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hauntedribs's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
5.0
I put it down as 4* but I have to change it to 5* as I cannot stop thinking about it.
colleenc13's review against another edition
4.0
Trigger warning- violence against animals
Extremely graphic scenes of harming cats which, as a cat lover, resulted in me throwing the book across the room. Despite this, it’s a well-written account of a man losing his sanity and I’m glad I decided to push through the violent parts to finish it.
Short, powerful, but don’t be deceived by the cover and title and think it’s a charming book about cats.
Extremely graphic scenes of harming cats which, as a cat lover, resulted in me throwing the book across the room. Despite this, it’s a well-written account of a man losing his sanity and I’m glad I decided to push through the violent parts to finish it.
Short, powerful, but don’t be deceived by the cover and title and think it’s a charming book about cats.
mistercrow's review
5.0
This is a very brutally honest writings of the author and his days with his cats.
TRIGGER WARNING:
Not for the light-hearted as it does go into deaths of these cats too. It’s hard to read at times but I love the honesty of this book.
I think that a lot of people pick this book up expecting a T.S Eliot style of heartwarming stories about his cats when that most people don’t understand is that these are Hrabal’s diary writings in Czech in the 80s.
I think that people don’t seem to understand that in the east (and in some countries today) of Europe, there’s a culture/practice of committing felincide, and that this book is no exception to that.
It’s very frustrating to read one star reviews from people who do not understand this. THAT, and the author is wracked with guilt over his decision to do these things. That he isn’t interested in doing it and that taking your dogs/cats fixed was not a common thing during this time!!
The author clearly loved his cats; of all animals and that this is the harsh reality of the world he lived in.
With this in mind, do not read if you’ll find it difficult because of the killings of cats.
TRIGGER WARNING:
Not for the light-hearted as it does go into deaths of these cats too. It’s hard to read at times but I love the honesty of this book.
I think that a lot of people pick this book up expecting a T.S Eliot style of heartwarming stories about his cats when that most people don’t understand is that these are Hrabal’s diary writings in Czech in the 80s.
I think that people don’t seem to understand that in the east (and in some countries today) of Europe, there’s a culture/practice of committing felincide, and that this book is no exception to that.
It’s very frustrating to read one star reviews from people who do not understand this. THAT, and the author is wracked with guilt over his decision to do these things. That he isn’t interested in doing it and that taking your dogs/cats fixed was not a common thing during this time!!
The author clearly loved his cats; of all animals and that this is the harsh reality of the world he lived in.
With this in mind, do not read if you’ll find it difficult because of the killings of cats.
mayastone's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
va1entina's review against another edition
3.0
Libro decisamente interessante: la vicenda è immersa tra autobiografia e racconto di finzione, dove il protagonista (Hrabal stesso) racconta il rapporto instaurato con i suoi gatti nella casa immersa tra le betulle e i salici della Repubblica Ceca.
Ho apprezzato moltissimo la scelta di utilizzare come prologo un'intervista fittizia, che permette di capire a fondo le intenzioni dello scrittore in questo breve racconto e far conoscere al lettore il suo punto di vista sulla scrittura (e non solo!).
Il testo può essere considerato un continuo flusso di coscienza, stile che non amo particolarmente, ma che calza a pennello con la vicenda raccontata.
Da idillio a romanzo horror: questo libro non è adatto per lettori particolarmente sensibili, ma per coloro che vogliono affrontare qualcosa di impattante e diverso dal solito.
Ho apprezzato moltissimo la scelta di utilizzare come prologo un'intervista fittizia, che permette di capire a fondo le intenzioni dello scrittore in questo breve racconto e far conoscere al lettore il suo punto di vista sulla scrittura (e non solo!).
Il testo può essere considerato un continuo flusso di coscienza, stile che non amo particolarmente, ma che calza a pennello con la vicenda raccontata.
Da idillio a romanzo horror: questo libro non è adatto per lettori particolarmente sensibili, ma per coloro che vogliono affrontare qualcosa di impattante e diverso dal solito.
bridgetkay's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
The book begins with beautifully written adoration for Hrabal’s cats with exquisite descriptions that any cat lover would resonate with. It doesn’t take long to take a dark turn, however, and the brutal acts undertaken by the protagonist are horrific and challenging. Somehow this 96 page book manages to explore not only cat behaviour, but human nature and humanity. This is a quick read that packs a punch.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, Animal cruelty, and Gore