What readers think of The Travelling Cat Chronicles, plus links to write your own review.

Arikawa's short book the The Traveling Cat Chronicles was a thoughtful look at a man struggling with his desire to remain independent in spite of illness and not impose on his long time friends.

This is a sweet story and, if it wasn't so sad, it would make a good children's book. But, if it is intended for adults, it is very poorly executed. I am not sure if this is because of the writing (originally in Japanese) or the translation. The exchanges between characters are extremely stilted and simplistic - there is no flow of conversation or thought. The cat is supposedly the narrator but the writing takes the reader back and forth in conversation and time and narration. The book I have is an advanced copy and maybe there will be some editing done that will make this a cohesive story. I am quite astonished at the flowery accolades for this book. I must be missing something!