A review by moonlitemuseum
The Cat Who Saved Books by Sōsuke Natsukawa

adventurous funny lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is a sweetly told and straightforward tale about a shutin who is approached by a magical tabby cat shortly after the death of his bookseller grandfather. The cast is warm and fun, if a little archetypal, and the love of literature is palpable with lots of little bonuses for fans of the Western literary Canon. I'd like to commend the translator, Louise Heal Kawai, for retaining the gender ambiguity of the titular cat and providing wonderful notes. Kevin Shen, the audiobook narrator, does a tremendous job with the various character voices. Don't come to this story expecting anything groundbreaking in terms of female characters or lategame twists, but it's a very enjoyable little story. I would definitely recommend it to young readers who express fondness for anime or roleplaying games like the Persona series.
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