Customer Reviews

The Cat Who Went Up the Creek

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(25)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

First let me say that I've read every book in this series several times, and have been a long time fan. There are people who will give these books 5 stars no matter what they contain. I will probably always follow the series but I'm not going to lie - this book is terrible. Why? Moose County has lost its soul.

For those who doubted that Lillian Jackson Braun was still writing the books, this installment holds the proof. The new author has not only abandoned several old locations (what ever happened to his cabin on the lake and places like Tipsy's?) and key points (gone are descriptions about Qwill's mustache, his "Squunk" water habit, his gruffness, and the cats' overall intelligence), s/he uses a bizarre grammatical style full of exclamation points and "...". Also, Polly suddenly has another sister that she immediately goes off to visit when the book begins and several returning characters are shadows of their old selves.

If you are the type that reads the books for their familiarity, you will not enjoy this. It's a good mystery, not a bad book overall, but there's no way this was written by the same author who lovingly crafted the series about 10 years ago. I wish they'd just fess up about the ghost authors (I'm thinking this is the third or fourth) instead of trying desperately to hold on to a profitable series. OR, they could call one of Jackson Braun's legions of fans, who know Pickax, the Apple Barn, the cats, and the characters like their own families, to continue the series as it deserves to be written.

People not familiar with the series will probably enjoy this book. It's not badly written, contains good descriptive elements, and has a mystery at its heart. Those somewhat familiar with the series will probably enjoy the return to Moose County and have no problems with it. But people who have read the series several times and are really interested in the inhabitants of Pickax and the surrounding towns will be sadly disappointed. It's hard not to notice missing details and the absence of favorite people when you've spent so much time with them.

I don't remember how I got involved in "The Cat Who..." series, but "The Cat Who Went up the Creek" provides more fun for those of us who find Koko, Yum Yum and Qwill part of our family. You won't find autopsy reports in these books, nor well developed murder plots, like a Kinsey Milhone mystery. But, I always learn something new, like doll making, the antique business, the sport of curling, taxidermy, and other arts, and enjoy the company of Qwill and his friends at a variety of cafes and eateries.

I'm a fan, so take my review with that in mind. New readers to the Braun series are usually warned to start with the original three (...read backwards, ...Danish Modern, ...on and off) which breaks the basic commandment, as I understand it, of reviewing: You review the book that you are reviewing. But, with Braun's series there are several fully populated towns and cities, a wealth of side characters and a host of animals to keep track of in each book.

I find I have to read books from this series in one sitting (if possible) and then go back and read the book or two before...but, that is never a chore. These are easy reading mysteries...albeit some real tough vocabulary words tossed in each text...and can be read painlessly on a typical airplane trip.

So, I certainly would recommend this book to fans; newcombers might want to hit the library and start with the original books. Like Brother Cadfael books, the atmosphere of Moose County takes a few chapters to understand the geography and population. "The Cat Who Went up the Creek" assumes much for the reader concerning these issues.

Fans: enjoy this book and, like me, look forward to the next chapter.

When I learned of Mrs. Braun's upcoming word, "The Can't Who Went Up the Creek," I waited with tepid anticipation. Her more recent offerings hadn't been what I had come to expect from the series and I hoped that perhaps things would pick up and the series would return to its previous quality. Unfortunately, I was disappointed...

In the past, Lilian Jackson Braun's works have been an excellent mixture of mystery, suspense, and storytelling. In recent "Cat Who" history though, and especially in this work, there's a couple of elements missing: the mystery and suspense! Instead, it reads more like one big story with some elements about a murder mixed in. Although it was a mildly interesting little story, there was really no suspense factor that would keep me wanting to read the book over some other book I might happen to have with me at the time. Some of the best things from past works are missing, such as Qwilleran actively working to stop murder plots, Koko and Yum Yum being a more significant portion of the story, and Celia Robinson- Agent 0013 1/2 being written once and forever written out of the series. On the positive side, one character is for the most part missing: Polly.

If you're just starting out on the series, or you haven't yet read all of the "Cat Who" books, don't read this one first. If you are a loyal fan, and can't abide by missing out on her this newest book, then try getting a copy of this from library first before deciding whether to buy. You may found you made a wise decision.

With this latest offering, Lilian Jackson Braun is not only up the creek, she's jumped the shark.

Other reviewers like to give plot analyses, I like to generalize about whether a new reader can "safely" spend his or her money on the book and not be grossly disappointed.

All of the "Cat Who" books by Lilian Jackson Braun are good entertainment. These stories are "clean" and Braun has a sense of humor that I thoroughly enjoy. I rarely chuckle when I read, but Mark Twain and Lilian Jackson Braun can make me laugh out loud.

I eagerly look forward to each new "The Cat Who..." book by Lilian Jackson Braun. If you are contemplating buying this book and have never read any books by Braun, go ahead, you'll enjoy Braun.

Just so you know, the cats in the story do not talk and they do not do things that are terribly unbelievable. If you've ever owned a cat, you can relate to the cats' behavior. If you're a dog-or-bird-only person, you will still love these stories (and be glad you have a dog or bird!).

