Reviews with content warning for Terminal illness - The Travelling Cat Chronicles

It took a while to understand while these characters were on a journey but I was crying by the end. It’s about a life filled with tragic events but supported by friendships along the way. The comments from Nana bring much comic relief throughout the story.

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blueacorn1991's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Wel écht een tranentrekker, dit boek! Het verhaal vond ik wel echt vertederend, hoe je meer te weten komt over Satoru via de reis met zijn kat, Nana. In het begin moest ik even in de vertelstijl komen. En ook even in de andere gebruiken die normaler zijn in de Japanse cultuur dan in de mijne. Maar overkoepelend is het een mooi verhaal over een man met een zonnige kijk op zijn tragische levensverhaal, die toch zoveel liefde in zich houdt voor de katten in zijn leven.

Ik las de Nederlandse vertaling, die ik persoonlijk niet heel fijn geschreven vond. Het voelde soms bijna zakelijk en wat onhandig. Nana's uitspraken kwamen dan soms weer heel abrupt over, wat mij uit het verhaal trok. Ook werd op één punt manga en anime door elkaar heen gehaald, wat ik slordig vond. Hierom vier sterren, en niet vijf.

Maar qua verhaal niets aan te merken op dit boek. Het heeft me zeker geraakt!

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colormecaro's review against another edition

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lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

From reading the blurb, you know exactly what’s going to happen. Read this book for the cosy vibes, not the plot. But because the plot was so predictable, I was hoping for emotional depth which to me just wasn’t there. The last two chapters redeemed it a bit but overall it fell a bit flat for me.

I’m not writing this because I’m a heartless person who doesnt understand pet relationships. I’ve had some very strong bonds with cats in my life (part of the reason I picked up this book) so I understand what the book was trying to do. But I think as charming as it is to have a cat narrate the book, the fact that the cat is a bit self-involved (in a very fitting cat-like manner) means that some depth had to be sacrificed along the way. Especially throughout the earlier chapters.

I’ve ugly sobbed at other books ('Mornings in Jenin' by Susan Abulhawa is a prime example), but this book left me quite neutral. Given that it is a book about

a very close pet relationship, death, grief and the friendships one builds over a lifetime

I just think it should not have left me as cold as it did. Based on other reviews this isn’t the case for everyone, so maybe my expectations were just a bit too high.

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hellavaral's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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faithtaylor's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny lighthearted reflective relaxing sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

All I do is ready my silly little books and CRY.

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imaginaryalchemist's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I love, love, love this book! It’s such a beautiful, sweet story about the bond between a man and his beloved cat. Most of the story is told through the perspective of the cat, Nana, as he and his owner Satoru travel together.

I loved Satoru as a character, he’s so kind, warm, and compassionate despite the tragic things that have happened to him. He never let it turn him bitter. He has a good heart. Everyone should try to be a bit more like him. As a fellow cat lover I felt like we were kindred spirits.

The ending absolutely broke me.

Towards the end of the story, it’s hinted that something is wrong with Satoru. It turns out he is dying from an unnamed illness, possibly cancer, that is causing tumors throughout his body. It’s always so heartbreaking when bad things happen to such good people.

When he was dying and Nana ran to him I broke down and sobbed like a baby. I’ve loved and lost many cats over the years, and that bond is so precious. So many people think cats are aloof and don’t care but they are capable of so much love.

I highly recommend The Travelling Cat Chronicles to anyone who has ever loved a cat! I look forward to reading Hiro Arikawa’s other novel The Goodbye Cat. It has also made me want to read more Japanese novels!

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babsbee's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I didn't know it was possible to cry from beginning to end while reading a book but this book succeeded in that task. Still, even with the crying, it's a beautiful, heart-felt book and there are moments in the book

the chapter where Satoru and Nana take their trip to Sapporo together and travel slowly through Hokkaido is so beautiful that I felt as though as I waws there

that show such beauty that I felt was there. I recommend reading this with a cat (or even a dog) curled up on your lap to help you get through it.

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