Ready to discover another great book for this 2019? Take a look…

Below the Big Blue Sky by Anna McPartlin

Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre
Source: Compulsive Readers
Amazon, Hive

About The Book

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?
Meanwhile, Rabbit’s sister Grace is struggling with the knowledge that she carries the same gene that made her sister ill, and Rabbit’s best friend Marjorie is lost, struggling to remain a part of a family she has always wished was her own now that her link to them is gone.
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.

My Thoughts

This is not an easy read, but beautiful and delicate at the same time, don’t worry if you want to cry, they say it heals your soul!
I think this is a book to help grieving, it doesn’t matter how long it’s been since you lost someone you love, I am sure you remember perfectly the days/weeks after, the pain without tears (or with a lot of tears), the sense of loss and angriness… We all had some grieving in our life and each one of us has their own way to pass it. This is a book to teach us that it doesn’t matter how you cope with grieve, it’s your way, there’s no good or bad way, and it will never be easy, but is your way.
This is the story Rabbit Hayes and how her family copes with grief; when the person that connects all the family dies all of the members feel lost and without a purpose in their life, this is what this story tries to tell us in a special way. I liked how the characters felt so real, some of them more easier to understand than others, sometimes I only wanted to hug them and say that it’s true that time heals everything. There will be moments of sadness and happiness, old memories and new memories, but they will have to take the most difficult step in their life, continue living with Rabbit.
I highly recommend anyone to read this book, it will make you cry (and laugh); and it will make you remember that sometimes the best way to cope with the reality is fiction!
Ready to discover “Below The Big Blue Sky”?

About The Author

I’m an Irish novelist and a TV scriptwriter. Currently with 7 fiction titles available to buy online and one children’s title under the name Bannie McPartlin. As of August 2019 I’ve just finished writing ‘Under The Big Blue Sky,’ the follow up to international best selling title ‘The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes.’ This title will be published by Bonnier Zaffer and will be available UK &I IRE and amazon Summer 2020.
My previous short incarnation as a stand-up comedian left an indelible mark. I’m described by all who know me as a slave to the joke and my work focuses on humour and humanity in even the darkness situations.
So if you’d like to take a trip to the dark side and if you are a fan of big, bold characters check out my titles and I hope you enjoy.