Each "The Cat Who" book is a stand-alone story, but you might enjoy them better if you read them in order of publication. My personal opinion is that the older books are more enjoyable--probably because the author was fresh then and took more time fleshing out the characters, but I still enjoy each new title as it appears each January. I wish Ms. Braun could publish one a month. . . .

If you are from Michigan, you will certainly enjoy seeing a few familiar places mentioned in "The Cat Who Went up the Creek" and will howl with laughter at Braun's "The Cat Who Went to Breakfast" for its depiction of the disguised Mackinac Island.

If you are from "anywhere" NORTH, you will totally love the "Cat Who" series after Qwil moves from "down below" to the north. If you are from the south, you are missing a lot - of cold weather. These books will make up for your misfortune.

I gave this book 4 stars only because I like the older books better--the main character Qwil was more actively involved in the mysteries of the older stories. Although I enjoyed reading about Qwil this time in "The Cat Who Went Up the Creek," I got too full eating all the way through the story with him and his dinner guests.

For a quick look at the contents, the main character "vacations" at an Inn where bodies turn up at different times floating in the creek. The cast of characters include the Inn owners and vacationing guests. The butler did not do it.

As a fan of Ms. Braun's Cat Who books I always look forward to each new chapter. But The Cat Who Went Up A Creek is a far cry from her usual entertaining fare. After 27 episodes featuring the cats, she has finally hit a wall. Without revealing any of the details of the mystery (and there are only a couple)this book relies too heavily on the local characters and Mr. Q's ability to have dinner with each of them. This book spends more time on social events surrounding Moose County than on even pretending there is a mystery. If this series is going to survive (and I hope it does) Ms. Braun needs to relocate Mr. Q and the cats to a different location, Moose County has become stale.

Am I the only one who feels that Ms. Braun is not really supplying us with honest solutions to her mysteries? On more than one occasion, I have finished a "Cat Who" book feeling like I just stuffed on chips and salsa and didn't get any meat in my nachos. Although Qwill, Koko and Yum-Yum help pass an idle afternoon without requiring much thought on the reader's part, one is left with a curiously let-down feeling that there wasn't really a mystery. The clues aren't there, there is no villain looming in the shadows waiting to be exposed. This is entertainment, I guess, but no longer the substantive sort of mystery + solution that Qwill and Koko's whiskers used to winkle out.

I have been a long time fan of the Cat Who mysteries, but the last couple of books in this series have been a severe disappointment for me. What happened to the well-plotted story lines, the devious twists and turns, and the rich cast of characters?

This last installment is just mystifying to me. It seems to be written in a desultory way, as if the author is performing an unwanted task, or filling an onerous obligation by doing the minimum necessary to get by.

If Lilian Jackson Braun is actually still writing these herself, I would be shocked. Even if it is getting hard to come by fresh ideas and new characters, I can't believe someone's actual style of writing could change so much.

For 17 years, I had a beloved Siamese cat, also by the name of Koko, who was very intelligent and perceptive. It was because of her that I was quickly drawn to the mystery-solving Koko (Kao K'o-Kung) and all the "Cat Who" books. Many of the older books in this series are actually very entertaining mysteries written skillfully with characters and plots that have depth. I will forever be a fan.

Having said that, the last several books have been quite disappointing, and it appears to have gotten worse with "The Cat Who Went Up The Creek". The author seems to be just going through the motions with bland and uninspired writing. Qwill suddenly appears to be disinterested in solving a murder. Instead, he spends his time gathering quaint little stories for his newspaper column and throwing "K Fund" money around to solve everyone's problems. Oddly enough, he still managed to have all the answers and solve the murder mystery at the end . . . . he must have been sleuthing around for clues when I wasn't looking.

There is no mystery here, no suspense, no character development and no great Koko moments. If you are a cat lover and enjoy good mysteries, you will for sure be entertained by many of the previous books in this series, but please don't start here. Instead, start from the beginning with "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards".

Well, I read the plethora of reviews, most lukewarm, regarding Braun's latest "mystery" so I won't repeat what has been said effectively before I decided to weigh in with my observations.

What a sad little book! The problem may be Braun's diehard audience remember the first ten or twelve installments in the series -- when Qwilleran had a dark past, when he was a real working journalist (not just a dilettante) and when the stories introduced truly intriguing characters and there was a genuine mystery. For those readers, such as myself, the trite meanderings in this novel -- shoving Qwilleran in a kilt at the drop of a hat (or should that be tam o'shanter?)and summing up the "mystery" in a final dashed off chapter of supposition with the flimsiest of motives was the final straw. Yet this book and all the other mediocrities that preceded it, have routinely flickered on the Times Best Seller List. I've come to believe Braun has perpetrated the biggest hoax on the mystery reading public.

I read in an earlier review that Braun plans one final book. I don't care; I've sworn off the series.

This newest book in LJB's series was better that some {robbed a bank}, but certainly not as good as they used to be. I find myself missing a lot of great characters, and I am just glad we did not lose anymore locals. The writing does not feel like Ms Braun and the plot leave much to be desired, but I alway enjoy romping through Pickax. I personally was glad Polly went on vacation even if it means creating a new sister we never heard of. I will continue to read the books no matter what. It's like a trip home for Christmas and not seeing everyone. Its fun to go back, But you wish you could have had a better time.