Cat People [Hardcover]

Michael Korda (Author), Margaret Korda (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

In Cat People, Michael Korda, the "New York Times" bestselling author of Horse People, and his wife, Margaret, provide a wildly entertaining look at the world of cat lovers -- and their devotion to their pets. With characteristic wit, self-effacing charm, and sheer, exuberant love of a good cat story, they recount their lives as "cat people," beginning with Margaret's passion for cats (and Michael's reluctant midlife transformation into a cat person), and introduce readers to a hilarious assortment of people whose lives revolve -- often to an extraordinary degree -- around their cats, from Cleopatra, a transatlantic traveler who found happiness in Paris, to Wally, the epitome of feline dignity. Here are people who just can't say no to acquiring another cat, who travel the world with their cats, who build their social lives around their cats -- and, of course, here are the cats themselves. The Kordas celebrate the beguiling power of cats, including many of their own who have complemented, complicated, and changed their lives together over the years. Charming, often funny, and sometimes sad portraits populate the book -- such as Margaret's beloved cat Irving, whose favorite abode was the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, and Mumsie, who arrived unexpectedly at the door with her two kittens, and special cats like Jake and the gentle Chutney, as well as "difficult" cats like Chui and poor Mrs. Bumble, and Mr. McT., the bully who found love late in life. There are graceful cats and cats like Kit-Kat that never look before they jump; in short, countless cats the reader will never forget, even those with many cats of their own. The human characters include such unabashed cat people as onecouple who keeps twenty-three cats and orders litter by the truckload; a glamorous New York agent who regularly shares lunch with her cat, Tulip, courtesy of New York's finest French restaurants; and many others, ranging from the eccentric to the bizarre. From city cats to country cats, Margaret and Michael celebrate the challenges, the joys, and the occasional heartbreak of living with -- and sometimes "for" -- one's cat. Here is the perfect gift for any cat lover to give or get, illustrated with whimsical line drawings by Michael Korda.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Michael Korda, Simon & Schuster's editor-in-chief, has already written about the bond between humans and animals in his acclaimed Horse People, but now he and his wife offer a personal look at their infatuation with cats. The story begins before their marriage, with each having their own first cat experiences, and moves forward as they marry and begin to add cat after cat to their home. Starting with Margaret's cat, Irving, each feline's story and quirks are detailed as they move onto the Kordas' farm. The three-legged Queenie, hunter Mumsie and the amorous Mr. McTavish all receive their own chapters that document their lives. It would be easy to see this book as a vanity project penned by two cat-besotted people, but the addition of historical and philosophical anecdotes makes it more than that. From Churchill's insistence on asking the opinion of his cat Nelson during admiralty meetings to the parable of Mallarmé's cat, these tangents transform the Kordas' story into a humorous and insightful look at just how consuming cats can be for their owners. For those who have experienced what the Kordas call "cat-harsis," this book will be a fun and often hilarious read. B&w illus.
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Review

“I have savored Cat People. It’s just wonderful. What a treat! It is totally entertaining—amusing, charming, touching, and insightful.” (Barbara Delinsky, author of Looking for Peyton Place )

“The Kordas have found the perfect mixture of whimsy and humor.” (Shawna Seed, Dallas Morning News )

“Reading Cat People proves how very intelligent you are. Most importantly, you will impress your cat.” (Rita Mae Brown, author of The Hunt Ball and Cat's Eye Witness )

“This is a purrrrrrfect read!” (Kitty Kelly, author of The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Family )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Harper; First Edition first Printing edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060756632
• ISBN-13: 978-0060756635
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,719,227 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Warning: They Put a Cat Down for Biting, Not Cool, February 12, 2008

By 

Mariane Matera (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cat People (Hardcover)

I have written a cat book similar to this one, and I've been trying to find an agent to represent it, so I was curious to see how this one read. Well, considering the author is an editor at a major publishing house, that explains how such a small book, 163 pages and of almost paperback book dimensions, got published. And how it got published despite a rambling storyline that doesn't seem cohesive at times, with chapters that seem to come from other books and stuck in at random.

In short, the plot is: two people who like cats well enough meet, marry, and because they live in the country, acquire more cats. They are very civilized people, so the book is told in a very civilized, high society way, which waters down the humor of it a bit.

And it seems their neighbors, who had more than 20 cats at one time, would make a better book than the Kordas, who seldom have more than five in the house at a time. I have eight rescued strays and I live in the suburbs, so I think even I have a more interesting story.

Mr. Korda's little cat drawings are cute, though, and occasionally some of the stories are endearing or made me laugh, but the careless editing and plotting just got me mad, especially when I think of all the agents that keep turning me down and yet THIS got published.

And my other major upset, and a warning to cat lovers who might be thinking about buying this book, is what the Kordas did to Mrs. Bumble, the biter. They had her put to sleep. No, they didn't try a behavioral therapist first. They didn't try anything. They had a barn and a tack room, for goodness sakes, and they didn't even transfer her to barn cat status. Because she would occasionally bite hard without provocation, they put her down! She was a beautiful, healthy cat and even the vet had reservations, but did what the Kordas wanted. Death to cat. That kind of turned me off on these people, and the Mrs. Bumble incident comes halfway through the book, so you're ruined for the rest of it. I don't think you get to call yourself "Cat People" when you do something like that.

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars "I love my cats" ( but.....), August 24, 2006

By 

Ace (East Coast) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cat People (Hardcover)

Nice anecdotes -- though I felt they were "holding" their cats at arm's length at times.

Sad to read about cats getting run over by neighbors -- the great outdoors is usually not very kind to a small being trying to cross even the quietest of streets.

I was also put off by the almost flippant way in which the brutal dog meat trade was discussed (page 2), and also by the way in which the equally brutal cat meat trade was dismissed as non-existent (and this book was written recently, so it's not for lack of knowledge of these facts). This book would have been a great way to alert people to the utter brutality and suffering that cats, dogs and other meat-trade animals are being subjected to over there -- even if it's just in one or two well versed sentences.

I don't approve of what they did to Bumble -- you don't kill a cat for biting you.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars In need of an editor, among other things., December 11, 2006

By 

D. Yunke (Clinton Township, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat People (Hardcover)

I am a huge cat lover. Can't live without them, couldn't imagine even trying. So I was excited to get this book, as it seemed right up my alley. When I got it, I was disappointed in the size but good things come in small packages (or so they say) and I gave it a shot.

I'm still disappointed. For an editor-in-chief, Michael Korda is in serious need of one himself. Run on sentences and completely non-sensical paragraphs abound, and if he switched persons once he did it 50 times. One minute he's talking about his wife and her cat, and the next we're reading from his wife's point of view, and then all of a sudden it's 3rd person. I had to read sentences over and over just to get what was being said!

I didn't feel an emotional connection with the cats, either. How is it possible to desensitize a cat lover of my status? Bad writing, that's how. I was sad when the cat was hit by a car, but it was such a fleeting moment - given less than a paragraph of mention - that I couldn't feel THEIR loss.

Given what I know now, I wouldn't have bought this book. Take that as you will. I expected this to be funny and touching, much like Marley and Me (which I highly recommend) - but it fell much too short.