reading the newspaper...can make you smile in this novel. Ordinary days feel like extraordinary days.
Looking Back... *Or*.... maybe 'back is the present':
"No matter what happens I'm going to live like I'm not dying because today I'm not.
Today I'm here and floors need vacuuming, clothes need sorting and my little girls homework needs looking at."
This story taking place in Dublin, adding a great 'flair' ... The Irish dialogue is natural,
charming....and heartwarming.
The writing is flawless.
I read this in one sitting... minus a few tea, bathroom, & crying breaks.
These characters are alive in my memory ( book-character- friends)
Thank You to VERY MUCH to St. Martin's Publishing, Netgalley, and Anna McPartlin. So thrilled and honored I read this. I really loved it! I can't imagine any decent human being
not feeling a little 'goo-goo' over the magic of what this book does.
or vengeful. She was just sad to leave the people she loved most, especially her
daughter. She had fought for so long, but finally she knew that she couldn't go on."
Rabbit was dying of Cancer.
Looking Back:
Marjorie was Rabbit's best friend since they had been kids.
"Marjorie was very well cared for but there was no warmth in her house. Rabbit's world
was so much brighter, grubbier, and real. In Rabbit's house, nobody had to take an aspirin and go to bed if Rabbit spilled something on her dress. In Rabbit's house there were hugs
and laughter, and it didn't matter what you wore, what you did or what state you turned up in:
nothing was a problem, everything was solvable."
"Rabbit had a very glamorous life, as far as the young Marjorie was concerned. She had a cool older sister and brother, and the fact that Davey was in a band with other cool boys was a bonus."
Present Days:
The 'Hayes' family 'is' a damn cool family. They've always embraced their friends as part of their family.
Their family strength and love is contagious. Friends have gone to bat for them - and vice-versa.
Molly & Jack ( Rabbit's parents), Grace, & Davey, (Rabbit's sister & brother), Juliet, ( Rabbit's 12 year old daughter), Stephen, Bernard, Ryan, & Jeffrey ( Grace & husband-Lenny's, 4 children), Marjorie, (Rabbit's best friend), and Johnny ( ROCK STAR...LOVE of Rabbit's life since she was 12 years old), .... are each character's every reader will fall in love with.
We know from the start that a family member is dying ... ( Rabbit leaves behind people that
love her and a daughter that needs her)!
Yet... This is an inspiring story about a spirited family. We can learn from them - be encouraged by them...as we laugh and cry.
Ordinary normal days such as highlights for Molly's hair with the Russian hairdresser, .. or Davey reading the newspaper...can make you smile in this novel. Ordinary days feel like extraordinary days.
Looking Back... *Or*.... maybe 'back is the present':
"No matter what happens I'm going to live like I'm not dying because today I'm not.
Today I'm here and floors need vacuuming, clothes need sorting and my little girls homework needs looking at."
This story taking place in Dublin, adding a great 'flair' ... The Irish dialogue is natural,
charming....and heartwarming.
The writing is flawless.
I read this in one sitting... minus a few tea, bathroom, & crying breaks.
These characters are alive in my memory ( book-character- friends)
Thank You to VERY MUCH to St. Martin's Publishing, Netgalley, and Anna McPartlin. So thrilled and honored I read this. I really loved it! I can't imagine any decent human being
not feeling a little 'goo-goo' over the magic of what this book does.
June 26, 2015
The subject of this novel is without doubt a sad one. But, it is much, much more. Not many novels can have you crying on one page and laughing on the next. Also the characters in this novel are wonderful, funny, flawed, trying to figure out who will take Rabbit's twelve yr, old daughter Juliet.
When Rabbit gives in to her strong pain killers and falls asleep, she dreams of her past. Her brother David, the boy she has loved since she was twelve, Johnny and the band. So it is also a beautiful love story and believe me it is not a mushy love story.
So yes it is sad but amazing nonetheless. It is all the things a life is, lived well, surrounded by so much love. I could have kept reading, loved her dreams and already miss all the characters. Read it and see.
When Rabbit gives in to her strong pain killers and falls asleep, she dreams of her past. Her brother David, the boy she has loved since she was twelve, Johnny and the band. So it is also a beautiful love story and believe me it is not a mushy love story.
So yes it is sad but amazing nonetheless. It is all the things a life is, lived well, surrounded by so much love. I could have kept reading, loved her dreams and already miss all the characters. Read it and see.
March 21, 2016
Bittersweet and touching tale of the last days in the life of a young mother dying of cancer. I know this sounds like a downer of a story and depressing as hell, but it's actually a warm and ultimately uplifting family drama with a cast of strong and memorable characters.
