Share for friends:

Read A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man And His Cat Found Hope On The Streets (2012)

A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man and His Cat Found Hope on the Streets (2012)

Online Book

Author
Series
Rating
3.93 of 5 Votes: 1
Your rating
ISBN
1444737090 (ISBN13: 9781444737097)
Language
English
Publisher
Hodder & Stoughton

A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man And His Cat Found Hope On The Streets (2012) - Plot & Excerpts

I was browsing at the library and this book was beside Dewey, The Library Cat. I loved that book, so I decided to give this one a shot. I read reviews of this book prior to reading it, so I was braced for some really poor writing...as a result, I was pleasantly surprised. The prose isn't smooth, but it is clear...well, clearly expressed. There were some expressions that I assume are unique to London and not to the US, but it didn't really hinder my appreciation of the story. So, James Bowen, a guy who has fairly consistently made poor choices in his life, which leads him to become a drug addict and unemployed guy with some marginal housing meets up with this cat that inspires him to strive for some stability and even moves him to some self-reflection. Having Bob changes him. I'd call this a pleasant read. Cute but repetitive. Could be very useful for recovering addicts though. A reader named Sarah summed it up perfectly: Please don't think me churlish, but I will kick off by saying that this book is not terribly well crafted - it's repetitive and poorly copy edited. So, if you're snobby about writing, I suggest you give it a miss. That said, it'll be your loss, as it is a heartwarming book with an important message, for reasons other than its prose.Bowen describes how he was `invisible' when he was homeless, and the difference it made when he found Bob and took him busking with him. Suddenly people - the public - saw James, interacted with him, respected him. Having Bob humanised the man who was with him, and helped James turn his life around.It echoes why this book matters: were it entitled `A Man Named James' I strongly suspect it would be invisible too. I doubt it would be published, let alone topping the bestseller charts, with James on TV sharing his experience. As a cat lover, it was Bob that made me gravitate to the story, and I'm sure I'm not alone (he is a particularly fine feline for all sorts of reasons) but there's so much more to this than fluff: through telling us about Bob, James is also able to share what it's like living on the streets, to busk, to sell the Big Issue and to come off drugs - all things most of us would otherwise shy away from reading about.James Bowen isn't a writer, and he acknowledges at the end that he had some help in putting his story together anyway. But whilst A Streetcat Named Bob might not be great literature, it increases our understanding of people who often don't have a voice, and for that deserves its plaudits.

What do You think about A Street Cat Named Bob: How One Man And His Cat Found Hope On The Streets (2012)?

A feel good book for cat lovers. A nice story.
—cyberkitty3

Great for Christmas time!
—lexi

lovely.
—iquintanilla

OK
—Mike

Write Review

(Review will shown on site after approval)

Read books by author James Bowen

Read books in series Bob The Cat

Read books in category Memoir & Autobiography