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A review by lory_enterenchanted
The Abandoned by Paul Gallico
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
4.0
On one level, a wonderfully imagined tale of "how to be a cat," written with a cat-lover's fondly observant eye for feline characteristics. On another level, a drama about friendship, loyalty, and personal growth, with both Peter and Jennie recovering from the way they have been or feel themselves to be "the abandoned", finding strength through their bond with each other.
There are humorous and touching and brutal moments, all woven together skillfully; the pace never lets up. Some dated gender expectations do show up at times, but in general Peter and Jennie are well-rounded characters; both of them demonstrate sensitivity and compassion as well as bravery and daring.
The part where Peter was forced to battle another he-cat for his mate was the only one that did not ring quite true to me; could the two of them not just have run away to another part of the city, if he didn't want to fight? Of course, I'm complaining about logic in a story where a boy has inexplicably turned into a cat, and where cats talk in English to each other, but compared to the otherwise quite impeccable internal logic, this didn't make sense.
A lot of children's books I try to read nowadays just offer a series of hair-raising adventures, but are empty at heart, or have some kind of "learning" or "lesson" grafted on. With this one, the learning unfolds naturally along with the adventure, and the heart keeps beating throughout. The ending is almost mystical, with Jennie becoming somehow part of Peter ... softening what would otherwise be a tragic separation. Quite special.
There are humorous and touching and brutal moments, all woven together skillfully; the pace never lets up. Some dated gender expectations do show up at times, but in general Peter and Jennie are well-rounded characters; both of them demonstrate sensitivity and compassion as well as bravery and daring.
The part where Peter was forced to battle another he-cat for his mate was the only one that did not ring quite true to me; could the two of them not just have run away to another part of the city, if he didn't want to fight? Of course, I'm complaining about logic in a story where a boy has inexplicably turned into a cat, and where cats talk in English to each other, but compared to the otherwise quite impeccable internal logic, this didn't make sense.
A lot of children's books I try to read nowadays just offer a series of hair-raising adventures, but are empty at heart, or have some kind of "learning" or "lesson" grafted on. With this one, the learning unfolds naturally along with the adventure, and the heart keeps beating throughout. The ending is almost mystical, with Jennie becoming somehow part of Peter ... softening what would otherwise be a tragic separation. Quite special.