Mia "Rabbit" Hayes' story is told from her own point of view as well as those of her best friend, her twelve-year-old daughter, and family members. The story starts with Rabbit's entry into a hospice facility. In the days that follow, as Rabbit declines and drifts in and out of consciousness, she reflects on her life's journey and the great love she has never forgotten. Around her, her family struggles to comes to terms with her impending death and how best to prepare and care for Rabbit's daughter, Juliet.
I loved Rabbit's big, loud, lovable Irish family and all of their outsized personalities. Touches of humor keep this book from being maudlin (the author is actually a former stand-up comic), and I didn't feel that my emotions were being manipulated. I think if you liked "Me Before You" or Kelly Corrigan's "The Middle Place," you would enjoy this book. I especially loved the last two pages.
Recommend, but if you are very tenderhearted, better have the tissues at hand!
Mia "Rabbit" Hayes' story is told from her own point of view as well as those of her best friend, her twelve-year-old daughter, and family members. The story starts with Rabbit's entry into a hospice facility. In the days that follow, as Rabbit declines and drifts in and out of consciousness, she reflects on her life's journey and the great love she has never forgotten. Around her, her family struggles to comes to terms with her impending death and how best to prepare and care for Rabbit's daughter, Juliet.
I loved Rabbit's big, loud, lovable Irish family and all of their outsized personalities. Touches of humor keep this book from being maudlin (the author is actually a former stand-up comic), and I didn't feel that my emotions were being manipulated. I think if you liked "Me Before You" or Kelly Corrigan's "The Middle Place," you would enjoy this book. I especially loved the last two pages.
Recommend, but if you are very tenderhearted, better have the tissues at hand!
August 10, 2015
Oh boy........This novel has a double whammy, but I like the way Anna McPartlin tells a story.
The reader knows going in, from the book synopsis, that sadness and death is coming, but there is more than one interesting tale to tell during the last 9 days of Rabbit Hayes' life.
Despite being told with a bit of laughter and a ton of love, this is a tough read, (especially if you've lived it), but has an uplifting end to life I pray to be true.
April 21, 2017
Anna McPartlin werd geboren in Dublin, Ierland in 1972. Als tiener is ze opgegroeid bij haar oom en tante in Kenmare, County Kerry. Ze studeerde marketing voordat ze ging werken als stand-up comedian. Inmiddels heeft ze een succesvolle carrière als auteur opgebouwd en schrijft naast romans ook scenario's voor film en televisie. Haar eerste boek kwam uit in 2006 Pack up the Moon, een roman. De negen dagen van Rabbit Hayes kwam in 2014 uit.
Het boek gaat over een waarheid waar niemand om heen kan: het leven kun je niet sturen. Rabbit Hayes houdt van haar gewone leven en van alle buitengewone mensen om zich heen. Ze is gek op haar dochter, Juliet. Op haar kleurrijke, chaotische familie. En op de enige man in haar hart: Johnny Faye. Maar het lijkt erop dat de wereld een andere plannen heeft gemaakt voor Rabbit. En daar heeft ze vrede mee. Want zij heeft haar eigen plannen - en nog een paar dagen de tijd om ze werkelijkheid te laten worden. Een waarheid om te onthouden: dit is een verhaal waarin wordt gelachen om de verrassingen van het leven. Een verhaal over het vinden van plezier in elk moment. Een verhaal over een vrouw met terminale borstkanker, die delen van haar jeugd herbeleeft. Voor liefhebbers van Jojo Moyes voor jou.
Het boek vertelt in negen dagen het leven van Rabbit Hayes. Dus het is onderverdeeld in dag 1,dag 2 enz. Ik heb tijdens het lezen soms geglimlacht, maar aan het einde heb ik echt heel hard gehuild. Het leest vlot weg. Je moet wel van dit soort boeken houden, maar als dat zo is is het echt een aanrader!
Het boek gaat over een waarheid waar niemand om heen kan: het leven kun je niet sturen. Rabbit Hayes houdt van haar gewone leven en van alle buitengewone mensen om zich heen. Ze is gek op haar dochter, Juliet. Op haar kleurrijke, chaotische familie. En op de enige man in haar hart: Johnny Faye. Maar het lijkt erop dat de wereld een andere plannen heeft gemaakt voor Rabbit. En daar heeft ze vrede mee. Want zij heeft haar eigen plannen - en nog een paar dagen de tijd om ze werkelijkheid te laten worden. Een waarheid om te onthouden: dit is een verhaal waarin wordt gelachen om de verrassingen van het leven. Een verhaal over het vinden van plezier in elk moment. Een verhaal over een vrouw met terminale borstkanker, die delen van haar jeugd herbeleeft. Voor liefhebbers van Jojo Moyes voor jou.
