The Travelling Cat Chronicles

I'm so glad that the first book I read after nearly a half year reading slump was this. It made laugh my heart out, and sob like a baby for all the right reasons, especially at a time in life when I'm dearly missing two of my family cats back home. Nana's humour and Satoru's magnanimity have been my companions for the last two nights and I'm a little (read VERY) sad about not having them to tug me to a peaceful happy sleep. I don't think there's any character that I didn't love, they're all crafted so realistically with the good and the bad, but above all, with characteristics that most make us human.
Until Hiro Arikawa writes something else with a cat's POV, I see myself picking this up over and over again from its justly deserved spot on my favourites shelf. :)

This book tells a beautiful story of the bond between animals and humans, and all the ways in which love and companionship exist. It is a reminder of all the love, beauty, and tragedy that make life what it is

A life story, told in flashbacks, road-trip style. In this intriguing tale, we hear a third person narrator’s voice interspersed with the voice ofNana, the cat. And then finally, the cat becomes the primary narrator of present day events. He and Satoru have some lovely adventures, and are truly dedicated to one another.

Such a beautiful story and told so well I forgot a cat was narrating half of it. The three stages of Satoru’s childhood were conveyed so effortlessly and the friendships from each were nuanced, realistic and touching. Favorite friend was Yoshimine from junior high for his bluntness, kindness and complete lack of envy unlike the other 2. Even kosuke was a sweetheart. The end made me sob specifically when Nana was trying to follow satoru to the hospital and he kept saying no.

This book is like a warm hug. It made me laugh, it made me cry. So beautifully written by Hiro Arikawa. Most unique thing about this book is that it is written from the perspective of a cat. Nana, a stray cat, gets adopted by a die-hard cat lover, gentle-hearted Satoru and live happily with him. One day Satoru takes Nana to visit his old friends and see if anyone will adopt Nana. Nana still doesn't know why Satoru wants to leave him with someone else despite loving him so much. We get the sassy, sarcastic narrative of Nana while he visited Satoru's friends, and experienced the frighteningly loud sea, the amazing Mount Fuji, the breathtaking double rainbow, and some more memorable, lovable humans, cats and dogs. Nana is a proud, sarcastic, intelligent, loyal to the core type of cat who made me want to adopt a cat. I laughed out loud at his sarcastic presentation of himself like these- -"I'd always prided myself on having fur as soft as velvet." -"Humans always underestimate our language skills. Just 'cause they can read and write, there's no need to act all high and mighty." -"I'm happy to be a high-spirited, adventurous cat that will never be intimated by other animals, even if they're bigger than me." I was having a tough time reading for a while. Nothing was making me feel anything. Then I got this book. It definitely made me feel a whole range of emotions.