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The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide
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The Guest Cat (original 2001; edition 2014)

by Takashi Hiraide (Author)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
1,1536617,138 (3.52)70
The Guest Cat is a subtly moving novel that conveys deeply felt ways of being. Two writers, a young couple, enjoy their quiet cottage in a leafy part of Tokyo: they work at home as freelance editors. One day a cat invites herself into their small kitchen. She is a beautiful creature. she leaves, but comes again, and then again and again. New, small joys, radiated by the fleeting loveliness of life, accompany the cat; the days take on more light and color.… (more)
Member:Brindle
Title:The Guest Cat
Authors:Takashi Hiraide (Author)
Info:New Directions (2014), Edition: 1st, 144 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:***
Tags:None

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The Guest Cat by Takashi Hiraide (2001)

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» See also 70 mentions

English (53)  French (4)  Dutch (3)  Spanish (2)  Finnish (2)  Italian (1)  Swedish (1)  All languages (66)
Showing 1-5 of 53 (next | show all)
This is a meandering book, a bit like the Lightning Alley where the narrator lives for most of the book. It goes one way for a while, then turns and goes in another direction, and though the path connecting them is there, you can't see the start of the journey once you've been traveling the path for a little while. I enjoyed the poetry of the text the most in the first half of the book, but in the second half the narration style changes a little and there is more obvious 4th wall breaking, which I didn't enjoy as much.

There is a death of a cat in this book, though nothing graphic is shown. The focus is less on the cat and more on the humans who cared for it for this part of the book. ( )
  ca.bookwyrm | Jan 23, 2024 |
The book is pleasant to read but ultimately makes no point and therefore no sense. It's widely acclaimed, but I didn't find it very worth reading. ( )
  awesame | Dec 26, 2023 |
For the most part I enjoyed this although Chibi the cat was written out a little too early for me. Still a nice book for a cat lover. ( )
  secondhandrose | Oct 31, 2023 |
I could not get engaged with this book. I don't know if something was lost in the translation or if this was simply the ramblings of a wannabe writer. What do geometric surveying, Machiavelli, and a cat have in common, anyway? ( )
  Kimberlyhi | Apr 15, 2023 |
My third cat-centric book in a row. This was a slower read. The writing is thoughtful. The characters and locations are written with delicate and deliberate strokes.

It was beautiful to read but, in the end, didn't capture me as much as I had hoped it would. The glimpses into of the life of this couple (from the husband's perspective) are written with gentleness but not enough intimacy. I didn't ever feel that I knew them.

That said, I *was* able to identify with the couple and with Chibi (the cat) as my own freak Sigrid has come to be a part of our household very much on her own terms. ( )
  Jess.Stetson | Apr 4, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 53 (next | show all)
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» Add other authors (20 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Takashi Hiraideprimary authorall editionscalculated
Selland, EricTranslatormain authorsome editionsconfirmed
Foujita, TsuguharuCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Gräfe, UrsulaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Porrasmaa, RaisaTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Selland, EricTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Van Haute, LukTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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Op het eerste gezicht waren het zwevende wolkenflarden
At first it looked like low-lying ribbons of clouds just floating there, but then the clouds would be blown a little bit to the right and next to the left.
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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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The Guest Cat is a subtly moving novel that conveys deeply felt ways of being. Two writers, a young couple, enjoy their quiet cottage in a leafy part of Tokyo: they work at home as freelance editors. One day a cat invites herself into their small kitchen. She is a beautiful creature. she leaves, but comes again, and then again and again. New, small joys, radiated by the fleeting loveliness of life, accompany the cat; the days take on more light and color.

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