Reviews

Barks and Purrs by Colette

chutten's review against another edition

4.0

I rather enjoyed this little play. Well, it was read to me by librivox volunteers so it sounded a little like a play. Short, diverting, with oodles of character. I guess it goes to show that the attitudes we ascribe to pet dogs and cats haven't changed much in the last century.

msjoanna's review against another edition

5.0

Demonstrating that feelings about cats and dogs have been consistent for the past 100 years, this 1904 book reads as if it were written last week for the Barnes and Noble gift table. Well, actually, it reads much better than that because Colette really captures the attitude and tone of a standoffish cat and a rambunctious bulldog. The book is really a collection of seven short episodes plus a prologue and mostly involves the two pets talking to each other. The readers for the public domain librivox edition did a fabulous job bringing this to life. This was just the right bit of amusing fluff to lighten a very dark mood today.

kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review

5.0

Own a furry pet that is either a dog or cat? Read this. Colette captures the attitude and strangness of those that pet owners share thier lives with.

Told as conversations between Kiki the Demure and Toby-Dog, the story concerns the pets' responses to various situtions, the most distressing being the late dinner. Immensely funny and immensely true.

nikkigee81's review

3.0

Cute and clever conversations between a dog and a cat that live in a house with their humans. Despite this being translated into English, I don't think it loses any of the flavor of its original language. Even though it's rather old, it's still amusing and timely to read the well-known quirks of our pets in these pages.

zefrog's review

4.0

A humorous and often elegiac collection of short vignettes. As the book progresses darker undertones mingle with Colette's colourful palette to create moving short pieces. It's a delight to read.