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A review by trevsoranno
I Am a Cat by Natsume Sōseki
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This review is a tough one for me. “I Am a Cat” has left me the most conflicted out of every book I’ve read in recent history, mostly due to the drastic difference between its high and low points.
When this book is good, it’s GOOD. Humor, satire, symbolism, insight, it’s all there and it keeps you hooked. On the other hand, when this book is bad, it’s pretty insufferable. Certain parts drag on and on for seemingly no reason at all other than to deter you from reading. I can equate the experience of this book to that of watching “The Office”. The show as a whole is pretty mid and mostly a waste of time. However, there are bits of gold in that pile of dirt and thanks to modern technology (YouTube), the refining process has been conveniently expedited and placed right at your doorstep. One “funniest moments” video later and you’ve experienced all the best parts of the show in record time.
This is where my internal conflict arises. I want to say so badly that if all the good parts of the book were kept and all the others were wiped from existence, “I Am a Cat” would be an infinitely better read. However, I can’t, in good faith, totally say that. Part of the reason the positive aspects of this book stand out so much is solely due to the presence of the boring, menial ones. I’ll read a two-page rant about some meaningless topic only for it to end with a genius one-liner that hits so hard strictly because of the context it was just given. Nonetheless, there definitely still could have been some fat left on the cutting floor.
“I Am a Cat” is an interesting book, none like I have ever experienced before. It contains some of my favorite reading I have ever indulged in, some of my least favorite, and an endless sea of notable quotes. Moreover, the ending is nothing short of incredible and rescued my mostly negative opinion of the book leading up to that point. Give it a shot if you have the time (and patience).
When this book is good, it’s GOOD. Humor, satire, symbolism, insight, it’s all there and it keeps you hooked. On the other hand, when this book is bad, it’s pretty insufferable. Certain parts drag on and on for seemingly no reason at all other than to deter you from reading. I can equate the experience of this book to that of watching “The Office”. The show as a whole is pretty mid and mostly a waste of time. However, there are bits of gold in that pile of dirt and thanks to modern technology (YouTube), the refining process has been conveniently expedited and placed right at your doorstep. One “funniest moments” video later and you’ve experienced all the best parts of the show in record time.
This is where my internal conflict arises. I want to say so badly that if all the good parts of the book were kept and all the others were wiped from existence, “I Am a Cat” would be an infinitely better read. However, I can’t, in good faith, totally say that. Part of the reason the positive aspects of this book stand out so much is solely due to the presence of the boring, menial ones. I’ll read a two-page rant about some meaningless topic only for it to end with a genius one-liner that hits so hard strictly because of the context it was just given. Nonetheless, there definitely still could have been some fat left on the cutting floor.
“I Am a Cat” is an interesting book, none like I have ever experienced before. It contains some of my favorite reading I have ever indulged in, some of my least favorite, and an endless sea of notable quotes. Moreover, the ending is nothing short of incredible and rescued my mostly negative opinion of the book leading up to that point. Give it a shot if you have the time (and patience).