LOVED it!! If you're a cat lover you will love this book & you will fall in love with Homer! ( )

I don't know what the hell the two reviewers below are talking about. 'Disturbing disregard for Judeo-Christian morality????' Puh-leeze. What does she do, rob little old ladies and commit murders??? Out of pure human kindness she ADOPTED AN EYELESS KITTEN who was going to be put to sleep in a shelter! She spent YEARS doing charity work! Read the author bio: how many homeless people does someone have to help and how many orphanages does somebody have to volunteer at and how many literacy programs for disadvantaged children does a person have to start before they're no longer showing a "disturbing disregard for Judeo-Christian morality"??? What do you want from her, blood? I'm betting she donates that too!!!

Cooper demonstrates throughout the book, and not just in her relationship with Homer, empathy, compassion, charity, altruism, love, kindness, and a real commitment to doing right by and caring for others even if they're 'special' or different in ways that cause some people to shun them. It is literally and completely beyond me to figure out what on earth this person is talking about. Unless he means that Cooper lived with her husband before they got married? Grow up, and since I have to assume you're not Jewish (Cooper is and so am I) don't presume to lump Jewish views on pre-marital sex in with your 'Christian' ones. I'm married to a rabbi. We had sex before we got married. Lots of it. Get over yourself.

As far as bermudaonion's review goes, I'm not sure why he/she chose to give an 'average' rating to a book he/she seems to consider above average in every way with the exception of one or two chapters. Personally I found Cooper's description of her husband and their relationship, and the process of his adjusting to life with her three cats (he wasn't a 'cat person' at first) to be among the most engaging parts of the book. And I think that part is absolutely essential for showing how Homer helped Cooper 'grow up' over the course of their life together and how the lessons she learned from Homer helped her make the most important decision of her life--and also how caring for Homer helped her become the kind of person who would love and be loved by the man she married. Without that there's no point to the book, it's just a series of entertaining/moving anecdotes about a cat. With that it's a STORY that MATTERS and has something to say about all of us, and about what's really important in life, even if we've never lived with a 'special needs' pet like Homer.

Well I guess you can tell by now that I loved this book! I think it was incredibly well written (Cooper's gift for langauge would make her worth reading even if she was describing the ingredients of a bottle of ketchup), and the story is one that I think will have a real impact on how people think about life and love. Reading about Cooper's commitment to helping others, cats and humans, inspired me to want to do more for others in my own life, to seek out those who are neglected or cast aside just because they're different. When a book is entertaining, thought-provoking, and makes you want to change your life, THAT'S a good book! And if a book that makes you want to be a better person shows a 'disturbing lack of Judeo-Christian' values then I don't know what Judeo-Christian values are, and I don't want to. ( )

When a two-week old kitten was found and brought into Patricia Khuly’s veterinary office, she refused to euthanize him, in spite of the fact that she had to remove his eyes because of a severe eye infection. The kitten bounced back well from the surgery and seemed to have a sweet spirit. Dr. Khuly had worked with blind cats before and knew this one could live a full life, since it had never seen and wouldn’t know what it was missing out on. She couldn’t find anyone to take this kitten and, out of desperation, called Gwen Cooper.

Gwen agreed to take a look at the kitten, but made no promises, since she already owned two cats. Upon seeing the kitten, Gwen was smitten and agreed to take him, thus changing her life forever. She named the tiny little kitten Homer after the Greek poet. I admire Gwen and her willingness to adopt a cat no one else wanted. Homer is a sweet, adventurous cat who loves everyone and sometimes frightens Gwen with his fearlessness.

Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper is the story of Gwen’s life with Homer and her other two cats. As an animal lover, I fell in love with Homer and his sweet, adventurous spirit. He amazed me with his ability to adapt and his love of life.

This book started out with a bang for me, but dragged a little bit by the end. I realize that it was important to know about Gwen’s life in order to understand some of what was going on in the life of her cats, but I felt like the end of the book focused on Gwen and her relationship too much. Without Homer, her life wasn’t all that different from anyone else’s, so the end of the book didn’t pull me in the way the beginning did. I still enjoyed the book and would recommend it to animal lovers. ( )

This is an account of how the author acquired a kitten whose eyes had to be removed and how she devoted herself to her cats and they to her. It is a book with some mushiness, but also drama and pathos: the cat defeats a burglar, and comes through 9/11 a few blocks from the Twin Towers. While the author's disregard for Judeo- Christian morality disturbs, otherwise the book is noteworthy and at times most poignant. ( )

Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper is a memoir of how the things that we might never choose on our own can be exactly what we need. It is about recognizing value in someone or something and building your life around it. It is about how, by looking at life and love through the eyes of another, we take on the traits we admire in that person. In Gwen Cooper’s case, that person was a blind wonder cat, through whom she learned courage, how to love, and perseverance.

One thing I really like about this book is the format. It’s set up as a journey from who and where Gwen was when she got the call from the vet about the eyeless kitten whom nobody wanted and would likely be put down if she, his last chance, didn’t adopt him, continues through jobs and moves and romances, and ends with what she has learned and insights she has gained through knowing and loving and living with Homer. But, each chapter is also a tale in and of itself, making it a book that can be devoured straight through (honestly, it’s very hard to put down) or you can nibble on it and ponder each lesson. Also, each chapter begins with a picture, usually of Homer, but occasionally of Scarlett or Vashti, Homer’s big sisters, and a quote from the other Homer, the Greek storyteller.

Another thing that I enjoyed with this book is Gwen’s sense of humor. There are so many laugh-out-loud moments, like bringing her date in and the two of them being greeted by a cat who not only discovered the tampons, but how to unwrap them, proudly carrying them in his mouth to show to his mommy. Also, there is a quality to her writing that made me feel like we’ve been friends for years.

Like life, though, the book isn’t all sunshine and roses. There are real dangers and some terrifying moments, like waking up to find a burglar in her apartment. As well as the heart wrenching days after September 11th, when Gwen tried desperately to get back to her cats who were trapped in their apartment, just blocks from where the two towers had stood.

I found Homer’s Odyssey by Gwen Cooper to be moving and inspirational, at times hilarious and touching, and am thankful that there was a vet who refused to accept that an eyeless kitten was better off being put down, that Gwen Cooper was in the vet’s contacts list and opened her heart to him, and that she has shared Homer and his wisdom with all of us.

click for full review: http://thekoolaidmom.wordpress.com/20... ( )