Het boek vertelt in negen dagen het leven van Rabbit Hayes. Dus het is onderverdeeld in dag 1,dag 2 enz. Ik heb tijdens het lezen soms geglimlacht, maar aan het einde heb ik echt heel hard gehuild. Het leest vlot weg. Je moet wel van dit soort boeken houden, maar als dat zo is is het echt een aanrader!
June 14, 2015
This book is so so sad. If you're going to read it, you need to be armed with a tissue box and a place to read where you feel comfortable crying. You also have to be in the right head space. The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is exactly what the title says it is. "Rabbit" is 40 years old, is the single mother of a 12 year old daughter, and has parents and and a brother and sister who adore her. And she is in a hospice in the last few days of life dying of cancer. Despite this bleak and sad premise, I was gripped by this emotionally wrenching book. It is set in contemporary Ireland and McPartlin does an excellent job of depicting this family and their raw emotions. There is plenty of anger, despair, denial, misguided hope, hopelessness, humour, swearing, regret, resigned acceptance and love -- in no particular order. And there were plenty of flashbacks to earlier times to give context and relieve the rawness of Rabbit's dying days. If you've ever had the misfortune of watching someone die, it's an emotional roller coaster. For some this book might be too painful; for others it will be cathartic. Because despite all the sadness there's an important forward looking message embedded in this book -- it's the job of those who live on to keep on loving and living. The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is beautiful, sad and straightforward. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.
September 7, 2015
There's a fine line between stories that are sad and stories that are emotionally manipulative. You can deal with sad events in a thoughtful way, or you can just shove them in an audience's face and tell them how sad it is. I tend to really hate when stories fall into that second category, because it just feels so...lowest common denominator. I don't want to be hit over the head with how sad something is. If I'm going to feel sad, I want it to be because I've come to genuinely care about the characters so much that I hate what happens to them. I want the book to reflect sad events in a realistic way and to ask honest questions about the sad events.
I picked this book up from the library because it came highly recommended by a couple review outlets that I respect, but I was more than a little worried because the plot description did seem to scream EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION AHEAD.
The title pretty much says it all: this is a book about the last days of Mia "Rabbit" Hayes' life. She's a fortysomething woman in Ireland whose breast cancer has metastasized to her bones and, as the book opens, Rabbit is being moved into a hospice to prepare for the end. Over the course of the book, we are introduced to her parents, brother, sister, nephews, twelve-year-old daughter Juliet, best friend, and -- in a series of flashbacks -- the young man who had been the love of her life.
McPartlin presents characters that represent just about every facet of grief that you can imagine. You've got the mother who wants to find more options and the father who can't say the words out loud. You've got the brother who ran away to America and wants to take the opportunity to become a stand-up guy. You've got the sister who's got everything under control, but only on the surface. You've got the young girl who's forced to deal with things way beyond her age, who doesn't really grasp everything that's going on, but who forges on with grace and innocence in tact. But somehow, none of the characters really felt like cliches to me; they felt fully dimensional and whole. They each explored questions that tugged at my heartstrings without being too cloying.
There's a lot of different kinds of emotions happening here. There's wanting to celebrate and create positive memories in the little time you have left. There's wanting to be angry and understand why. There's nostalgia and wishing things had happened just a bit differently. There's uncertainty about whether you're doing the right thing now and planning for the future in the right way. McPartlin's captured it all, and it's all so very honest and thoughtful.
I lost my own mother when I was fourteen. It was kind of the exact opposite of the situation that Juliet's found herself in -- my mother passed away suddenly, with practically no warning -- but Juliet's story hit me so very hard. I've often experienced a lot of anger over the fact that my mother was taken away from me so quickly with no chance to say goodbye, at a time I needed her the most. I spent a lot of time thinking about all the things that Juliet would need a mom for -- like when she gets her first period and it's up to a pharmacy employee and her best friend over the phone to tell her what to do. It reminded me of all the times I needed a mom and no one else would do. Juliet is surrounded by people who desperately want to minimize the impact that this loss is going to have on her life, and it forced me to think about the size of the impact the loss had on my life. It just all rang very true to me, and I just wanted to reach into the book and hug the poor girl.
McPartlin manages to balance out what could easily become oppressively sad with a lot of hopefulness and humor. Rabbit Hayes somehow manages to see the best in even the shittiest of situations, and the book takes the time to fully explore some of the most integral parts of her youth. Though the flashbacks are bittersweet in their own way, they add so much depth to the story and to Rabbit's character.
This book is going to break you heart, but if you're anything like me, you'll be grateful that it did. It's really quite lovely.
I picked this book up from the library because it came highly recommended by a couple review outlets that I respect, but I was more than a little worried because the plot description did seem to scream EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION AHEAD.
