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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Amazing book about learning how to live life to it's fullest by watching a blind cat courageously take on the world. His antics are hilarious and I wish I could meet the little sweetheart! Read it in 24 hours because I couldn't put it down.
SPOILER ALERT:
Homer can do some amazing things for a kitty that was born blind. Then again, he knows no other way. Highlights of things he can do - jump up in the air and snag a flying insect, jump from one piece of furniture to another (he's memorized where they are), and scare off burglars! He even ran after the guy when he started running! Other highlights - Poor Homer can almost never catch his sisters because when he tries to sneak up on them and pounce, they always know he's there (he doesn't realize that they can see him!) He always sleeps while in physical contact with his owner. He likes surfaces clutter free, so if you leave things on there, he'll probably push them off. He likes to pull books off of bookshelves. He "talks." He's got lots of different meows to communicate with his owner when he can't see her. Some meows are like "Hey, are you still here?"
SPOILER ALERT:
Homer can do some amazing things for a kitty that was born blind. Then again, he knows no other way. Highlights of things he can do - jump up in the air and snag a flying insect, jump from one piece of furniture to another (he's memorized where they are), and scare off burglars! He even ran after the guy when he started running! Other highlights - Poor Homer can almost never catch his sisters because when he tries to sneak up on them and pounce, they always know he's there (he doesn't realize that they can see him!) He always sleeps while in physical contact with his owner. He likes surfaces clutter free, so if you leave things on there, he'll probably push them off. He likes to pull books off of bookshelves. He "talks." He's got lots of different meows to communicate with his owner when he can't see her. Some meows are like "Hey, are you still here?"
I saw the cat on the cover and bought it. I'm a sucker for a cat book.
This book (and another one) has led me to believe that James Herriot is about the only person who could write about cats (real, live ones) and not make me want to puke. I really wanted to like this book, but it got into the same old song and dance about how original the cat is. No, it's just you. My cat also snuggles with me and plays fetch. She's special to me. So, needless to say, this book was a bit of a disappointment, but I was caught up in the section about 9/11. That pulled at my heart strings.
I probably won't read from this author again because her other book is about living in South Beach. I will probably read about another cat in the future, as it seems to be my fruitless task toroll a large rock up a hill read books in search of a good cat/owner memoir.
This book (and another one) has led me to believe that James Herriot is about the only person who could write about cats (real, live ones) and not make me want to puke. I really wanted to like this book, but it got into the same old song and dance about how original the cat is. No, it's just you. My cat also snuggles with me and plays fetch. She's special to me. So, needless to say, this book was a bit of a disappointment, but I was caught up in the section about 9/11. That pulled at my heart strings.
I probably won't read from this author again because her other book is about living in South Beach. I will probably read about another cat in the future, as it seems to be my fruitless task to
Great story and written well. It was like I had another cat and someone else was narrating my life with him. I recommend this book, esp to those who have cats- you know exactly what the author feels as you cont' to read.
I loved Gwen’s memoir of her life with her cats. All of her cats are wonderful and Homer is amazing. Her relationship with her cats reminds me of myself and I feel like a kindred spirit. Sometimes I wish she would just get back to the cats and not so much about her life/feelings/actions, but it is a memoir and drives the course of her life. A good, light hearted, “fluff” read that made me want to hug my cats a little tighter.
Warning: mild spoilers ahead
Pet memoirs tend to fall into two categories: heartwarming and heartbreaking. Gwen Cooper's Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat is unabashedly the former. Gwen Cooper was newly single, living in a friend's house, and already the owner of two cats -- three good reasons to say "No" when her vet called to ask her to take on a blind kitten. Fortunately for both Gwen and Homer, she agreed to meet the kitten. She was lost the instant he snuggled into her neck and began to purr.
Life with a blind cat has its challenges. You would think that life as a blind cat would also have its challenges, but Homer doesn't perceive it that way. Having lost his eyes to a serious infection before they opened (kittens' eyes remain shut for several weeks after birth), Homer is unaware that he has any limitations. Each time Cooper moves, Homer explores his new environment, quickly learning how to find his way around. As the subtitle states, Homer is fearless, climbing and jumping as well or better than a sighted cat once he has located and memorized the placement of furniture. His hearing is extraordinary, and he is even able to catch flies in midair. Nonetheless, there are safety issues: balconies, open windows and doors, and the toilet all pose hazards Homer is unable to appreciate. Cooper goes to great lengths to allow Homer freedom and independence without risking his health and safety.
Cooper affectionately describes each of her cats' personalities and how they learned to interact, but it is clearly Homer who is the focus of both this memoir and her life. Faced with the responsibility to make a home for her cats, Cooper moves back in with her parents while she repositions herself in PR and marketing. When she moves out on her own after landing a job, Homer and the other cats, Vashti and Scarlett, are primary considerations in choosing an apartment. Dating takes on a new dimension, as each potential boyfriend has to be assessed not only in terms of Cooper's own interest but in how well he deals with her cats, particularly Homer.
Two episodes stand out in Cooper's narrative: the night Homer saved her from an intruder in her apartment, and the events of September 11, 2001. Cooper was living within sight of the World Trade Center when the planes slammed into the towers. She spent several days frantically trying to get back into the evacuated area to rescue her cats.
