A review by bickleyhouse
Downton Tabby by Chris Kelly

funny fast-paced

4.0

 
Yet another benefit of my part-time library aide job. I never would have known that this book existed. I was standing at the information desk, one day, when the person doing shelving that day brought this up to us. I immediately grabbed it and checked it out.

I'm not at all sure why this is catalogued as non-fiction. It is a straight-up parody of Downton Abbey, as one might guess, with names like Robert "Bobcat" Clowder, the Earl of Grimalkin (instead of Crowley), Korat Clowder (his American wife), Lady Minxy Clowder (I assume this is Mary)(the pretty daughter), Lady Serval Clowder (the prettier daughter), and Lady Etcetera Clowder (the other daughter). And let us not forget Vibrissa Clowder, the Dowager Catness of Grimalkin.

There are, of course, servants, as well. And, in my opinion, the author does a pretty job of the story, stretching from 1910-1929. All in only 80 pages. It is quite humorous and has quotes from the Dowager Catness interspersed between chapters.

"Of course cats can speak. We're just not speaking to you!"

"If you didn't want me to leap on your head and cling to your face with my claws, you should not have invited me to a place where there's thunder and lightning."

"I'm not 'judging' you. That's far too active a word for it."

And so on.

There are a couple of pages detailing how to interpret a cat's tail movements.

It's a quick read (obviously) and quite entertaining, especially if one has seen all the episodes and both movies of the subject TV show. And it has a really cute cover.