The title pretty much says it all: this is a book about the last days of Mia "Rabbit" Hayes' life. She's a fortysomething woman in Ireland whose breast cancer has metastasized to her bones and, as the book opens, Rabbit is being moved into a hospice to prepare for the end. Over the course of the book, we are introduced to her parents, brother, sister, nephews, twelve-year-old daughter Juliet, best friend, and -- in a series of flashbacks -- the young man who had been the love of her life.
McPartlin presents characters that represent just about every facet of grief that you can imagine. You've got the mother who wants to find more options and the father who can't say the words out loud. You've got the brother who ran away to America and wants to take the opportunity to become a stand-up guy. You've got the sister who's got everything under control, but only on the surface. You've got the young girl who's forced to deal with things way beyond her age, who doesn't really grasp everything that's going on, but who forges on with grace and innocence in tact. But somehow, none of the characters really felt like cliches to me; they felt fully dimensional and whole. They each explored questions that tugged at my heartstrings without being too cloying.
There's a lot of different kinds of emotions happening here. There's wanting to celebrate and create positive memories in the little time you have left. There's wanting to be angry and understand why. There's nostalgia and wishing things had happened just a bit differently. There's uncertainty about whether you're doing the right thing now and planning for the future in the right way. McPartlin's captured it all, and it's all so very honest and thoughtful.
I lost my own mother when I was fourteen. It was kind of the exact opposite of the situation that Juliet's found herself in -- my mother passed away suddenly, with practically no warning -- but Juliet's story hit me so very hard. I've often experienced a lot of anger over the fact that my mother was taken away from me so quickly with no chance to say goodbye, at a time I needed her the most. I spent a lot of time thinking about all the things that Juliet would need a mom for -- like when she gets her first period and it's up to a pharmacy employee and her best friend over the phone to tell her what to do. It reminded me of all the times I needed a mom and no one else would do. Juliet is surrounded by people who desperately want to minimize the impact that this loss is going to have on her life, and it forced me to think about the size of the impact the loss had on my life. It just all rang very true to me, and I just wanted to reach into the book and hug the poor girl.
McPartlin manages to balance out what could easily become oppressively sad with a lot of hopefulness and humor. Rabbit Hayes somehow manages to see the best in even the shittiest of situations, and the book takes the time to fully explore some of the most integral parts of her youth. Though the flashbacks are bittersweet in their own way, they add so much depth to the story and to Rabbit's character.
This book is going to break you heart, but if you're anything like me, you'll be grateful that it did. It's really quite lovely.
January 8, 2020
Rabbit Hayes se está muriendo. Le quedan unos días de vida y tiene que decir adiós a quien más quiere: a sus padres, sus hermanos, sus sobrinos, su mejor amiga... y su hija. Y ellos tienen que decirle adiós a ella, aunque no tienen ni idea de cómo hacerlo. Ni de cómo van a sobrevivir a su ausencia.
La premisa de esta novela no puede ser más dramática, pero lo que la hace verdaderamente especial es el tono en el que está escrita, divertido por momentos, intenso en otros, lleno de realidad, vida y empatía. Cada personaje tiene sus matices, buenos y malos, y la relación de cada uno de ellos con Rabbit teje una trama imposible de olvidar. Para mí, con diferencia, el libro más bonito que he leído en mucho tiempo. De esas lecturas que te enseñan algo, que se quedan contigo para siempre.
La premisa de esta novela no puede ser más dramática, pero lo que la hace verdaderamente especial es el tono en el que está escrita, divertido por momentos, intenso en otros, lleno de realidad, vida y empatía. Cada personaje tiene sus matices, buenos y malos, y la relación de cada uno de ellos con Rabbit teje una trama imposible de olvidar. Para mí, con diferencia, el libro más bonito que he leído en mucho tiempo. De esas lecturas que te enseñan algo, que se quedan contigo para siempre.
August 12, 2015
Loved this book! Had me laughing and tearing up throughout. Loved the family and friends of Rabbit. Great read... I highly recommend!!
December 23, 2014
Simultaneously heartbreaking and uplifting, wildly funny and emotionally devastating, The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is a superb novel from Anna McPartlin.
Forty year old, single mother Mia 'Rabbit' Hayes has bravely fought the ravages of cancer for four years, but now she and her family are forced to face the truth...she has just days left to live. As Rabbit drifts in and out of consciousness in her hospice bed, recalling the most important moments of her youth, her family and friends struggle to accept their impending loss.
A story of heartbreak, joy, love and loss, a novel with heart and soul... I was smiling broadly through it all, despite the tears running down my face.
December 19, 2024
Heart-warming, sweet, touching book. Get your tissues!!
