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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed the book a great deal. It was very evocative of time and place and it worked in all the right ways, but... I felt there was something missing from it. It seemed to me there were aspects of the protagonists character that were missing, or not quite right.
I'm sure it's just my reading and, if I read it again I probably wouldn't feel that, but that's why three stars instead of two.
I'm sure it's just my reading and, if I read it again I probably wouldn't feel that, but that's why three stars instead of two.
While an interesting and thought provoking story, I found that the narrative, which jumped around from the different plot threads and different points in time was distracting. As well, while the story is really seen through the eyes of a man remembering his voyage at the age of eleven, there would be events included that had nothing to do with his actions and that he could not possibly know, which really took away some of the plausibility of the narrative.
It's a relatively short read, and one I'm sure fans of literary fiction will enjoy, but I know it is one book I won't be reading again.
At 91 pages I gave up. How can one go through 25% of a book and provide no discernible hook? Just a bunch of minor characters coming and going and no compelling plot. Maybe it starts on page 92, but I've got other things to do. I have loved a number of Ondaatje's books, but in this even his prose couldn't keep me going. The writing wasn't bad but was under par for this author. Maybe it's one of those self-indulgent this-happened-to-me-and-now-that-I'm-famous-I'm-free-to-bore-my-readers-with-it books.
Hey, great cover, though.
Hey, great cover, though.
This book was incredibly well written and I really enjoyed all of the characters. Clearly Ondaatje is a talented writer.
This was a coming of age tale and there was really no much of a plot; the reason for only three stars. I personally would have like to have had the ending tied up a little bit more and not left so open ended.
This was a coming of age tale and there was really no much of a plot; the reason for only three stars. I personally would have like to have had the ending tied up a little bit more and not left so open ended.
Interesting characters and their foilbles, but not a huge page-turner.
For the audio: Ondaatje is quite a somber reader, not quite monotone but very even-keeled that requires close attention or your mind will quickly wander. Also, because the sections start and stop "abruptly" in audio (other than chapter names), plus unlabelled quotations/dialogue, it is sometimes difficult to follow the jumps.
What surprised me is that some events seemed to take weeks in my head, as he describes them, but then an actual time frame would be given, and it would only be a couple of days. Is this because events are "memories" of a child and therefore seem to be temporally longer, or simply because on a ship you have more time so days are fuller than they might be on land?
For the audio: Ondaatje is quite a somber reader, not quite monotone but very even-keeled that requires close attention or your mind will quickly wander. Also, because the sections start and stop "abruptly" in audio (other than chapter names), plus unlabelled quotations/dialogue, it is sometimes difficult to follow the jumps.
What surprised me is that some events seemed to take weeks in my head, as he describes them, but then an actual time frame would be given, and it would only be a couple of days. Is this because events are "memories" of a child and therefore seem to be temporally longer, or simply because on a ship you have more time so days are fuller than they might be on land?
Not upto his usual standards. But a fun read regardless. I liked it.
I am surprised that i really enjoyed this book. It had lots of great stories within the story and great characters.
The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje is a coming of age story about Michael, an 11 year-old boy and his 21-day journey aboard the Oronsay in the 1950s. During meals he is seated at what is known “the cat’s table,” which is the farthest table from the captain, among other outcasts. During the journey he and 2 other young boys get into mischief, their one rule being “Each day we had to do ay least one thing that was forbidden” (25). Throughout the novel it cuts to Michael’s adult reflections on this journey and how it influenced the course of his life.
If it weren’t for a book club that I am a part of, I would have never picked up The Cat’s Table, because I have previously tried reading The English Patient and failed. It was just too slow, and The Cat’s Table felt the same way, though I did finish it. I felt like skimming through the book about ¾ of the way through, but then Ondaatje threw in some beautiful lines and so I didn’t want to miss out on some redeeming qualities. “There is a story, always ahead of you. Barely existing. Only gradually do you attach yourself to it and feed it. You discover the carapace that will contain and test your character. You find in this way the path of your life” (181). Coming of age was the overall theme, as Michael experienced friendship, love, and crime aboard the ship. It reminded me of summer camp as a kid, where one week seems like a lifetime and the people you meet, though you never see them again, own this little part of you.
Again, the book was slow. There were parts that were vague, like how far the relationship went between Michael and his “cousin” Emily, but maybe the vagueness was supposed to simulate our memory and how we can only fully understand our youth in retrospect. Probably the biggest barrier in my connection with this book was that I couldn’t imagine what the main characters looked like, or what they should have sounded like. I tried to focus on descriptions, but there were so many characters on the ship that it got confusing. Though there were some pretty lines about growing up, it wasn’t enough to want this book on my shelf. I am looking forward to the book club meeting, though, to find out who the heck chose it and what I’m supposed to love about it.
If it weren’t for a book club that I am a part of, I would have never picked up The Cat’s Table, because I have previously tried reading The English Patient and failed. It was just too slow, and The Cat’s Table felt the same way, though I did finish it. I felt like skimming through the book about ¾ of the way through, but then Ondaatje threw in some beautiful lines and so I didn’t want to miss out on some redeeming qualities. “There is a story, always ahead of you. Barely existing. Only gradually do you attach yourself to it and feed it. You discover the carapace that will contain and test your character. You find in this way the path of your life” (181). Coming of age was the overall theme, as Michael experienced friendship, love, and crime aboard the ship. It reminded me of summer camp as a kid, where one week seems like a lifetime and the people you meet, though you never see them again, own this little part of you.
Again, the book was slow. There were parts that were vague, like how far the relationship went between Michael and his “cousin” Emily, but maybe the vagueness was supposed to simulate our memory and how we can only fully understand our youth in retrospect. Probably the biggest barrier in my connection with this book was that I couldn’t imagine what the main characters looked like, or what they should have sounded like. I tried to focus on descriptions, but there were so many characters on the ship that it got confusing. Though there were some pretty lines about growing up, it wasn’t enough to want this book on my shelf. I am looking forward to the book club meeting, though, to find out who the heck chose it and what I’m supposed to love about it.