A Cat Abroad

A Cat Abroad: The Further Adventures of Norton, the Cat Who Went to Paris, and His Human By Peter Gethers

OK, I am a sucker for cat books, I live with five of them, and I absolutely loved Peter Gether's first book, The Cat Who Went to Paris, which tells of Peter's life with his very intelligent, Scottish Fold cat, Norton, so I was positively delirious with joy when I discovered that he had written two sequels, this book, and a subsequent one. However, I am sorry to report, this does not live up to the many delights of the first book. When reading this, I was constantly annoying my husband by wanting to read yet another passage to him. This one, however had far too much about Peter and what food he ate on a particular day, and not nearly show more enough about the lovely Norton.
This was readable, but nowhere near the delights of the first book. show less

3.5 stars

This is Gethers’ second book about his travels with his Scottish Fold cat, Norton. In this one, Gethers, his girlfriend Janis, and Norton head to France for a year in the countryside. The author would just like to relax at the house (castle?) they are renting for the year, but Janis wants to see as much as she can. Of course, Norton joins them on all their travels.

These are enjoyable stories. A little bit of humour thrown in. A lot of food on this trip (they are in France, after all). It looks like I rated the first book slightly higher at 4 stars. There is one more and I will plan to read it.

This is, I believe, the first book I have giving no rating to. I couldn't even bring myself to give it one star. I was expecting a witty book about an interesting, clever and adorably cute cat. What I got was a series of dull anecdotes about various meals, lots of references that only Americans would understand, several xenophobic comments and countless loud clangs resulting from the huge amount of name-dropping Gethers indulges in.

Gethers found it hilarious that the Japanese translator of his first book (called A Cat Called Norton in the UK) had to ask several questions. Here's some news for him - a lot of people in Britain also have no idea who Willie Davis, Willie Wilson, Willie Mays, Roger Staubach or the Seven Santini brothers are. show more The UK publisher and editor also did a poor job, as England and America are indeed two countries separated by a common language. My teeth grated at every mention of 'driving a stick shift', and the several other Americanisations in the book.

But it was mostly Gethers' self-indulgence that made me hate this book. show less

This book was enjoyable but a 'light' read with very little happening. Norton didn't come across as a particularly amazing cat - this was more of a travel memoir with cat rather than the cat being central to the book.

The continuing adventures of Norton, the amazing Scottish Fold cat, was primarily focused on a year in Provence and nearby locations. This book mostly made me hungry for all the food descriptions. I certainly would have loved to have met Norton.

One of a pile of books lent to me by a friend. I picked it cause I need something light to throw in my handbag. I don't know why I bothered, I don't think I particularly enjoyed the first one and this one was worse
- heavy handed repetition ("I have hinted at these matters"... no you have not hinted you have told us at least 10 times)
- We know Norton is cute and travels well from the first book, this book doesn't add any more to Norton's abilities
- lack of plot, at least in the last one there was some plot and development - this was a travelogue and review of restaurants the author had eaten at and wine he had drunk
- Oh woe is me I could only afford to go and live in the south of France and eat food and travel and stay at great hotels show more if I do SOME work (I admit that this is partially jealously on my part), but after a while it got a bit repetitious as well.

There were the odd moments of lovely writing (which gets the extra 1/2 star) and it was strangely compulsive, but just mostly heavy handed.

But if want a good book about humanity and cats read Making the Rounds with Oscar - a much less self indulgent book. show less

I am sorry but this book is boaring.
I did read the previous book in this series, I enjoyed that one but perhaps I was in a different place. this book is just more of the same. trying not to say too much about what was happening and trying to make his cat sound cute - I am certain that the last one was less contrived.
It comes down to the problem that we know the cat from the first book and it does not "do" anything different. It has no beginning it has no end, it is just a rambling story of a man trying to find something cute about his cat.
I was disappointed