Customer Reviews

Max and the Cats

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Max and the Cats" is a surreal comic novel by Moacyr Scliar, a great writer from Brazil. "Max" has been translated from Portuguese into English by Eloah F. Giacomelli (who also translated Scliar's monumental "Collected Stories"). "Max" tells the story of Max Schmidt, who is born in Germany in 1912, the son of a furrier. The novel tells of Max's coming of age and his emigration to Brazil.

Max's life story is structured around his encounters with three big felines: a stuffed tiger in his father's shop, a jaguar, and an onca (a Brazilian wildcat). I don't want to reveal too much about the novel's quirky plot. I will just say that Max gets into many remarkable situations: comic, frightening, erotic, and/or absurd.

Much of the story takes place under the specter of World War II and the Nazis, and other elements of the novel tap into the myth of the Americas as a new world of opportunity. Scliar also refers more than once to the work of Jose de Alencar, the 19th century Brazilian writer who created a romantic, idealized portrait of the relationship between Native Americans and Europeans. Scliar seems to be ironically commenting on the work of this literary predecessor.

"Max and the Cats" is a weird, wonderful triumph for Moacyr Scliar. Combining elements of mystery, realism, and the fantastic, this novel is an excellent example of Scliar's uniquely delightful voice.

Well, this book is no longer in print at the time and I had to find a copy at a used bookstore. Now, it looks like Amazon carries it so alot easier to get it. Pretty slim book which makes it easy to carry in your coat pocket when you are on the go like me. I mainly got this book since I loved his previous book, "The Centaur in the Garden". I know this is a short book so it would be unfair to compare it against "The Centaur in the Garden".

Let me first say that immediately I was drawn in by Scliar's descriptions of a young boy traumatized in his father's fur coat store. All of his descriptions are marvelous and nobody compares except maybe Roald Dahl. Part of the reason why I really appreciate Scliar is because he can write beautifully for both adults and kids. Instead of painting adults as mean souled, Scliar just tells it as it is without any bias of adolescence over adulthood. Looking back at Dahl's works, most stories and novels tended to show that parents don't know best. Without revealing much of the plot, Scliar has an even-hand in portraying both kids and adults. I just loved how Scliar deals with the estranged relationship between Max and his father.

Another thing that I value in Scliar's books is his storytelling which can take you pretty much anywhere. If you are looking for a linear plot where everything gets wrapped up together in the end, then this is not it. Life really is not like that at all and Scliar gets this right. There are no fairy-tale endings in books. I really felt refreshed after finishing the book and wished it went on more like with his wife, Jaci and his daughter. But, I think Scliar wanted to just leave it as is. We live life to its fullest and without regrets. Max may have dealt with some issues in the past. But, it's like all things in life where we just move on. I haven't read "The Life of Pi" which is based on this book. So, I will have to read it now and make a comparison afterwards. I hope more of Scliar's books get translated, but it looks like I'll have to find these books in libraries for now.

Unlike two of the reviews prior to this one, I was very impressed by the flow of this story. We go from a fearful child, fearful of his father, fear of cats, of life of danger. When he finally finds some pleasure in his life, it is taken away from him when he has to flee because of the Nazis. He then is involved in a boat sinking where he dreams (encounters) a cat who he first fears but then overcomes.

Later in his life, he once again finds happiness, but it is tainted by a friend of his who has problems with black/white relationships (very normal in Brazil). He loses his mother in the war, and he visits his father in a German insane asylum. He has come to grips with his father and even meets an old lover.

When he gets back to Brazil, he finds that the man he ran away from in Germany has come to live on the hill above his house. They have several run ins and Max come to the point where they face-off and Max kills him. Coming home after five years in jail, he spends the rest of his life raising prize 'brazilian angora' cats. It's a great little story about people conquering their fears, and trying to make things right in the world.

Zeb Kantrowitz

Definitely worth a read. Interesting in comparison to Life of Pi in light of the accusation of plagiarism. To me they seemed like two completely different novels in their own right. Max and the Cats is a great broad view of a fascinating life story.

I purchased Max and the Cats after recommendations from my World Literature professor, and was thoroughly disappointed. Not only is this story dry, it is poorly written; especially in comparison to other works by Scliar. Pick up Centaur in the Garden instead.

I love the book Life of Pi by Yann Martel. But did he steal the idea for this book from this particular book? Yann says no... I say yes. There is a story in the middle of the book about a boy shipwrecked on a raft with a leopard. Um... Isn't that mostly what Life of Pi is about? I have lost much respect for Martel because of his disaster, Beatrice and Virgil (also a rip off.... see my review of that book) that I won't read anything else by him.

Am I being unfair to this author by talking about Martel? Probably. I liked this little book and I do recommend it to people who are curious...and it does deserve 4 of 5 stars. It is a simple, easy read... One for a kid of maybe 13 or so... Or an adult like me who is curious about where Martel gets his brilliant ideas about what to write about.

I read this book to write an essay for Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi. I read life of pi fist. Max and the Cats was inspiration for Life of Pi. actually life of pi was the worst book i ever read. beacuse of this i liked Max and the cats. it was fresh, serious, and not wierd. One regrettable thing is that the story goes too fast...

How can a book with such a beautiful alluring cover be so horrible? I'm sorry to say it, but this book was one of the worst books I've ever read. When I finished reading it, I had this sick upset feeling in my stomach. I wasn't sure whether I should scream or cry. Although I did neither, reading this book, I'm sorry to say, was a dreadful experience. The part about the jaguar in the dinghy was cool but the ending was terrible. I was disgusted that the main character was mean enough to split an innocent dog's head open for absolutely no reason. I also hate the name Max. You could have picked a better name. Although, you have taught me one lesson; don't judge a book a by its cover. Even a book with a great cover could be awful.