April 22, 2015
Oh my goodness, what can I say? This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's filled with such warmth, love, joy and sadness in equal measure. It's a wonderful story about Rabbit Hayes, who has breast cancer, and her loving, raucous, funny family. It warms the heart & is lovely to read especially if you've experienced cancer in your own family.
It reminded me very much of my family when my father was facing his own battle with cancer.
It's definitely a must read & I'll be recommending it to my family & friends.
It reminded me very much of my family when my father was facing his own battle with cancer.
It's definitely a must read & I'll be recommending it to my family & friends.
July 2, 2015
3.5* but just not 4*
"It was a bright April day and forty-year-old Mia ‘Rabbit� Hayes, beloved daughter of Molly and Jack, sister of Grace and Davey, mother of twelve-year-old Juliet, best friend to Marjorie Shaw and the one true love of Johnny Faye’s life, was on her way to a hospice to die."
I have put a spoiler tag on this short piece but really, the fact the Rabbit Hayes is going to die is the underlying premise of this book. There are no surprises about this, the quote above appears on page 1. (Be warned, tho, that the quotations may contain swearing.)
Nevertheless, this book is different from other books with a similar premise.
Whilst reading this I was strongly reminded of Penelope Lively's Moon Tiger in which the MC is dying from cancer and recollects her life whilst waning in and out of consciousness and morphine-induced hallucinations.
Rabbit Hayes also remembers her own story but this in not the main story. Unlike Lively's main character, Rabbit Hayes has not lived a remarkable life. Rabbit is an everyday woman. What the book is driven by instead are the reactions of her nearest and dearest to the inevitable event of Rabbit's death. Each of them going through different stages of grief and realisation.
"When she was a teenager she’d bought a red clay Buddha in a charity shop, and when her mother asked her why she wanted it, she told her she preferred to look at a fat god laughing rather than a skinny one dying. Rabbit never needed to believe in any god to marvel at the world, to feel joy, hope, love and contentment. Rabbit lived in the moment. She didn’t know what came next, nor did she care. It was likely that death meant a full stop and that didn’t scare her. In fact, when she thought about it, the notion of eternity was far more worrying."
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes was not an easy read as it expressly describes living with cancer and also MS. However, the writing style was refreshingly light and, well, just - Irish. It reminded me a lot of Mrs Browns Boys. If you haven't seen the show, check them out.
On the same note of combining comedy and serious context, The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes could come across as a bit cheesy and over-evocative - but never for long.
"Her mother’s curses upset many, but not her. She found them entertaining, familiar and comforting. Ma was kind, generous, fun, playful, wise, strong and formidable. She’d take a bullet to protect an innocent, and nobody, not the tallest, strongest or bravest, messed with Molly Hayes. She didn’t suffer fools gladly and she didn’t give a toss about pleasing people. You either liked Molly Hayes or you fucked off."
"It was a bright April day and forty-year-old Mia ‘Rabbit� Hayes, beloved daughter of Molly and Jack, sister of Grace and Davey, mother of twelve-year-old Juliet, best friend to Marjorie Shaw and the one true love of Johnny Faye’s life, was on her way to a hospice to die."
I have put a spoiler tag on this short piece but really, the fact the Rabbit Hayes is going to die is the underlying premise of this book. There are no surprises about this, the quote above appears on page 1. (Be warned, tho, that the quotations may contain swearing.)
Nevertheless, this book is different from other books with a similar premise.
Whilst reading this I was strongly reminded of Penelope Lively's Moon Tiger in which the MC is dying from cancer and recollects her life whilst waning in and out of consciousness and morphine-induced hallucinations.
Rabbit Hayes also remembers her own story but this in not the main story. Unlike Lively's main character, Rabbit Hayes has not lived a remarkable life. Rabbit is an everyday woman. What the book is driven by instead are the reactions of her nearest and dearest to the inevitable event of Rabbit's death. Each of them going through different stages of grief and realisation.
"When she was a teenager she’d bought a red clay Buddha in a charity shop, and when her mother asked her why she wanted it, she told her she preferred to look at a fat god laughing rather than a skinny one dying. Rabbit never needed to believe in any god to marvel at the world, to feel joy, hope, love and contentment. Rabbit lived in the moment. She didn’t know what came next, nor did she care. It was likely that death meant a full stop and that didn’t scare her. In fact, when she thought about it, the notion of eternity was far more worrying."
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes was not an easy read as it expressly describes living with cancer and also MS. However, the writing style was refreshingly light and, well, just - Irish. It reminded me a lot of Mrs Browns Boys. If you haven't seen the show, check them out.
On the same note of combining comedy and serious context, The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes could come across as a bit cheesy and over-evocative - but never for long.
