To Be a Cat

De: Matt Haig

Narrado por: Chris Pavlo

Barney Willow thinks life couldn't get any worse. He's weedy and has sticky-out ears. Horrible Gavin Needle loves tormenting him. And worst of all, his Dad has been missing for almost a year, and there's no sign of him ever coming home. Barney just wants to escape, and find another life. Being a cat, for example. A quiet, lazy cat. Things would be so much easier - right?

©2012 Matt Haig (P)2012 W F Howes Ltd

Excellent children's author.

This, as is Haig's "Boy Called Christmas", is a wonderful children's book. Very imaginative story, easy listening/reading, and a writing style and sense of humour that can entertain and amuse even adults. I enjoyed both books a lot and think both could become very good movies. Though almost every single big plot point is very predictable before even starting to listen to this particular book, at least to adults, it is still very interesting and not predictable to see how the characters get to those points. And the ending was not so obvious after all. This story is somewhat dark and distressing what with the unhappy people and abused cats, but the writing style and well sprinkled light humour makes it perfectly tolorable, especially since a happy ending for the main character is implied early on. Though, even that doesn't lessen the most disturbing bit where the evil cat described how it had murdered its owner in a slow and painful way, especially as the owner was established as the most kind person you could meet. It is by far the darkest thing in this book yet somehow doesn't feel out of place.

So, I might not have very young children listen to or read this. Especially if they love cats and/or are very sensitive. I would recommend this to pre-teens and older people. Anyone younger only if they can truly control their emotions about ficonal characters and events and understand them.

This is a well written, funny, slightly unsettling, emotional and captivating story. Totally worth even the regular price and certainly the Member price. I aim to buy books that I would listen to at least twice in my life, and this is absolutely one of them. There may not be much new to discover the second time around but I do want to experience this story's humour and some of the sweeter emotional bits again some day.