Reviews

The Cat at the Wall by Deborah Ellis

cimorene1558's review against another edition

4.0

Excellent book, but I have trouble thinking of a child or teen who would willingly read a book about a girl from Bethlehem, PA reincarnated as a cat in Bethlehem, Israel. I hope I'm wrong, and that many do read it, but I think it's kind of a hard sell, except maybe as a school assignment and that's a different kind of hard sell.

menaquinone's review against another edition

5.0

Succinct but superb work of historical/political fiction

pasearlibros's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

meitaeryanti's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.5

 

Buku ini diceritakan dari sudut pandang seekor kucing di West Bank. Kucing ini merupakan reinkarnasi dari gadis Amerika yang meninggal saat berusia 13 tahun bernama Clare. Ceritanya ada dua orang tentara Israel yang menyelinap masuk ke dalam rumah keluarga Palestina untuk memata-matai lingkungan tersebut. Di dalam rumah tersebut kedua tentara hanya menemui Omar, seorang anak laki-laki yang ditinggal oleh orangtuanya. Cerita ini diselingi oleh cerita hari-hari terakhir si kucing saat jadi manusia.

Aku sebenarnya nggak terlalu menangkap apa benang merah cerita Clare dengan Omarselain mereka membaca puisi yang sama yaitu Desiderata karya Max Ehrmann. Kayaknya aku perlu cari-cari makna puisi itu kali ya?

Buku ini dirilis pada tahun 2014, pada saat itu terjadi operasi militer Israel di Gaza Strip. Mungkin penulis ingin memantik anak-anak Amerika (karena target pembacanya adalah middle grade) memahami apa yang terjadi di belahan bumi yang lain. Tapi tanpa pendampingan, aku rasa buku ini terlalu individu untuk melihat lingkup yang lebih luas tentang apa yang terjadi di Gaza. Karena aku sendiri, perlu membaca ulasan dan pandangan dari orang lain untuk menyadari apa yang tersirat dalam cerita ini. 

evaosterlee's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

creeker868's review against another edition

2.0

Interesting idea. I didn't really care for the book mainly because the narrator was Clare a selfish bully who is reincarnated as a stray cat in the West Bank. The story was interesting when it was pertaining to the characters in the West Bank but the sections that described Clare's life at school were not as she was a nasty middle school bully.

annaboymo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective fast-paced

2.5

Has a “neutral” and at times Israel-biased view of the conflict in Palestine, and sympathizes with IDF soldiers, painting a false image of the situation

cshan02's review against another edition

4.0

A great story.
I am reading this book as a part of my job, but I really enjoyed reading this book.
I could say more about it once I have more time.

sweettartdemon's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

emsreadingdiary's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I’m being generous with the two to be honest. This read a lot like white liberalism and it becomes clear that the author doesn’t even adhere to the lessons she’s spewing. Also the although I know it was to show how the stereotypes are wrong, the way the Palestinians were portrayed made me uncomfortable. Disappointed to say the least.