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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
This was an okay book, I expected more. It wasn't so "touching" as everyone made it seem to be. I should have read the cover more carefully since it said, "A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat" - keyword "I".
It was all about her- really. I'm not saying that as a bad thing, I just imagined a more cat oriented memoir. It started with an engaging beginning but it sort of diminished as she talked more and more about herself.
A little side note, she talked to her cat wayyyy tooo much.
It was all about her- really. I'm not saying that as a bad thing, I just imagined a more cat oriented memoir. It started with an engaging beginning but it sort of diminished as she talked more and more about herself.
A little side note, she talked to her cat wayyyy tooo much.
An easy to read, heart-warming novel about a girl trying to make it in the real world and the cat that taught her how to do it.
I'm teetering between two and five stars on this one. I know - two and five stars - what a range! I'm torn because I loved reading about Homer (the blind cat who is the star of this book) and also the other two cats (who seem to be in Homer's shadow). I'm a cat lover and I love reading about cats, watching cats, talking to people about cats. (Yes, pretty sure I'm a crazy cat lady!!!!) Reading about Homer was in many ways reading about my own special needs cats (they have eyes but many, many other needs). I enjoyed reading about the lives of these animals.
With that said, there was something about this book that just didn't captivate me. I got it as a Christmas gift. Soon afterward, my childhood cat had to be put to sleep and I just couldn't handle reading a book about a cat. A few months go by, I'm up to reading the book, I dive in, I love what I read....but when I put it down I put it down for days at a time. And then weeks at a time. And when I did pick it back up I was totally engrossed but it was truly stop and go until I just told myself finish the book!!!
Perhaps it seemed repetitious - the antics could have bee condensed into a short book...maybe even a short story. The ending also seemed abrupt. I wanted more closure somehow (but was thoroughly happy that the cat didn't die at the end!!!)
Even still, I marked it as one of my favorites. It ended up being a good, clean, light hearted read. I love those kind of books!
With that said, there was something about this book that just didn't captivate me. I got it as a Christmas gift. Soon afterward, my childhood cat had to be put to sleep and I just couldn't handle reading a book about a cat. A few months go by, I'm up to reading the book, I dive in, I love what I read....but when I put it down I put it down for days at a time. And then weeks at a time. And when I did pick it back up I was totally engrossed but it was truly stop and go until I just told myself finish the book!!!
Perhaps it seemed repetitious - the antics could have bee condensed into a short book...maybe even a short story. The ending also seemed abrupt. I wanted more closure somehow (but was thoroughly happy that the cat didn't die at the end!!!)
Even still, I marked it as one of my favorites. It ended up being a good, clean, light hearted read. I love those kind of books!
If you're a cat lover, then you'll love this book! Homer's Odyssey follows the life of Homer, a blind cat who is adopted by the author. Homer is a sweet, funny, fearless cat that I really enjoyed reading about. From the sweet moments to the shenanigans that Homer and his cat siblings get into, I loved the moments of Homer's day to day life.
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
I was not sure this was a book I would enjoy. I love cats and this cat sounded amazing but I still wasn't sold. Homer's story drew me in at once. How would poor Homer survive as a blind cat? A curious cat needs to see, right? Wrong! Homer has no problem getting into michief like other cats. Homer's antics really make this book worth reading. He is quite the character and is truly fearless. I can see why Gwen was so taken with him from the start. What Homer lacks in being able to see he makes up for with spunk. Together Gwen and Homer make a terrific team. Gwen is Homer's eyes but Homer teaches Gwen a thing about love and trust. It's a nice light read for cat lovers. It is an enjoyable book.
Someone forgot to tell Homer he is blind!
Most importantly: ATTENTION CAT LOVERS: a “spoiler” that needs sharing: THIS IS OKAY TO READ! YOU WILL NOT FALL APART AT THE END! There is a hiccup in the second to last chapter but it works out okay. This hiccup threw me for a loop – because several readers had told me it was okay to read and I would not break into sobs at the end. I actually paused the audio and refused to listen again until I could do something I never (well, now I can only say, rarely) do: scan the final pages of the print book! The relief I felt when I learned I had not been steered wrong was tremendous.
This touching memoir is filled with tales of survival, love, and pure kitty antics. It is a book any cat lover will treasure and enjoy – and find themselves nodding along at various points. We know our cats are special and their personalities are just as a human’s are: unique, varied, and, well, moody. Homer is a pure testament to the fact that living with disabilities is possible and “normal” is in the eye of … no one!
I’m so glad I finally read this one that has been on my TBR for way, way too long.