Many people would say that Homer was lucky to have found a home with Cooper. What is equally true is that Cooper was lucky to encounter Homer, who has had a profound effect on her life. She works hard to incorporate Homer's optimism, tenacity, and fearlessness into her own outlook.
The last few chapters of the book deal with Cooper's growing relationship and eventual marriage to the man she loves. This is the weakest section of the book. Cooper glosses over the difficulties Homer and the other cats have in adjusting to life with Laurence. Fearless little Homer is afraid of Laurence's big, booming voice. The cat who has always slept next to "Mommy" all night is no longer allowed to sleep in the bedroom with her, which distresses him dreadfully. Slowly, however, the cats and Laurence come to terms with each other. When Cooper calls to tell Laurence that Homer is ill, Laurence comes immediately to the vet's office. "He's my cat too," he states quietly.
Most pet memoirs, even the heartwarming ones (Marley and Me; Dewey) end with the death of the pet. Fortunately for readers, Homer was still living when Cooper wrote Homer's Odyssey. The memoir thus ends on a hopeful note, entirely appropriate to the spirit of this tiny but indomitable cat.
Review originally published on 6/25/2010 at The Bookwyrm's Hoard
Pet memoirs tend to fall into two categories: heartwarming and heartbreaking. Gwen Cooper's Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat is unabashedly the former. Gwen Cooper was newly single, living in a friend's house, and already the owner of two cats -- three good reasons to say "No" when her vet called to ask her to take on a blind kitten. Fortunately for both Gwen and Homer, she agreed to meet the kitten. She was lost the instant he snuggled into her neck and began to purr.
Life with a blind cat has its challenges. You would think that life as a blind cat would also have its challenges, but Homer doesn't perceive it that way. Having lost his eyes to a serious infection before they opened (kittens' eyes remain shut for several weeks after birth), Homer is unaware that he has any limitations. Each time Cooper moves, Homer explores his new environment, quickly learning how to find his way around. As the subtitle states, Homer is fearless, climbing and jumping as well or better than a sighted cat once he has located and memorized the placement of furniture. His hearing is extraordinary, and he is even able to catch flies in midair. Nonetheless, there are safety issues: balconies, open windows and doors, and the toilet all pose hazards Homer is unable to appreciate. Cooper goes to great lengths to allow Homer freedom and independence without risking his health and safety.
Cooper affectionately describes each of her cats' personalities and how they learned to interact, but it is clearly Homer who is the focus of both this memoir and her life. Faced with the responsibility to make a home for her cats, Cooper moves back in with her parents while she repositions herself in PR and marketing. When she moves out on her own after landing a job, Homer and the other cats, Vashti and Scarlett, are primary considerations in choosing an apartment. Dating takes on a new dimension, as each potential boyfriend has to be assessed not only in terms of Cooper's own interest but in how well he deals with her cats, particularly Homer.
Two episodes stand out in Cooper's narrative: the night Homer saved her from an intruder in her apartment, and the events of September 11, 2001. Cooper was living within sight of the World Trade Center when the planes slammed into the towers. She spent several days frantically trying to get back into the evacuated area to rescue her cats.
Many people would say that Homer was lucky to have found a home with Cooper. What is equally true is that Cooper was lucky to encounter Homer, who has had a profound effect on her life. She works hard to incorporate Homer's optimism, tenacity, and fearlessness into her own outlook.
The last few chapters of the book deal with Cooper's growing relationship and eventual marriage to the man she loves. This is the weakest section of the book. Cooper glosses over the difficulties Homer and the other cats have in adjusting to life with Laurence. Fearless little Homer is afraid of Laurence's big, booming voice. The cat who has always slept next to "Mommy" all night is no longer allowed to sleep in the bedroom with her, which distresses him dreadfully. Slowly, however, the cats and Laurence come to terms with each other. When Cooper calls to tell Laurence that Homer is ill, Laurence comes immediately to the vet's office. "He's my cat too," he states quietly.
Most pet memoirs, even the heartwarming ones (Marley and Me; Dewey) end with the death of the pet. Fortunately for readers, Homer was still living when Cooper wrote Homer's Odyssey. The memoir thus ends on a hopeful note, entirely appropriate to the spirit of this tiny but indomitable cat.
Review originally published on 6/25/2010 at The Bookwyrm's Hoard
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This was a recommendation from the librarian a Tredyffrin library. It is a lovely book. It went a lot of places I didn't expect which was nice. I'm not sure you have to have or have had cats to enjoy but it probably helps.
This was the first book I read for 2011 and I wouldn't have started it any other way. A Christmas present from my partner's knowing mother (she always picks the best books) this is a MUST read for anybody who has ever let a fuzzy little critter into their heart/life/wallet. But it's also a great book about taking that journey to adult-hood, with some interesting buddies along the way.
Gwen Cooper manages to bury an interesting memoir of her life, into a story about her cats, when really it's a book of moments and instances of being a pet-owner that are buffeted by stories of life in general, and how it changes, despite THINKING you know where it's going to go.
Homer IS a Wondercat, but I think all pets are, and Cooper really manages to push that point, as well as the lengths to which we'd go for ours :)
Gwen Cooper manages to bury an interesting memoir of her life, into a story about her cats, when really it's a book of moments and instances of being a pet-owner that are buffeted by stories of life in general, and how it changes, despite THINKING you know where it's going to go.
Homer IS a Wondercat, but I think all pets are, and Cooper really manages to push that point, as well as the lengths to which we'd go for ours :)