Reviews - Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

966 reviews for:

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World

When I first started this book, I didn't really expect to like it that much- initially, it was a woman talking about how great her cat was. But as I kept reading, I found myself really drawn in and attached to Dewey, somehow understanding that this cat was special. By the time I got to the end, I had been on a bit of a roller coaster. It's definitely a several-tissues-necessary ending, but ultimately worth the read, I'd say. Myron also does a deft job of interweaving her own life, and the life of Spencer, Iowa, throughout the book.. in the end, it was not "just a book about a cat." Check it out of your local library- Dewey would want it that way!

If you love cats, you'll more than likely enjoy this book. And need a box of tissues.

theeclecticreview's review against another edition

5.0

Vicki Myron has written a very heartwarming story about a wonderful cat who changed people's lives.

A must read for cat lovers like me!

bee_reads1885's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

lory_enterenchanted's review against another edition

3.5

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective

Enjoyable tale of a cat who was rescued from a library drop box and became the library cat. Other reviewers have complained that they didn't want to know about the author's life or the town in which the library was located, but I don't see why not -- they were part of the story too. The book is not particularly well written, but not bad, and Dewey's personality comes across anyway. He seems to have been a very special cat indeed.

sonshinelibrarian's review against another edition

4.25

This is one of those books I've heard about and sort of knew the basics of, but it's lovely to finally read it. It is very heartwarming. I cried a lot of tears over the course of this book - happy, touched tears and, of course, tears of sadness, because all books about pets pretty much end the way you would expect.
Of course, the focus of the book is Dewey, but it's a bit of a memoir for Myron too. This works really well most of the time, but there are a couple of chapters near the end where I got a little lost in the timeline of her family stuff. Overall, though, I really enjoyed this.

avesmaria's review against another edition

3.0

I expected this book to be silly and/or boring, but honestly, I enjoyed it, even though I would describe it as a feel-good read with kind of a parochial edge. It's about a cat abandoned in a library book drop on a cold January morning, and also about the library director, Vicki Myron, who found him, nursed him to health, and convinced the library board to have him stay at the library as cat-in-residence. Predictably, the cat goes on to be adorable and win the hearts of nearly everyone in the small town of Spencer, Iowa, eventually achieving worldwide popularity. I actually thought the most interesting parts of the book were Myron talking about her own life and her family's lives, and her struggles with health, divorce, and death. Dewey, a very affectionate and remarkable cat, was there for her and everyone at the library during personal struggles (in a way that all pet owners understand), and he becomes a real-life metaphor and example of the support and closeness Myron describes among her family and friends that is so central to the character of her beloved homeland. I'm noticing a lot of reviewers found the narrator annoying/grating, but I guess I wasn't expecting great literature from a woman who doesn't write for a living, so you have to take this book for what it is.