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Really gets the reader to think about what matters in life Unputdownable and completely wonderful!' Reader review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is another of those books about quirky oddballs finding their place in the world that have been super popular in womens’ fiction in recent years. Lots of them are very good, unfortunately this was not. Writing in first person present, Mia describes every tiny action of her life in minuscule detail - from what she puts into Oliver’s lunchbox, to having a shower, to her and Tristan’s grotesque middle-age sex. Maybe other readers would find constant references to Belinda’s juices hilarious, I didn’t. Nothing much happens in the first half, there’s a bit of awkward social commentary, and Mia reinforces every stereotype about people who love cats. I’ve had people in life that have said to me ‘it’s just a cat’ .. well no, it isn’t ‘just’ a cat. They are family, companions. Well, mine absolutely are anyway. I think if people have never owned a cat they should never make comments. They truly are wonderful.
As a self confessed wannabe ‘cat lady’, I really enjoyed reading Mia’s journey from her ‘safe’ existence to her self-realisation of the person she truly is - an independent cat lady living for herself. Mia, the mother: She dotes on her stepson Oliver. She and her husband Tristan have an unconventional relationship with Oliver's mother, Belinda, but Mia puts up with it for the sake of keeping the family together. Plus, she is utterly devoted to her cat, Pigeon. She is his mother. An ode to finding your people and a celebration of the small things that bring us together’ Emma Gannon I was simultaneously entertained and devastated. I highly commend O'Porter for their ability to put my feelings on a rollercoaster. There are few remotely likeable characters in the whole thing - her colleague Fliss, her put-upon sister Liz, and the members of her poor maligned support group. I didn’t like Mia at all: an example of how she thinks: “She is reading a copy of Cosmo, which makes me assume she has an STD. Poor her; it must come with terrible shame.” The only part of the book which was not completely predictable is the work subplot, and what happens to poor Pigeon (sorry for the spoiler alert but again - don’t read this if you love cats.) I haven’t read anything by this author previously and won’t be doing so again.Dawn O'Porter challenges the stereotypes of the typical 'cat lady' with this beautiful and emotional read' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Sometimes she's way too open - the visit to the GP to get support with her crabs is a stand-out moment. At times the story was quite extreme, but you know…..I got it. I got the fear of losing a cat even if potentially in years to come. I really didn’t want to cry at this book and I tried so hard not to but it just couldn’t be helped, I finally caved and found myself full of tears. If you’re a big emotional softie like me then you may find the last quarter of the book either upsetting and/or heart-wrenching but also heartwarming at the same time as the conclusion to the story neared. Mia, is a wonderful main character, she made me laugh (quite a lot), she's relatable, and her story broke my heart. I do not recommend this book to anyone who identifies as a Cat Lady, crazy or otherwise. Ironically I brought it forward on my reading schedule, because I was in the mood for something funny or heartwarming. It’s not in any way funny (unless you find people dealing with grief, trauma and other mental health issues amusing.) I found most of it both boring and distasteful, and then something horrible happens. It was heading for 1-star, which is rare for me, but I’ll admit I did like the ending, which redeemed it a little - but not enough to recommend it.
There isn't much of a synopsis for this novel so I wasn't sure what I was going to get but it day say 'very funny'. It wasn't! Really gets the reader to think about what matters in life Unputdownable and completely wonderful!’ Reader review Mia has made all the right choices. She's married, she has the nice house, the good career. But life isn't about fitting into a box. And there's another woman inside her who's just clawing to get out . . .I really just think that this one wasn't particularly aimed for me. I didn't get the humour or wit and I haven't read any of Dawn O'Porter's other works to compare them to. I enjoyed the fact that the protagonist was an older lady - in her 40s but she wasn't relatable to me in any way, shape, or form. She was quite repulsive. What the hell even was this book? I was expecting a wholesome story about a woman and her cat and I did not get that! I did enjoy some of the themes that the book explored but at times it was just outright disturbing. I tried to persevere with it and see if it could get any better (or worse) but it just started to make me feel so uncomfortable that I just couldn’t carry on.
But life isn't about fitting into a box. And there's another woman inside her who's just clawing to get out . . .PRAISE FOR CAT LADY:'My book of the year' Reader review âââââ'A reminder to live your life your way. I am 2/3 through this book but don’t think I can finish it. I’m just not finding it funny at all. There is no funny side to homelessness, adultery, grief and abuse etc. I really don’t care what happens to Mia or Pigeon. It has been such a dreary read so far. No ups, no downs.
Customer reviews
An ode to finding your people and a celebration of the small things that bring us together' Emma Gannon Mia is 45, and happily married (separate bedrooms), lives in a nice house (originally bought by her hubby and his first wife), is a great step mum (although the first wife/mother is always popping round); has a great job (she has to micromanage the gormless chief executive) and is in love (with her cat, 'Pigeon') and is pretty much living the ideal conventional life, but is this the life that Mia wants? Dawn O’Porter challenges the stereotypes of the typical ‘cat lady’ with this beautiful and emotional read’ Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I adored Mia’s love for Pigeon 🐈 and how Pigeon literally got her through each day. There was some really great characters in this book and some I really wanted to scream at. It was great how Mia learnt so much about herself through this story and learns to live. I loved laughing with/at some of the characters and I was emotionally destroyed* as I watched some of the characters' lives unravel.
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