"Her mother’s curses upset many, but not her. She found them entertaining, familiar and comforting. Ma was kind, generous, fun, playful, wise, strong and formidable. She’d take a bullet to protect an innocent, and nobody, not the tallest, strongest or bravest, messed with Molly Hayes. She didn’t suffer fools gladly and she didn’t give a toss about pleasing people. You either liked Molly Hayes or you fucked off."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 5, 2020
30 March 2016 I don't think anything I write here will do this book justice so all I will say is it is the most moving and charming and exquisite book full of heartbreaking yet wonderfully funny characters and I know that this book will stay with me for a very long time.
Update: 5th August 2020
I never ever ever re-read books, but when I saw that Anna McPartlin had written a sequel to The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes I knew I had to read it again even though I knew I would cry.
The second time around for me didn't disappoint, in fact it was a different experience altogether - a deeper connection to the characters and because I knew how emotional the book was I was able to appreciate each and everyone in the story.
This wonderful, quirky Irish family comprising of a super-strong Ma, an emotional and affectionate Pa, Grace and Davey, Rabbit's adored siblings and, of course, 12 year old Juliet - part-time carer, full-time devoted daughter are spending the final days of Rabbit's life coming to terms with her imminent death and remembering the past 40 years with love and humour.
This story is so painful to read, each family member or friend's feelings are so raw and heartfelt that it's impossible not to cry at the unfairness of the situation and simultaneously smile at the humour, love and warmth.
I am so pleased I revisited the Hayes family and now feel ready to see what paths their lives have taken in the sequel Below the Big Blue Sky.
#RememberRabbitHayes
Update: 5th August 2020
I never ever ever re-read books, but when I saw that Anna McPartlin had written a sequel to The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes I knew I had to read it again even though I knew I would cry.
The second time around for me didn't disappoint, in fact it was a different experience altogether - a deeper connection to the characters and because I knew how emotional the book was I was able to appreciate each and everyone in the story.
This wonderful, quirky Irish family comprising of a super-strong Ma, an emotional and affectionate Pa, Grace and Davey, Rabbit's adored siblings and, of course, 12 year old Juliet - part-time carer, full-time devoted daughter are spending the final days of Rabbit's life coming to terms with her imminent death and remembering the past 40 years with love and humour.
This story is so painful to read, each family member or friend's feelings are so raw and heartfelt that it's impossible not to cry at the unfairness of the situation and simultaneously smile at the humour, love and warmth.
I am so pleased I revisited the Hayes family and now feel ready to see what paths their lives have taken in the sequel Below the Big Blue Sky.
#RememberRabbitHayes
March 14, 2019
5/5 stars
I absolutely loved this one
I absolutely loved this one
May 13, 2015
I made the mistake of reading this book after reading 'Nora Webster' by Colm Toibin. I wanted to love this book, the first few pages made me cry and I warmed to the characters straight away. That all changed after the first few pages and I ended up skim reading this book. The characters were caricatures much in the way that the characters Mrs Brown's Boys on TV are. They were similarly ridiculous in their speech and over the top in their actions. The story line was good. Who doesn't want to have their heart wrenched by a tale of a plucky dying woman and all her colourful family who are trying to come to terms with losing their much loved daughter, sister and mother? But oh dear, the prose was truly awful, so many unnecessary chunks of dialogue, so many cliches and so dull and the story quickly descended into mawkish, saccharine sentimentality albeit punctuated with some fabulous swearing. I felt so frustrated by the rambling speeches which went nowhere. Did we really need a full paragraph on just passing around a plate of biscuits? I felt my brain cells dying with each chapter and only really hung in there because of a mild curiosity in just how would look after Rabbit's daughter after her demise.
October 5, 2014
Very real and confronting, but also insightful.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for this copy.
Almost reads like a memoir.
Filled to the brim with both sadness and laughter, this story takes us on a journey of a very different kind as we walk in the shoes of Rabbit Hayes after she is diagnosed with Breast Cancer. We see life through her eyes.
Meeting her family and friends along the way, we follow Rabbit's fascinating life journey via her Blog, and learn about her progress from early teens through adulthood with all the fun and games and heartache inherent of that life phase.
Through her interactions with her family, friends, and especially her adored12 year old daughter, we share their highs and lows and laugh and cry in equal measure at the daily events as well as their combined reminiscences.
This book has many laugh out loud moments as well as many sad ones, and should not be overlooked because of its overriding theme.
This is, after all, a journey through a terminal illness...however, much can be learned from the interactions of the people involved, as well as the treatments and care practices.
4ȴ
August 17, 2016
3 1/2 stars
For the longest time I walked circles around this book. After all it deals with the last days of a cancer patient. I was worried that it would remind me too much of my own parents struggle with thisfucked up disease.
