A Gift from Bob: How a Street Cat Helped One Man Learn the Meaning of Christmas

This was a wonderful story of Christmas spirit. I, of course, adore Bob, who shares a name with my kitty. I just wish my kitty was this nice. The story did not disappoint. The simplistic narrative looks back on James Bowen's prior Christmas experiences and why this was not one of his favorite holidays. It also shows how Bob helped James make friends who showed him what Christmas truly meant. A great, quick read for the holiday season.

The Street Cat Bob juggernaut rolls on with this third entry in the series. Like the first two books, A Gift from Bob is an uplifting story about James, a recovering drug addict, and Bob, the loyal, intelligent cat who helps him turn his life around.

As he prepares for Christmas 2012, James reminisces about the many unhappy holidays in his past. Late December 2012 has its share of mishaps as well, but as he sits down to a simple celebration with Bob and his best friend Belle, he realizes an important, heartwarming truth: his feline friend had given the best gift ever: "a new life. . . full of happiness and hope" (pp. 171-172).

The series formula is getting a little disingenuous, now that James is a best-selling author who presumably show more doesn't have to worry about earning enough money to keep the heat on. It will be interesting to see how long this series can continue.

Nonetheless, If you liked the previous Bob books, you will like this one as well. show less

Not even the hardest hearted will be able to resist Bob as he instructs his human in the placement and decoration of the Christmas tree. The lovely ginger tabby reminds James of the gift that is Christmas, and, more importantly, reminds him of what it is like to live with hope:

"The fact that I could now appreciate and enjoy a Christmas like this was just one of the blessings Bob had bestowed upon me. It was part of the even greater gift he had given me, probably the most wonderful one I’d ever received. Bob had given me a new life, a new life that was full of happiness and hope. As he, Belle and I curled up on the sofa that cold December night, I made another promise. I was going to treasure that gift, not just this Christmas, but show more for as long as we remained together.” show less

The newest chapter from the life of James and Bob. This short, Christmas themed book would have been easily a corny and cheesy one but somehow it isn't. Simply a heartwarming christmas story bout a healing drug addict and a cat whose lives ans fates became one.

I just can't say enough about how much I enjoy James Bowen's books. Here's a man who worked his way off drugs, busked, then sold magazines on the street for a living, and has his gas & electricity by meter, which he needs to feed with cash to keep them going - and cannot, always - yet he has little bad to say about anyone, takes responsibility for his own situation even though his early life was difficult, and goes out of his way to make a nice Christmas for himself, for everyone he loves, and for a homeless man on the street. We should all have such sense and compassion.

A continuation of James Bowen’s memoir that began in his popular book “A Street Cat Named Bob", this book focuses on the last year that James spent as a recovering person trying to make a living on the bitterly cold, frozen streets of London selling the magazine “The Big Issue” and playing guitar with his adopted cat Bob. It depicts the hand-to-mouth difficult existence of those times juxtaposed with the warmth James and Bob have together as a family, especially during the holidays. While a slight story, this is definitely a book that will delight fans of his previous books about his journey with his cat Bob and people who enjoy animal stories.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

Really good book. Stayed extremely engaged and read in a day. I woukd recomend however this wasnt my favorite book. Was a great story though!