Homer's Odyssey: a Fearless Feline Tale

I didn't know it was possible but Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale touched me even more than Dewey: The small -town library cat who touched the world which was a book that moved me to tears. Homer touched me in a different way, while Dewey told an incredible story about an incredible cat, Homer tells a story about the lessons a woman learns from her cat that is blind. Her experiences mirror some of my own and some of my fears therefore; this book was more than a story about a cat to me. It was a story that could be my life. This book is interesting, wonderfully written, and will engage the reader. But get out the tissue it may move you to tears as well especially if you are a cat owner.

The storyline to this novel is one of the pairing of two unlikely individuals. One is a recently singled woman who thinks she will turn into the stereotypcial cat lady if she gets another cat (and who is going to want to date a cat lady?). And a blind kitten (which would be the 3rd cat for our cat lady). Someone brings in a kitten with infections in both eyes, and they think the kitten is too sick to live, but a young vet thinks otherwise. She saves the kitten but the kitten is blind. Luckily (?), the kitten has been blind since birth since he got the infection before he opened his eyes. Therefore being blind is not new to him, it is the way life has always been. But having saved the kitten she can find no one to take him in. However, vets always know who the suckers are, those of us that will take in a kitten rather than be responsible for its death, and Gwen is one of us. She finally agrees to come into the vet's office "just to look" at the kitten, but one look was all it took and it was love at first sight for Gwen. She becomes immediately attached to the kitten that she names Homer, a creator of stories.

As we travel with Gwen and Homer (and her two other cats Scarlett and Vashi) through their trials and tribulations which include Gwen getting a job after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend, 9/11 where the cats survived on their own for days before Gwen could bribe her way back to her apartment, to surviving an intruder attack in her apartment, we find we get to know them in a way we would good friends. Homer teaches us a lot about bravery, love, loyalty, and being able to handle whatever life throws at us. He is definitely not the shy little cat Gwen was warned he would be. He definitely knows how to make the most of every moment. And in this book you can see what an impact a pet can make on a person's life. Anyone who has a pet they love will be able to relate Gwen and her cats.

Gwen Cooper writes really well. She does a good job with what is essentially her and Homer's memoir. It moves really well and has quite a bit of action in it, she leads quite a life! She also gives the book a good voice; you will feel like you know her and her cats by the end of the book.

Since I read this book right after I got divorced when I was having job troubles myself and I only had my cats for company, this book really resonated with me. There were funny moments and sad moments but the whole book was in fact an encouragement saying all this can happen to you and you can still move forward and find happiness. I think this is the type of story people need right now, one to say, it is bad now but we can get through it and it will get better. It also points out you can never underestimated the love and devotion of a valued and loved pet.

If you like pets, cats, pets stories or have pets of your own you will love this book. And if you like memoirs about people who preserve through life's ups and downs you will like this book as well. It would make a great gift for a cat lover as well. I recommend everyone read this book you will not regret it.