Cat on a Hot Tin Roof [Paperback]

Tennessee Williams (Author)

Book Description

Series: New Directions Books | Publication Date: January 1975

'Big Daddy' Pollitt, the richest cotton planter in the Mississippi Delta, is about to celebrate his sixty-fifth birthday. His two sons have returned home for the occasion: Gooper, his wife and children, Brick, an ageing football hero who has turned to drink, and his feisty wife Maggie. As the hot summer evening unfolds, the veneer of happy family life and Southern gentility gradually slips away as unpleasant truths emerge and greed, lies, jealousy and suppressed sexuality threaten to reach boiling point. Made into a film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a masterly portrayal of family tensions and individuals trapped in prisons of their own making.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 10-Up Topics covered in 10 authoritative essays include: the character of Brick, his friendship with Skipper, his relationship with Maggie, homophobia, the author's unseen characters, Williams's treatment of women, the influence of Spanish author Federico Garc'a Lorca, and comparisons to Williams's other works. All chapters contain examples of dialogue from the play followed by interpretation. The book also has a chronology of the playwright's life and a substantial bibliography. Students studying Williams's work will find a wealth of information here. A great purchase for schools with Cat in the curriculum. -Pat Bender, The Shipley School, Bryn Mawr, PA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Review

"Students preparing research papers and students boning up for class will reach eagerly for these well-designed additions to accessible literary criticism for high school students." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 173 pages
• Publisher: New Directions Publishing Corporation; Revised edition (January 1975)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811205673
• ISBN-13: 978-0811205672
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,909,488 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > Authors, A-Z > ( W ) > Williams, Tennessee

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully constructed drama of the lie of life and death, December 21, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Holly Springs, Mississippi) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Signet) (Paperback)

Tennessee Williams's Pulitzer Prize winning play "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is a reverie filled drama of lust, greed, and death that puts emphasis on the interaction of families. Williams creates universal characters that are pathetic yet familiar and therefore warrant the reader's sympathy. He writes with such deceptive simplicity that he masks his characters's inner turmoil initially, making the turnout of such characterizations intriguing. The play presents that humanity isn't beautiful while attempting to shed light on the emotional lies that govern the interaction of families. "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof"'s intertwining themes of the lie of life and the deception of death provide the reader with insight towards the amblivalence of life.

To say so much within such a short piece is a mystery within itself. The sheer power of the plot is testimony of Williams's genius. The play is beautifully constructed and hits upon many themes and emotions with clarity and precision, making it an enjoyable read while having substance. I did an analysis of this book for my junior Reading class, and recommend the read to anyone seeking high drama and a well rounded take on death.

18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Southern passion and pain, November 2, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Signet) (Paperback)

"Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" is another masterpiece by Tennessee Williams, who was truly one of the 20th century's greatest playwrights. This play was presented in New York in the 1950s, and in book form it is an excellent read.

I haven't looked at other editions, but the Signet edition contains two different versions of Act 3, along with a note by Williams explaining how director Elia Kazan persuaded him to write a second version. This feature makes the book particularly useful for teachers and students.

"Cat" takes place on a Southern plantation, and deals with a wealthy, but very dysfunctional family. Williams creates stunning dialogue for his characters: Brick, the bitter, alcoholic ex-athlete; Brick's frustrated wife Margaret; "Big Daddy," the patriarch, who is dying of cancer; and the rest. Williams also establishes the plantation's original owners as a haunting presence through the lines of his characters.

"Cat" is an explosive family drama about greed, secrets, guilt, alcoholism, and sexual frustration. Williams' characters are larger-than-life, and even grotesque, but Williams never loses a grasp on their essential humanity. An important book for those with a serious interest in American drama.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars sultry like the south, December 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Signet) (Paperback)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof swelters with the fire of longing for that wispy shade of happiness. The fierce currents of discontent, jealousy, and mendacity surge through this piece, leaving the reader to fend for himself on an emotional and gripping roller coaster. The struggle between Maggie the Cat and her husband Brick is the universal struggle to love and be loved through the deceptions and misconceptions that can wreck a chance at happiness. The external struggles mirror the internal struggles, for each character seems to be battling despair and a sense of worthlessness. All in all a superb read.