I was right�.. but I was also wrong.
Yes, there were moments that hit very close to home. Those brought tears to my eyes. But there was also a lot of humor and the celebration of a life lived well, which made me keep on reading.
All the stages of grief are shown in such a touching way through Rabbit’s family & friends while the reader learns about Rabbit’s life through flash backs.
Losing someone you love is heartbreaking. Watching them deteriorate and feeling helpless to do anything is the worst feeling in the world. Had it not been for the humor this could so easily have been a much harder read.
All the characters were well rounded and beautifully flawed - I wanted to give all of them a great big hug.
So get your tissues out, take the phone off the hook and laugh & cry till you see the snot fly �
For the longest time I walked circles around this book. After all it deals with the last days of a cancer patient. I was worried that it would remind me too much of my own parents struggle with this
I was right�.. but I was also wrong.
Yes, there were moments that hit very close to home. Those brought tears to my eyes. But there was also a lot of humor and the celebration of a life lived well, which made me keep on reading.
All the stages of grief are shown in such a touching way through Rabbit’s family & friends while the reader learns about Rabbit’s life through flash backs.
Losing someone you love is heartbreaking. Watching them deteriorate and feeling helpless to do anything is the worst feeling in the world. Had it not been for the humor this could so easily have been a much harder read.
All the characters were well rounded and beautifully flawed - I wanted to give all of them a great big hug.
So get your tissues out, take the phone off the hook and laugh & cry till you see the snot fly �
January 27, 2022
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. An easy-reading, heartbreaking, laugh out loud story. I adored the characters especially Molly - but even the minor characters were so vividly described. Although very funny at times, it deals with very sad and difficult situations. I loved how the author used dreams to tell the backstory. If you enjoy Marian Keyes, then this is for you.
The Story: Rabbit Hayes is quickly losing the fight with cancer. Originating in her breast, it has now spread to her bones, leaving her completely incapacitated. Despite being trapped in a hospice, Rabbit is grateful for so much. She has a beautiful daughter, Juliet, wonderful siblings, strong parents, supportive friends and then there’s the love of her life, Johnny Faye. How will they come to terms with the death of their beloved Rabbit and, more importantly, how will she ever be able to say goodbye?
The Story: Rabbit Hayes is quickly losing the fight with cancer. Originating in her breast, it has now spread to her bones, leaving her completely incapacitated. Despite being trapped in a hospice, Rabbit is grateful for so much. She has a beautiful daughter, Juliet, wonderful siblings, strong parents, supportive friends and then there’s the love of her life, Johnny Faye. How will they come to terms with the death of their beloved Rabbit and, more importantly, how will she ever be able to say goodbye?
February 25, 2016
De negen dagen van Rabbit Hayes is een traag boek waarbij je van in het begin weet hoe het gaat eindigen. Een vrouw ligt op haar sterfbed. Wat meer kan je verwachten van zo'n boek? Vreemd genoeg zit er humor in, zitten er kleurrijke personages in, zit er een romance in,... Het is een mengeling van de geschiedenis van één familie, van hoe alle leden van die familie hun eigen weg bewandelden en toch op dit ene cruciale moment samen komen als een hechte familie. Traag, maar mooi.
En de persoon die niet weent op het einde van dit boek, die letterlijk geen enkele traan laat rollen, die heeft geen hart. Laat staan een ziel. Moest je dus ooit willen checken of je baas, je schoonmoeder of je leerkracht wiskunde écht een psychopaat is, dan kan dit boek een mooie test vormen.
En de persoon die niet weent op het einde van dit boek, die letterlijk geen enkele traan laat rollen, die heeft geen hart. Laat staan een ziel. Moest je dus ooit willen checken of je baas, je schoonmoeder of je leerkracht wiskunde écht een psychopaat is, dan kan dit boek een mooie test vormen.
January 21, 2018
Cualquier otr@ autor@ hubiera convertido esta historia en un drama de A3 de sábado por la tarde (no, no es un cumplido). Pero Anna McPartlin ha creado una historia preciosa, emotiva, con esos diminutos toques de humor donde toca, con unos personajes adorables y "queribles" desde el minuto uno.
No es una historia fácil, ¿cómo va a serlo con esa sinopsis, con todas esas premisas? Pero es la vida. Y prefiero que me duela a que me deje indiferente. Prefiero arriesgar a dejarla pasar. Son estas las novelas que permanecen. El resto... es puro entretenimiento.
Nota mental: Nueva autora irlandesa a la que seguir la pista.
No es una historia fácil, ¿cómo va a serlo con esa sinopsis, con todas esas premisas? Pero es la vida. Y prefiero que me duela a que me deje indiferente. Prefiero arriesgar a dejarla pasar. Son estas las novelas que permanecen. El resto... es puro entretenimiento.