Most importantly: ATTENTION CAT LOVERS: a “spoiler” that needs sharing: THIS IS OKAY TO READ! YOU WILL NOT FALL APART AT THE END! There is a hiccup in the second to last chapter but it works out okay. This hiccup threw me for a loop – because several readers had told me it was okay to read and I would not break into sobs at the end. I actually paused the audio and refused to listen again until I could do something I never (well, now I can only say, rarely) do: scan the final pages of the print book! The relief I felt when I learned I had not been steered wrong was tremendous.
This touching memoir is filled with tales of survival, love, and pure kitty antics. It is a book any cat lover will treasure and enjoy – and find themselves nodding along at various points. We know our cats are special and their personalities are just as a human’s are: unique, varied, and, well, moody. Homer is a pure testament to the fact that living with disabilities is possible and “normal” is in the eye of … no one!
I’m so glad I finally read this one that has been on my TBR for way, way too long.
Because of this book I am now friends with a whole gaggle of blind cats on facebook
This book made me laugh out loud...but more importantly it made me hug my cat a little tighter and love him even more. Any animal lover would appreciate this book.!
One day, almost a year and a half ago, I was traveling to California for a conference and I saw this book on a stand at the airport. The black kitty looking so much like my own, and the story of his blindness caught my attention and I couldn't resist buying it.
But then I was afraid to read it, because in every book ever written about an animal, the animal dies at the end. However, I was informed by someone in one of my book groups that Homer lives! So I decided to give it a chance, and I'm glad I did.
Gwen (the author) and I seem to have incredibly different personalities, but we did have a few things in common and some of her observations about life really rang true to me about relationships, having to move home, becoming that crazy undatable girl with too many cats... which helped me enjoy the book that much more. But, of course, the book is mostly about Homer, the blind wonder cat. Watching Homer (through Gwen's memories) discover the world was absolutely delightful. There were times I woke my husband up because I was laughing so hard, and there were other times when I found tears running down my cheeks. And I loved that she often wrote how she imagined her other cats were viewing this clutzy little kitten that couldn't understand that in order to sneak up on someone, you need to do it from behind! You can tell how much she loves her cats.
My only real complaint probably makes me sound cold hearted... But ... well, shortly after Gwen and her cats move to New York, the attacks on the world trade center happened. And two or three chapters are devoted to that. And she was separated from her cats, so aside from her determination to get back to them (which I applaud, and I feel like I would have done the same thing, though who can know for sure without getting thrown into that kind of situation) the cats weren't there. I guess I just felt like she spent too much time on that event. It's one thing to have a memoir about your experiences during 9/11, and it sounds like she could have done that book justice, too. But this was supposed to be a book about Homer, and how him entering her life changed things. It just didn't seem to fit.
But overall, I really enjoyed the book. I read huge sections of it to my husband as I was going along (especially Homer's first interactions with her parents' dogs! Wonderful!) and definitely plan on recommending it to other cat lovers in my life :D
But then I was afraid to read it, because in every book ever written about an animal, the animal dies at the end. However, I was informed by someone in one of my book groups that Homer lives! So I decided to give it a chance, and I'm glad I did.
Gwen (the author) and I seem to have incredibly different personalities, but we did have a few things in common and some of her observations about life really rang true to me about relationships, having to move home, becoming that crazy undatable girl with too many cats... which helped me enjoy the book that much more. But, of course, the book is mostly about Homer, the blind wonder cat. Watching Homer (through Gwen's memories) discover the world was absolutely delightful. There were times I woke my husband up because I was laughing so hard, and there were other times when I found tears running down my cheeks. And I loved that she often wrote how she imagined her other cats were viewing this clutzy little kitten that couldn't understand that in order to sneak up on someone, you need to do it from behind! You can tell how much she loves her cats.
My only real complaint probably makes me sound cold hearted... But ... well, shortly after Gwen and her cats move to New York, the attacks on the world trade center happened. And two or three chapters are devoted to that. And she was separated from her cats, so aside from her determination to get back to them (which I applaud, and I feel like I would have done the same thing, though who can know for sure without getting thrown into that kind of situation) the cats weren't there. I guess I just felt like she spent too much time on that event. It's one thing to have a memoir about your experiences during 9/11, and it sounds like she could have done that book justice, too. But this was supposed to be a book about Homer, and how him entering her life changed things. It just didn't seem to fit.
But overall, I really enjoyed the book. I read huge sections of it to my husband as I was going along (especially Homer's first interactions with her parents' dogs! Wonderful!) and definitely plan on recommending it to other cat lovers in my life :D