The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat Who Fixed It: Over the Edge and Back with My Dad, My Cat, and Me [Hardcover]

Geneen Roth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004

Geneen Roth’s legions of fans have always responded to her humor and honesty, her warmth and savvy. Those qualities, so present in The Craggy Hole in My Heart and The Cat Who Fixed It, take us deep into the story of a remarkable twenty-pound cat, Mister Blanche, and Geneen’s beloved father, Bernard, and the ways in which each taught her to love without reservation and to accept the fact that she might someday lose those whom she believed she could not live without.

In these remarkable, inspiring, and joyous pages, we discover along with Geneen how to break free of the same fears that may drive us to eat or drink or shop too much. Fear of being vulnerable, fear of death, fear of losing what we want most: These are the demons that can inhibit our ability to embrace life freely and fully.

Come meet Mister Blanche and the charming Bernard and immerse yourself in a poignant and funny story that is Geneen’s best. As her loyal readership already knows: It’s not about food, it’s not about the cat . . . it’s always been about love and how to live with it—and never live without it!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Roth’s 1991 bestseller, When Food is Love, analyzed the connection between compulsive eating and intimacy, and all of her subsequent books dealt with eating issues as well, but in this stellar memoir cum self-help book, she broadens her scope to address the larger issues of love, trust and family. Roth’s witty and self-deprecating personality comes across on every page as she recounts how the adoption of a cat changed her life, allowing her to open up, as well as to accept and give love. A decade of yo-yo dieting—she gained and lost over 1,000 pounds—had left Roth lonely and broken, with little faith in the existence of loving relationships ("Why love someone who is just going to turn around and either leave or die?" she wondered). Her cat, Blanche, was the first creature to break through her defenses, and her boyfriend (now her husband), Matt, was the next. Aside from some recurring panic attacks, everything went along swimmingly, until Roth’s father was diagnosed with cancer and she was forced to confront the dark veins of deception that had always been present in their seemingly golden relationship. Roth narrates her journey in short, engrossing chapters, and also helps readers help themselves by splicing in tidbits about the psychology of attachment and the rewards of spiritual exploration. Readers who love cats will eat up every adoring word Roth writes about Blanche, and fans of Anne Lamott-style writing will line up for this book, but its real value lies in its sharp dissection of child-parent relationships.
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Review

“A totally brilliant book—beautiful and fierce and sweet and, at times, very funny. I was utterly blown away.” —Anne Lamott, author of Operating Instructions

“Wise, loving, tough, and tender. A beautiful book. Geneen knows how to nourish the heart!” —Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart

“Read it, laugh with it, and become a little more of a human being.” —Thomas Moore, author of Care of the Soul and Dark Nights of the Soul

“Roth takes us on a deep, joyful, provocative, and ultimately nourishing journey. I couldn’t put it down from beginning to end.” —Justine Willis Toms, New Dimensions Radio, coauthor of True Work


From the Trade Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Harmony; First Edition edition (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400050839
• ISBN-13: 978-1400050833
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #765,268 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Geneen Roth is the author of the bestseller, When Food is Love and seven other books. She has conducted workshops for over thirty years and has lead retreats for the past ten.

Roth is a frequent contributor to many publications including Salon.com, Huffington Post and Good Housekeeping and has appeared on numerous national shows from Oprah, 20/20, Good Morning America, and The View, to Primetime Live and NPR's Talk of the Nation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't Let the Title Put You Off !!, April 2, 2005

By 

Rosie "Rosie" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat Who Fixed It: Over the Edge and Back with My Dad, My Cat, and Me (Hardcover)

I am not a cat person or a dog person, so when a friend told me I had to read this book, I was willing to pick it up, but a bit wary.The title is way too sentimental for this incredibly deep, brilliant, laugh and cry out-loud book. From the first page, I was hooked--and I never put the book down. Once I finished it, I started it again. Like all of Geneen's books, you have the feeling that she is talking right to you, about you, about your life, your family, your friends, your feelings. One more thing: this is not a book about animals. If you have ever loved anyone, if you have ever lost or are afraid of losing anyone, you will kiss the ground at having found this book.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fill the hole in your bookshelf -- right here!, July 6, 2004

By 

Dr Cathy Goodwin (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat Who Fixed It: Over the Edge and Back with My Dad, My Cat, and Me (Hardcover)

Okay, I admit it: I'll pick up almost any book with the word "cat" or "dog" on the cover. I'd never read Geneen Roth before, and I didn't expect to like this book very much. But this book won me over the way Blanche won over the author: slowly and subtly.

Roth was in a position to be a great cat-owner. She lived in a city with access to alternative veterinary medicine as well as cat therapists, groomers and more. So when Blanche entered her life, Roth's love spilled over. And it couldn't happen to a nicer cat.

I must admit I turned the pages a little faster when Roth panicked about losing her cat. Blanche is tougher than he looks, I wanted to say.

Many people will find parallels with Roth's family in their own lives -- or their friends' lives. Roth tells the story movingly, but matter-of-factly, without self-pity.

But Blanche remains the hero of this book and Roth's life. Perhaps the most telling passage comes when she writes that, "Blanche is like food once was -- he doesn't talk back, he doesn't hit, he doesn't go away...also, and I think this is important, he doesn't have any calories."

Blanche really does fill a hole in the author's heart but, unlike food, Blanche helps Roth grow and accept new relationships. Roth acquires not only a husband but also a dog. And she takes on a spiritual teacher, distinguished from a therapist in one of the best sections of the book. A therapist, says Roth, helps you heal the damage from what was done to you. A teacher helps you heal from the way you reacted to what was done to you.

The perfect gift for a sensitive cat lover. Then again, what true cat person isn't sensitive?

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Book of Extraordinary Appeal, July 5, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Craggy Hole in My Heart and the Cat Who Fixed It: Over the Edge and Back with My Dad, My Cat, and Me (Hardcover)

I fully expected Geneen Roth's book to be moving and interesting - as are all of her books. But this book took me to new places. As the father of an adult daughter, the book brought me to a completely unexpected place of love and compassion for my child. Through her deep and personal disclosure, Ms. Roth has informed my own relationship - the need for honesty and transparency, interpersonal integrity, and, above all, extreme sensitivity to my child's needs and view of me. This book should be required reading for all men.