The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard

 

Have you had a favorite pet in your life? 

I have had a lot of pets over my lifetime that I have loved, but one of my favorite pets was my cat Rufus.  He was my college cat.  He arrived bedraggled at my Mom’s house one summer right before I started graduate school.  He was a small kitten with fleas, ear mites, and a wounded leg.  I wasn’t sure he was going to make it, but he grew into a sassy cat who could do tricks like fetching items and shaking his paw.  He wasn’t sure about my husband Ben when we first got married, but later he would trout around with him on rounds around the house.  He especially loved when we had kids and let them all carry him around and play with him.  He really loved them.  He sadly died when he was fourteen and I still miss him.  I called him my “soul cat” as he always knew when I was down and would comfort me. 

Grimalkin dies after a happy life as an indoor cat in 1902.  After this, he becomes a ghost cat for the rest of his nine lives and he see all the changes that happen over the next 120 years in Edinburgh.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       “A cat has nine lives.  For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.”  This is an old English Proverb which described Grimalkin’s afterlife.  Cat-sith explains this to Grimalkin after his first death that he has eight more lives.  Cat-sith is a fairy creature form Celtic mythology.

·       This was a fun book to read in October in the Halloween season, but it is a good read for any time of year.

·       I loved the concept.

·       I enjoyed Grimalkin’s relationship with Eildidth, the maid, who discovered him as a kitten and cared for him. As a ghost, he watches her grow older.

·       Grimalkin the cat is the POV for this novel.  He is an orange marmalade cat.  I enjoyed imaging him and his adventures.

·       I loved seeing the changes in history and time over the course of the novel.

·       There were also great footnotes in the book which described the reality or true history.  I really enjoyed the footnotes.

·       There was a great change from 1902 to 1922 with coal heat, electricity, cars, etc.

·       717 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh is the setting.  Grimalkin strays from here but always returns.

·       The story ends with the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022.  I loved the other true history like the publication of Peter Pan.

·       This story was humorous and sad.  It was a sweet and slow read.

Overall, The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard is an enjoyable historical fiction novel that shows the changes over 120 year period in Edinburgh through the eyes of a ghost cat.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @netgalley for a review copy of this novel.