An extraordinarily touching book - winner of the Smarties Book Prize.
Blitzcat
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
"Westall's writing has always been strong and vivid but he has rarely written as confidently as this." Times Literary Supplement
Book Description
She made her way down the cliff, and on to the beach. At the edge of the waves, she stopped, shaking her wet paws. She knew that somewhere ahead was her person, but far, far away. She miaowed plaintively; stood staring at the moving blur of uncrossable sea. She led the way to safety, out of the blazing hell of blitzed Coventry. People touched her for luck; feared her as an omen of disaster. Wherever she went, she changed lives.... From her beginning to her end she never wavered. She was the Blitzcat. ''Westall's writing has always been strong and vivid but he has rarely written as confidently as this.'' Times Literary Supplement
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 51 people found the following review helpful
By The Librarian
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
I never tire of recommending Westall to readers (and the parents of readers), he is one of my favourite authors for children, and this is probably his best book - although I can't actually think of a BAD one! One of his best qualities is that he never talks down to his audience. This particular book is probably appropriate for age 11+, as there is a little bit of sex in it, and it does deal with adult emotions of all kinds, but he has written for much younger kids too, and his touch is always sure. Blitzcat gives children the feeling of being trusted with grown-up material, without boring or disturbing them.
The story is told in episodic form, each encounter that the cat has being a discrete tale, complete in itself, but adding up to a deeply satisfying whole.(It would make a great TV series! - Come on, some scriptwriter somewhere!!) Three of Westall's favourite things are ghosts (he writes AMAZINGLY good ghost stories), cats, and the World War II setting, and here he manages to use 2 out of 3!! He explores "psi-trailing", the term given to the way cats have been known to find their owners again after being separated, in some cases by hundreds of miles. Here the cat sets off to look for her "special person", and all along the way she touches the lives of others, from the miserable, lonely housewife, to two farmers trying to rescue their horses from the hell of the firebombing of Coventry, from the scared young men facing nightly anti-aircraft fire in their bomber to the doomed UXB squad. It's very exciting, deeply moving in parts, reads aloud brilliantly, and is a children's classic.
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
By G. Munday
Format:Paperback
Lord Gort is a female black cat, growing up in WWII England. She is quite happy in lazing in and around the house of her owner, until the young man disappears to fulfil his duties of war. Reluctantly, she leaves the suddenly deserted home and begins her search for her companion, made possible through psi-tracking: a debatable and paranormal quality that enables cats to find their owners over hundreds of miles. Her journey leads her all over the country, living off of kills, corned beef and housing up with various surprised humans along the way.
The striking quality of `Blitzcat' is that the main character (Lord Gort) is believable, loveable and undeniably an animal, meaning that the author has cleverly portrayed a cat's perspective with what feels like little to no human bias. The cat is the thread that draws the random human characters together and serves as a cunning tool to lure the young reader into learning about the lives of British people during the war.
This read is borderline Year 6 due to the hard content and upsetting turn of events that may be too much for the sensitive pupil. But for a child that is interested in world events (WWII) and 20th century history, this vivid and real book offers a gateway to the further study of history.
The striking quality of `Blitzcat' is that the main character (Lord Gort) is believable, loveable and undeniably an animal, meaning that the author has cleverly portrayed a cat's perspective with what feels like little to no human bias. The cat is the thread that draws the random human characters together and serves as a cunning tool to lure the young reader into learning about the lives of British people during the war.
This read is borderline Year 6 due to the hard content and upsetting turn of events that may be too much for the sensitive pupil. But for a child that is interested in world events (WWII) and 20th century history, this vivid and real book offers a gateway to the further study of history.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By T. Wilson
Format:Paperback
This book is truely unique. Robert Westall has managed to write a book with an animal as it's main characture without resorting to 'cutie-pie' Disneyesque characterization. The cat IS a cat; all the luck (good or bad) that follows her is purely down to human interpretation of events.
It brings to life the horror of Coventry during the blitz, the fear in flying bombers over Germany, and the terror of being shot down. It shows human nature, how people in times of hardship have to have an explanation for what's happening. It also gives hope.
The story is simple. Blitzcat (real name Lord Gort, although its a she) looses her owner; he's gone to fly Blenheims. She can sense him, and sets off to find him. She goes from Dover to north Norfolk to Coventry, at one point even gets shot down over Germany and then rescued from Portugal.
This is not just a children's book, Adults will enjoy every single word too.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 15 reviews
4.2 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
delightful book
a lovely book, I read this years ago, and was delighted to find it available again. Highly recommended to wide age range
Published 2 months ago by A Hesford
4.0 out of 5 stars
For children
This was an excellent story. The use of a cat wandering around during the war is a fantastic way to show children what wartime Britain was like
Published 3 months ago by catlover
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very enjoyable book particularly for cat-lovers
I bought this book for my daughter aged 12, who loves cats and is studying WWII. I've read it and really enjoyed the story. Interesting insights into social history for WWII era. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Harried Mum
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of my all favourite books
Read this as a 13 year old, not long after out much love family cat died. I don't know if it was that which made it such a powerful book to me, but I absolutely loved it. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Angelshild81
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blitzcat
This is the story of a cat, misnamed Lord Gort, who raises her kittens in a drawer and has to flee the blazing hell of Coventry. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Clare O'Beara
5.0 out of 5 stars
step on and up from the machine gunners
I got this to read with my boys (9 and 11) who loved the Machine Gunners and we haven't been let down. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Liam
5.0 out of 5 stars
Blitzcat
Robert Westall is an excellent story teller, with both a good geographical knowledge of England and of cats! The story appeals to old and young... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Peja
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant book - makes me cry every time!
This book is a brilliant introduction to World War II for a reader of any age. Everything is seen from the point of view of the cat, allowing Westall more freedom to describe some... Read more
Published on 31 Dec 2009 by J. Edel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utter Genius
No book could rival my all-time childhood favourite 'The Wind In The Willows'. Or so I thought.
While this outstanding work is probably a little hardline for under 12's,... Read more
While this outstanding work is probably a little hardline for under 12's,... Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2009 by Skank Del Var
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Second World War Book with a Difference
Lord Gort is a cat. Separated from her person, she sets out to find him and in the process meets a number of different people on different situations. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2009 by Sir Furboy
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Children's Books > Education
- Books > Children's Books > Fiction > Adventure
- Books > Children's Books > Fiction > War
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
