A friend gave me this little book, and, to be honest, I wasn't expecting all that much from it, figuring it would be something like Jenny Parks' Star Trek Cats, with nothing but pictures of Downton Abbey characters as cats. Don't get me wrong, I adore Star Trek Cats, but I'm an old Trekkie from way back, and I was never more than a fairly casual viewer of Downton Abbey.

Well, I was wrong. This isn't just pictures. It's a full-fledged parody (and, in places, a positive satire), one that pokes fun not just at Downton Abbey characters and cats, but also at the landed gentry. The pictures are mildly amusing, but the text is frequently hilarious.

Consider:

In the early days of the last century, the courtly cats of England's stately mansions lived life in much the same way the owners of England's stately mansions did: someone fed them, then they spent the day grooming and sleeping and kind of ambling around, then someone fed them again.

I think that's pretty much the part where I first started laughing out loud. ( )

I liked this book, but I think I expected a bigger one. It reminded me of some things I forgot about the Downton Abbey series, even though I just saw the film. My favorite parts were the sayings of the "Dowager Catness." ( )

Not sure this really merited killing trees to publish, but I can see how it would be fairly amusing for Downton Abbey fans, cat people, but especially cat people who are also Downton Abbey fans. Funniest line: In a newspaper graphic of the sinking of the "Mewsitania," the headline reads "1,195 Cats Lose 10,755 Lives." HA! ( )

Your favorite Downton Abbey characters are here, but in feline form. Mrs. Catmore, the cook, has trouble seeing, and gives Laisy, her helper, the wrong ingredients. Matthmew, the heir apparent, can drive a car, but not well. Catson, the butler, does his best to keep everyone in line downstairs even while Vibrissa Clowder, the Dowager Catness of Grimalkin, regales everyone upstairs with her pearls of wisdom. This little tome is packed with pleasure and sheer delight, with amusing illustrations and witty writing. Feline fanciers and Downton Abbey fans will especially enjoy it. ( )

This was seriously a fun read. Very cute especially if you're a Downton Abbey fan (which I am.) I'm not really a cat person (I have nothing against them, they're cute - I'm just very allergic to most of them) but I still enjoyed this. ( )