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heidi_a's review against another edition
3.0
Cute...and for anyone who has (or has had) a pet that they love, it is definitely a tear-jerker!
bobonnie's review against another edition
2.0
Parts of this book were cute, parts were interesting, and parts were really boring. It's not a book that I would recommend to anyone, but it wasn't a total waste, and I don't regret reading it.
rebecca_oneil's review against another edition
3.0
I finally read it -- the book that I've seen advertised every time I log onto Goodreads, open a library journal, or walk into a bookstore. I have to admit, although I'm only giving it three stars, the cover gets five stars. It markets itself.
I think what I will take away from this book is the fact that it did change my mind on something. I read on the jacket flap, "How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world?" And my inner cynic (yes, I do have one) reared up and said "Snort! I'd like to know. This book is trying to be a Hallmark card." But the story of Dewey the library cat illustrated the importance of little things (someone to touch, someone to greet you) to the morale that is the bedrock for larger improvements and changes (civic pride, optimism). In that way, I did think it was necessary to know the background of Vicki Myron's struggles. They made the ending all the more poignant and tearjerking.
I also enjoyed the descriptions of the small town of Spencer and the role played by its library. Never having lived in a small town, the window into a different life is always interesting. So are men's names like "Squeege" and "Clebus."
And I enjoyed this admittedly Hallmark-y quote:
"Why come all this way?...Were they hoping to find a cat, a library, a town, an experience that was genuine, that wasn't from the past or for the moment, that was different from their lives but somehow familiar? Is that what Iowa is all about? Maybe the heartland isn't just the place in the middle of the country; maybe it's also the place in the middle of your chest."
Yeah, take that, inner cynic.
I think what I will take away from this book is the fact that it did change my mind on something. I read on the jacket flap, "How is it possible for an abandoned kitten to transform a small library, save a classic American town, and eventually become famous around the world?" And my inner cynic (yes, I do have one) reared up and said "Snort! I'd like to know. This book is trying to be a Hallmark card." But the story of Dewey the library cat illustrated the importance of little things (someone to touch, someone to greet you) to the morale that is the bedrock for larger improvements and changes (civic pride, optimism). In that way, I did think it was necessary to know the background of Vicki Myron's struggles. They made the ending all the more poignant and tearjerking.
I also enjoyed the descriptions of the small town of Spencer and the role played by its library. Never having lived in a small town, the window into a different life is always interesting. So are men's names like "Squeege" and "Clebus."
And I enjoyed this admittedly Hallmark-y quote:
"Why come all this way?...Were they hoping to find a cat, a library, a town, an experience that was genuine, that wasn't from the past or for the moment, that was different from their lives but somehow familiar? Is that what Iowa is all about? Maybe the heartland isn't just the place in the middle of the country; maybe it's also the place in the middle of your chest."
Yeah, take that, inner cynic.
colormist's review against another edition
3.0
I was repeatedly wiping my leaky eyes as I finished this book. I liked it but I knew how it was going to end before I even started it. Don't all animal books end the same way?
needcoffeenow's review against another edition
5.0
Very heartwarming story about Dewey, the cat and the way in which he touched so many lives. Of course, you need kleenex to go along with this book!! The best description I have heard is that this book is the "Marley & Me" for cat-lovers. Of course, I love both cats & dogs so I loved both books. Great quick read!
tex2flo's review against another edition
3.0
Sweet book about a cat that brought distinction to a small Iowa library.
kayee's review against another edition
2.0
Given all of the press that this book has received I thought it would be better than it is. Plus, I am a cat owner, a reader of biographies, a book lover, and an Iowan. It's fine, but not really as extraordinary as the author thinks it is. I suspect that she had never had a cat before, because some of the things that she finds so remarkable about Dewey are pretty standard repertoire for an even slightly clever cat.
olecat's review against another edition
5.0
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13665388
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13665388
culuriel's review against another edition
3.0
Heartwarming story with some bittersweet endings. The book isn't just about the cat, or the library, it's also the librarian who principally cared for the cat. She has had a tough life in a succession of small towns, and she ends up feeling a kinship with this abandoned cat. Definitely a great account of the town that loved the cat too. Not alot of deep meaning, but that is not the book's intention.