Shirley Rousseau Murphy (1928–2022)

Joe Grey is a cat who has inexplicably found himself possessed of human-style intelligence and the capacity for human speech, although he doesn't like to do it in front of people. Then he witnesses a murder and has reason to believe someone is going to try to pin it on his human.

It's a really cute idea, but I have to say the execution just felt kind of... weird... to me. The author is prone to describing things, especially the cats, in this slightly over-done, almost flowery-feeling way that show more kept making me stop and wonder if it was meant to be some sort of self-parody. I don't think it was, though, which is kind of a shame, because I think this could have been really fun if it had leaned into the absurdity of its premise a little more and thrown in some humor.

It did still have an entertaining moment or two, and I like the author's spot-on observations about how normal cats communicate using body language, but mostly I think reading it just gave me lots of distracting thoughts of how I would have written everything in it differently. show less

I was expecting Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s Cat on the Edge to be — well, different. It wasn’t twee at all, but plausible in a paranormal kind of way. I really loved main character Joe Grey, a sentient tomcat, and his scruffy owner, Clyde Damon.

And the book was surprisingly suspenseful. I read much too late into the night to find out the fate of Joe and Clyde, the unusual Kate Osborne, and Joe’s lady-love kitty, Dulcie. This is the cozy mystery for people who don’t like cozies. show more Highly recommended. show less

I read this book once a long time ago, and later on asked for a copy for Christmas. It was no less better the second time around. If you love cats, you WILL love this book.

One thing I loved was the idea that magic and science were restrained to their respective worlds - so that someone with guns and technology couldn't take over Affandar, and a skilled magician couldn't take over our world - making for a wonderfully plausible book that has a mixture of magic and science. I also liked the show more subtle way that magic and science could bleed into one another, like being able to perform small spells into this world, or importing objects from this world (such as wine) into the other world.

The story's interesting from the first page, and bit by bit you see the full story reveal itself as Melissa's significance is revealed. The character of Siddonie is also fascinating even though she is the villain, and I was feeling sorry for her son until it was revealed that he hated cats and liked to torture them (good thing he got a whooping when one of Melissa's friends caught him)

Personally, I'm iffy on the whole 'power in a image thing'. Not that it's not a plausible plot device, but at the same time it simply didn't make sense to me. Still, this is a solid and entertaining read, and a must for any cat-lover. 4.5.5 stars. show less

Thursey's dad went to fight a war for the king and never returned, but nobody has ever been able to tell her his fate. Now Thursey is stuck doing all the labor at the inn he owned, while her stepmother and stepsisters mistreat her. She stays because she is afraid her father will return and she won't be there. Taught her letters by a traveling monk, she writes down and illustrates the Cinderella stories she hears in the inn at night, but she believes they are only stories. She meets the royal show more goatherd, Gillie. The two become friends and he encourages her to attend the royal ball. With the help of a kindly monk, she makes it to the ball where she learns that happily ever after can happen outside of a story.

This is a short chapter book, with occasional illustrations. Having "Cinderella" know her own story in advance adds an interesting twist, and a few slight changes to details (notably, the lack of impossibly tiny glass shoes, a pumpkin carriage or a midnight curfew) open up the story quite a bit. Letting her meet and become friends with the prince well before the ball was a welcome change as well.

I liked this book quite a bit and I suspect I would have adored it as a child. show less