Nota mental: Nueva autora irlandesa a la que seguir la pista.
July 16, 2019
Tan dolorosa como necesaria. Sabes desde la sinopsis que Rabbit se está muriendo pero eso no te prepara para la cantidad de lágrimas que derramas desde la primera página. Emocionante por cómo afronta cada miembro de su familia la próxima pérdida, la gran complicidad entre la familia Hayes y los toques de humor que se entremezclan en todo el libro te hacen sonreir e incluso soltar una carcajada en medio de la situación más dramática del mundo.
August 10, 2014
WOW!
My View:
WOW!!! A fantastic read that connects to the very heart and soul of the reader. I am grateful, I am grateful.
For a work of fiction this had the voice of realism and heroism that transcends the subject matter- cancer and dying. And what a fantastic narrative voice � I cried big fat silent tears from the very first to the very last page � don’t get me wrong this is a not a saccharine sweet, over dramatized, over the top, excessively pessimistic story � this is a heart breaking, honest look at love, life, cancer and a family that holds your head above the waves and stops you from drowning�.
I loved every soaking wet page of this novel. I loved all the characters in the novel with its dialogue so real and so crazy and funny, the connections that death could not break and the family that comes together and holds together when crisis sets in. This is a remarkable read, I don’t think a book has affected me like this since�.I don’t think one ever has. As I read this book I chant in my head “I am grateful. I am grateful. For every day I am grateful.�
Do yourself a favour,read this book.
My View:
WOW!!! A fantastic read that connects to the very heart and soul of the reader. I am grateful, I am grateful.
For a work of fiction this had the voice of realism and heroism that transcends the subject matter- cancer and dying. And what a fantastic narrative voice � I cried big fat silent tears from the very first to the very last page � don’t get me wrong this is a not a saccharine sweet, over dramatized, over the top, excessively pessimistic story � this is a heart breaking, honest look at love, life, cancer and a family that holds your head above the waves and stops you from drowning�.
I loved every soaking wet page of this novel. I loved all the characters in the novel with its dialogue so real and so crazy and funny, the connections that death could not break and the family that comes together and holds together when crisis sets in. This is a remarkable read, I don’t think a book has affected me like this since�.I don’t think one ever has. As I read this book I chant in my head “I am grateful. I am grateful. For every day I am grateful.�
Do yourself a favour,read this book.
August 15, 2015
The warm Irish Hayes family are rallying around Mia Hayes, nicknamed Rabbit, during her final days fighting breast cancer. Although there are heartbreaking moments, there are also times when the three generations of Hayes sit with Rabbit remembering humorous times from the past. It's a bit of an Irish wake while she's still living. There are also tough decisions to make since Rabbit is a single mother to twelve-year-old Juliet (whose father is out of the picture). There are some sweet moments as her uncle offers emotional support to Juliet. When Rabbit feels foggy and dreamy on her pain meds, she is transported back to a teenage romance with the love of her life, a man who also died young. One can only hope there's an afterlife so those two lovers can be reunited.
The author's background as a stand-up comedian served her well in inventing this humorous, caring family. Anna McPartlin will have you laughing one minute, then blinking away the tears during the next. This was an especially touching book that celebrated the life of Rabbit Hayes all the way to the end.
The author's background as a stand-up comedian served her well in inventing this humorous, caring family. Anna McPartlin will have you laughing one minute, then blinking away the tears during the next. This was an especially touching book that celebrated the life of Rabbit Hayes all the way to the end.
July 6, 2019
An emotional, funny book about the all-to-real fact of life that we all must pass on at some point in our lives, some sooner than others. Although this book has plenty of illness in it, it also has plenty of good times and hope. Not only for the future of our loved ones, but what may come for us on the other side. I loved the characters and their conversations. I laughed at times, I cried at times. Illness touches this book throughout, but that's real life. I'm so thankful for my health!
And thankful to St. Martin's press for a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
It was as though she was disappearing right in front of his eyes and he was wondering how he would navigate the new reality without his wife.
'Define alone,' Davey asked.
'Not accountable.'
'How are you?' Grace said.
'Blown away.'
'I'm talking about your fanny.'
'Ma says it's a car crash down there.'
(childbirth)
If "If" were a donkey we'd all have a ride.
And thankful to St. Martin's press for a free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.
It was as though she was disappearing right in front of his eyes and he was wondering how he would navigate the new reality without his wife.
'Define alone,' Davey asked.
'Not accountable.'
'How are you?' Grace said.
'Blown away.'
'I'm talking about your fanny.'
'Ma says it's a car crash down there.'
(childbirth)
If "If" were a donkey we'd all have a ride.
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