Below the Big Blue Sky: A heartbreaking, heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel for fans of Jojo Moyes
Jul 2020 · Bonnier Zaffre Ltd.
5.0star
2 reviewsreport
Ebook
496
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About this ebook
'Brilliant, funny and immensely moving'
Catherine Isaac, author of You, Me, Everything
'Well, that was a tearjerker! Anna McPartlin's Below the Big Blue Sky is a MORE than worthy follow-up to The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes'
Marian Keyes
***
There's no family quite like the Hayes, and yet they're just like any other - they love each other, they look out for each other and they drive each other mad. When their youngest, Rabbit, dies tragically at just forty, the Hayes are almost torn apart by their grief.
Without her beloved mum, twelve-year-old Bunny is adrift; without Rabbit, there can be no Bunny. Her Granny is concerned when Bunny insists on being called by her real name, Juliet. Even surrounded by the noise and chaos of the Hayes, Juliet feels lost and alone.
Meanwhile, Rabbit's sister Grace has something else on her mind. She's got the gene that made her sister ill, and she hasn't told anyone yet. All she can think about are the things she's always wanted to do, like fly a plane or climb a mountain, or watch her four children grow up. She doesn't know how to share the news that may break her family, but she knows she needs their support, now more than ever.
Despite squabbling over what Rabbit will wear at the wake and their dad burying himself in the past with his diaries, the Hayes family know there's only one way they'll get through this: together.
This huge-hearted novel is about grief, family, the messiness of life and finding humour in the most unexpected of places. Below the Big Blue Sky will make you laugh, cry and fill you with joy.
Look out for Anna McPartlin's new novel Waiting for the Miracle.
***What readers have been saying about Below the Big Blue Sky***
'Equally heartbreaking and hilarious'
'You will laugh, you will cry and you will laugh while crying'
'A real, raw, beautiful depiction of life, love and loss'
'The story has us laughing, crying and on the edge of our seats'
'A beautiful story, beautifully written'
'You'll howl laughing and bawl crying, even on the same page'
'A truly wonderful read'
'It is OK to laugh while grieving'
'Fantastically funny and heartbreaking in equal measure'
'Big-hearted, amusing, compassionate, emotional'
'#RememberRabbitHayes'
'Moving, heartbreaking and funny'
'I love, love, love the Hayes family'
'Desperately sad, hilariously funny and incredibly moving all at the same time'
Catherine Isaac, author of You, Me, Everything
'Well, that was a tearjerker! Anna McPartlin's Below the Big Blue Sky is a MORE than worthy follow-up to The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes'
Marian Keyes
***
There's no family quite like the Hayes, and yet they're just like any other - they love each other, they look out for each other and they drive each other mad. When their youngest, Rabbit, dies tragically at just forty, the Hayes are almost torn apart by their grief.
Without her beloved mum, twelve-year-old Bunny is adrift; without Rabbit, there can be no Bunny. Her Granny is concerned when Bunny insists on being called by her real name, Juliet. Even surrounded by the noise and chaos of the Hayes, Juliet feels lost and alone.
Meanwhile, Rabbit's sister Grace has something else on her mind. She's got the gene that made her sister ill, and she hasn't told anyone yet. All she can think about are the things she's always wanted to do, like fly a plane or climb a mountain, or watch her four children grow up. She doesn't know how to share the news that may break her family, but she knows she needs their support, now more than ever.
Despite squabbling over what Rabbit will wear at the wake and their dad burying himself in the past with his diaries, the Hayes family know there's only one way they'll get through this: together.
This huge-hearted novel is about grief, family, the messiness of life and finding humour in the most unexpected of places. Below the Big Blue Sky will make you laugh, cry and fill you with joy.
Look out for Anna McPartlin's new novel Waiting for the Miracle.
***What readers have been saying about Below the Big Blue Sky***
'Equally heartbreaking and hilarious'
'You will laugh, you will cry and you will laugh while crying'
'A real, raw, beautiful depiction of life, love and loss'
'The story has us laughing, crying and on the edge of our seats'
'A beautiful story, beautifully written'
'You'll howl laughing and bawl crying, even on the same page'
'A truly wonderful read'
'It is OK to laugh while grieving'
'Fantastically funny and heartbreaking in equal measure'
'Big-hearted, amusing, compassionate, emotional'
'#RememberRabbitHayes'
'Moving, heartbreaking and funny'
'I love, love, love the Hayes family'
'Desperately sad, hilariously funny and incredibly moving all at the same time'
Ratings and reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Claire McPartlin
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April 18, 2020
I was so excited when I saw this book as I'd read 'The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes' a few years ago and it was so funny, emotional and heartbreaking, but definitely one of those books that just stays with you forever, so I had high hopes for this sequel. This book begins where the last book finished, so with the death of Rabbit Hayes from cancer, and follows the life of her family and friends for the following two years. The characters are the same from the previous book, but they are slowly learning how to move on with their lives, some more easily than others. I really liked the way the book was set over the two years and not rushed, as it took time for them all to process how they were feeling and get over their grief, Rabbit's parents, Molly and Jack, especially. They each dealt with their grief in their own way, Molly by renouncing her faith and protesting against everything, mainly the water rates in Ireland, and ending up in prison for a few days by telling the judge what she thought of him(!), and Jack by hiding in the attic and re-reading old diaries. They really drifted apart for a while, but everyone in the Hayes family had such a strong bond you knew it would all work out in the end. Grace (Rabbit's sister) had health issues of her own to work out, and Marjorie's (Rabbit's best friend) life changed completely over the two years. Davey (Rabbit's brother) became guardian for Juliet (Rabbit's daughter) and they struggled initially, but again worked through everything. Whilst this book was both funny and sad, there were a lot more issues to sort out in this one than the previous book, so it was a lot more emotional than even the first book with Rabbit dying from cancer, and you felt very sad for so many of the characters. Luckily though there were the lighter moments to balance things out. The previous book was my favourite, and one I'll always remember, but this was also an excellent read. I just love the Hayes family and all their friends!
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Anna McPartlin is a novelist and scriptwriter from Dublin, who has written for TV serial dramas featured on BBC UK, RTE Ireland and A&E America. She has been writing adult fiction for over ten years, and also writes for children under the name Bannie McPartlin. She lives with her husband Donal and their four dogs.
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