I Am a Cat (Tuttle Classics)
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Synopsis
Cat lovers will delight in the thoughts of a cat whose particular joy in life is commenting on the folly of human beings. Based on a nameless cat's observations of upper-middle-class Japanese society of the Meiji era, the essence of I AM A CAT is its humour and sardonic truths. Written over the course of 1904-06, this book is full of acerbic wit as it follows the whimsical adventures of a world-weary stray kitten.
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I AM A CAT. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
I AM A CAT. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
By GRBD
Format:Paperback
When Natsume Soseki, student of both the east and west, first wrote "I am a Cat", it was intended as a short series of satirical articles. When its run was completed, such was the clamour for more that Soseki was moved to write further chapters. And it is obvious from reading them that as the collection advances, the cat, our nameless and defiant narrator, loses more feline qualities and acquires pronounced human sensibilities, as a result. However, to say that this in any way decreases the inherent humour, intelligence and acerbic observations made would be a falsehood. This is an immensely entertaining work, astute and acute, and deserves far more widespread acclaim than it at present commands. Any student of Japanese history or literature should add this high up their reading list.
24 of 26 people found the following review helpful
By Greshon
Format:Paperback
There is nothing else like this book. The only other book I can say this for is Life of Pi. This novel is huge, but it's so enjoyable to read that you will just breeze through it. Whilst reading it you start to feel like you belong to the family, and the neighborhood, in which it is set. The episodic plot is not much more than a loosely strung together collection of occurrences. Like many Japanese books, mood is all important, and things happen primarily to create or modify mood rather than to further the action. The narrator, who is a cat, is a very tricky character indeed, and I suspect whole essays could be written on him. Don't trust him.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
In Soseki Natsume's "I Am a Cat", a nameless feline narrator satirises Japanese society in the time of the Meiji Emperor, the era when the country re-opened contact with the outside world. Much of the subject matter concerns the period's uneasy mix between new Western ideas and traditional Japanese sensibilities.
The novel lacks any particularly strong plot as such, reading more like a set of short stories; indeed it first appeared as a series of installments in a literary magazine. However, "I Am a Cat" is frequently very funny and the modernity of the writing is striking given the book appeared in the early years of the 20th century. It was an interesting and amusing read, although I feel it might have been more rewarding if I'd had a better knowledge of society it describes.
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4.2 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
What a nice book I came across!
I started reading the book thinking I might find it a bit harsh. Japanese descriptions, long paragraphs... Read more
Published 21 days ago by Marta G.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Long & boring!
This was a book club read which I found dense & boring. The characters were self important & I was not really interested in the society it portrayed
Published 5 months ago by Trisha
5.0 out of 5 stars
feline philosophy at its best
This book intersperses some lovely and very feline description of being a cat - the nameless cat asking for his breakfast in a tone he calculates 'should make a wanderer in a... Read more
Published on 23 Jan 2011 by Lucinda Stern
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful
Kin'nosuke Natsume, here writing under the name Soseki Natsume produced something unique and truly wonderful when he wrote this. Read more
Published on 5 Oct 2010 by M. Dowden
5.0 out of 5 stars
cats life
I have to say I really enjoyed this book. The beauty of it is that life as we live it is seen through a cats eyes, showing up how silly things mean so much to us. Read more
Published on 29 Jun 2010 by emmay
2.0 out of 5 stars
Unwieldy
This book is a series of vignettes written through the eyes of a cat owned by a Japanese school teacher. Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2009 by Mrs. K. A. Wheatley
2.0 out of 5 stars
I couldn't finish the book
On reading the reviews, I thought this is the type of book I would love. I read the first chapter and thought it was great, it is after this however that it becomes rambling and... Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2009 by Anon
1.0 out of 5 stars
I Am a Cat - appraised
Should you be a cat lover and a devotee of all things feline then do not allow yourself to be seduced into reading this book let alone actually purchasing a copy. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2008 by Legal Eagle
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