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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is a deeply moving novel that captures the beauty and heartbreak of family, love, and loss. Anna McPartlin manages to take the heaviest of subjects—terminal illness and saying goodbye—and weave them into a story that is equal parts devastating and uplifting.
Rabbit Hayes is a character you can’t help but fall in love with: witty, brave, and fiercely devoted to her daughter. Through her, McPartlin shows how humor and love can soften even the hardest goodbyes. The supporting cast—her loud, loyal Irish family—bring warmth and laughter to balance the tears. The shifting perspectives let us see not just Rabbit’s journey, but how each loved one grapples with grief in their own way.
Rabbit Hayes is a character you can’t help but fall in love with: witty, brave, and fiercely devoted to her daughter. Through her, McPartlin shows how humor and love can soften even the hardest goodbyes. The supporting cast—her loud, loyal Irish family—bring warmth and laughter to balance the tears. The shifting perspectives let us see not just Rabbit’s journey, but how each loved one grapples with grief in their own way.
At times, the book leans heavily into sentimentality, and some might find the flashbacks a little drawn out. But overall, the emotional depth and honesty more than make up for it. McPartlin writes with tenderness and a keen eye for life’s bittersweet truths.
This is not an easy read, but it is a rewarding one. It will make you cry, it will make you laugh, and it will remind you of the power of love and family to carry us through the darkest of times.
A beautiful, heartbreaking, and surprisingly life-affirming novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Death of parent
This book really got me, once I actually had time to sit down and start reading it, I couldn't stop! Looking forward to reading other books by this author.
I'm sure this is a beautiful book and meaningful story.
Emotionally it was too much for me.
Maybe another time.
Emotionally it was too much for me.
Maybe another time.
medium-paced
Fatshaming et bodyshaming inutile à l'histoire du début à la fin
Zéro crédible au niveau médical
Juste weird et crissement maladroit parfois que ça en est malaisant...
J'avais hâte que le personnage principal meurt pour que le livre puisse finir. La fin est quand même émouvante.
Zéro crédible au niveau médical
Juste weird et crissement maladroit parfois que ça en est malaisant...
J'avais hâte que le personnage principal meurt pour que le livre puisse finir. La fin est quand même émouvante.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Terminal illness, Medical content, Death of parent
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Grief, Gaslighting
Just before the start of the story, the books begins with a dozen wonderful reviews, almost entirely from women, followed by sending two kisses (xx) to her readers...! From this I think I had a fair idea of her target audience and I don't reckon I quite fall into that demographic...
Dublin is in my blood and the subject matter of the story is very close to my heart; I was really hoping to enjoy and be moved by this book, but unfortunately I have to be honest, I think this book is aimed squarely at a female audience, but I think that may be only part of the problem.
The start of the book is I assume, meant to clarify who is who, and what their relationship is to the main character of Rabbit. But with five members of a band involved in the back-story, the parents, the siblings, the siblings' partners, the friends, the friends' partners and the method of placing the myriad characters' stories within their own little sub-chapters just felt disorganized and really quite confusing.
But, after battling through these initial irritations I eventually fell into the story and did in fact enjoy parts of it. In particular Rabbit's blog charting her treatment, the most genuine part of the book, of which there just was not enough. Had more of the book consisted of this I would have enjoyed it so much more.
Although portions of the dialogue feel very real, much of it is real in the sense of consisting of rambling conversations and pages of unfocused thoughts most of which we don't really need to share in. However, the black humour throughout the book has a very realistic feel; this is the way we deal with each other, particularly in tough situations.
As for the characters, a number of them are well described and believable, but in general the book is inhabited more by stereotypes than characters that allow real engagement. A prime example is that of Rabbit's mother (Mrs Hayes), the only voice I can hear when reading her portions of dialogue is Mrs Brown (from Da Movie...)! Also, not everyone from Dublin uses profanities quite so freely as the characters in the book.
This review does sound quite negative, but I was genuinely moved at times, but with a sincere and sensitively portrayed story of the impending death of a young woman preparing to leave her daughter without a parent, who could fail but to be moved.
Most importantly, it is a rare book that tackles this subject with such a direct and honest approach and for that alone the author has to be applauded. But the will to produce a story dealing with such an important theme does not of itself make the book important.
Dublin is in my blood and the subject matter of the story is very close to my heart; I was really hoping to enjoy and be moved by this book, but unfortunately I have to be honest, I think this book is aimed squarely at a female audience, but I think that may be only part of the problem.
The start of the book is I assume, meant to clarify who is who, and what their relationship is to the main character of Rabbit. But with five members of a band involved in the back-story, the parents, the siblings, the siblings' partners, the friends, the friends' partners and the method of placing the myriad characters' stories within their own little sub-chapters just felt disorganized and really quite confusing.
But, after battling through these initial irritations I eventually fell into the story and did in fact enjoy parts of it. In particular Rabbit's blog charting her treatment, the most genuine part of the book, of which there just was not enough. Had more of the book consisted of this I would have enjoyed it so much more.
Although portions of the dialogue feel very real, much of it is real in the sense of consisting of rambling conversations and pages of unfocused thoughts most of which we don't really need to share in. However, the black humour throughout the book has a very realistic feel; this is the way we deal with each other, particularly in tough situations.
As for the characters, a number of them are well described and believable, but in general the book is inhabited more by stereotypes than characters that allow real engagement. A prime example is that of Rabbit's mother (Mrs Hayes), the only voice I can hear when reading her portions of dialogue is Mrs Brown (from Da Movie...)! Also, not everyone from Dublin uses profanities quite so freely as the characters in the book.
This review does sound quite negative, but I was genuinely moved at times, but with a sincere and sensitively portrayed story of the impending death of a young woman preparing to leave her daughter without a parent, who could fail but to be moved.
Most importantly, it is a rare book that tackles this subject with such a direct and honest approach and for that alone the author has to be applauded. But the will to produce a story dealing with such an important theme does not of itself make the book important.
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.
This was just not believable / relatable. Telling a sad story does not automatically make for a good book. I thought it was too cheesy and too long, and not very well written.
emotional
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No