The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man (Bruce Coville's Words Take Wing Fantasy Audio) [Paperback]

Lloyd Alexander (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Listening Library; Pap/Cas edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0807278475
• ISBN-13: 978-0807278475
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,959,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Few writers have inspired as much affection and interest among readers young and old as Lloyd Alexander. At one point, however, it seemed unlikely that he would ever be a writer at all. His parents could not afford to send him to college. And so when a Philadelphia bank had an opening for a messenger boy, he went to work there. Finally, having saved some money, he quit and went to a local college. Dissatisfied with not having learned enough to be a writer he left at the end of one term. Adventure, he decided was the best way. The United States had already entered World War II. Convinced that here was a chance for real deeds of derring-do, he joined the army -- and was promptly shipped to Texas where he became, in disheartening succession an artilleryman, a cymbal player in the band, an organist in the post chapel, and a first-aid man. At last, he was assigned to a military intelligence center in Maryland. There he trained as a member of a combat team to be parachuted into France to work with the Resistance. "This, to my intense relief, did not happen," says Alexander. Instead, Alexander and his group sailed to Wales to finish their training. This ancient, rough-hewn country, with its castles, mountains, and its own beautiful language made a tremendous impression on him. But not until years later did he realize he had been given a glimpse of another enchanted kingdom. Alexander was sent to Alsace-Lorraine, the Rhineland, and southern Germany. When the war ended, he was assigned to a counterintelligence unit in Paris. Later he was discharged to attend the University of Paris. While a student he met a beautiful Parisian girl, Janine, and they soon married. Life abroad was fascinating, but eventually Alexander longed for home. The young couple went back to Drexel Hill, near Philadelphia, where Alexander wrote novel after novel which publishers unhesitatingly turned down. To earn his living, he worked as a cartoonist, advertising writer, layout artist, and associate editor for a small magazine. It took seven years of constant rejection before his first novel was at last published. During the next ten years, he wrote for adults. And then he began writing for young people.Doing historical research for Time Cat he discovered material on Welsh mythology. The result was The Book of Three and the other chronicles of Prydain, the imaginary kingdom being something like the enchanted land of Wales. In The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen Alexander explored yet another fantastic world. Evoking an atmosphere of ancient China, this unique multi-layered novel was critically acclaimed as one of his finest works. Trina Schart Hyman illustrated The Fortune-tellers as a Cameroonian folktale sparkling with vibrant images, keen insight and delicious wit. Most of the books have been written in the form of fantasy. But fantasy, Alexander believes, is merely one of many ways to express attitudes and feelings about real people, real human relationships and problems

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet, August 18, 2001

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cat Who Wished to be a Man (Paperback)

Lloyd Alexander is best known for his Prydain Chronicles and Vesper Holly adventures, but his smaller, lighter reads are worth the pick-up as well.

Lionel wants to be a man. The little cat, who has the ability to speak, lives with crotchety wizard Stephanus, who stormed out of the village of Brightford when the people misused his gifts to them out of greed and malice. Stephanus keeps refusing to turn Lionel into a man, but finally does with the promise that Lionel will return when he's done. The cat-turned-man travels to Brightford, where his innocent nature rapidly gets him into hot water. Brightford is run by the rotten, greedy little Mayor Pursewig, who is trying to bully out everyone into his debt.

He ends up meeting the lovely (and very irritable) Gillian, a local innkeeper who is being threatened by Pursewig; also Owlbert, her little scrub-boy sidekick, and Doctor Tudbelly, a local medical charlatan with a good heart and a fondness for gratuitous Latin phrases. When the malicious Pursewig (whom Lionel repeatedly and innocently insults) and the equally rotten Swaggart decide to get rid of the newcomers, Lionel learns what it is to be a real human being.

This book isn't as emotionally deep as some of Alexander's works; nevertheless, it has an excellent message. Stephanus thinks that all humans are greedy and malicious, yet a guy called Tolliver informs Lionel at one point, "what may be true for a cat isn't always true for a man." Lionel gets to see both sides of the coin: Swaggart, Pursewig and their greed and and injustice; Dr. Tudbelly, Gillian and Owlbert, his selfless friends who are willing to go the extra mile as he is for them.

Lionel's innocence is a good counterpoint to the more seasoned people; his innocent insults and occasional lapses into "cattiness" are very entertaining. Especially enjoyed his repeated claims that he's not a man, he's a cat. Gillian is vintage Lloyd Alexander, a tough and independent gal who isn't afraid to let the guy she loves know when he's being an idiot. Dr. Tudbelly will be recognizable to fans of Fflewddur Fflam, with his heart of gold and inability to get his potions straight.

We see too little of Stephanus to really form much of an opinion; I thought he was a bit hard on Lionel. Pursewig is the secondary kind of fantasy villain, the mewling, cowardly, rather pathetic type. Swaggart seemed like more of a real menace, as he is amoral and has the muscle to back it up.

Alexander's trademarked humor is sprinkled throughout this tale, with such things as the newly-human Lionel bounding into Stephanus's lap, and Stephanus announcing, "you've got your arms in the legs of your breeches, and your legs in your shirtsleeves. And your boots on the wrong feet" only to have Lionel reply pitifully, "But they're the only feet I have now." Lionel's catty behavior among the humans also adds a bit of comic relief.

A very sweet little tale for fantasy buffs.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars JOURNEY TO A LOWER LFIE FORM, June 10, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cat Who Wished to be a Man (Paperback)

A ginger tomcat in medieval times begs his master, a pessimistic Sorceror, to change him temporarily into a man, in order to experience the much-maligned human lifestyle. Exasperated with the cat's insistence to reduce his feline dignity to such inferior status, he grants his wish, sending him off with decent clothing, no money, and just his own natural naivete.

Of course the poor fellow falls victim to the town's worst scoundrels: the Mayor and his vicious Enforcer, who extort outrageous tolls and other fiscal atrocities upon the helpless townsfolk. Our hero inevitably becomes enamored of a nice girl who is trying to run an inn amidst municipal graft. But as sandy tom realizes the the depths of human depravity, he gradually loses the essence of his Catness.

This cute story progresses in a light-hearted fashion with unexpected humor, for the cat/man interprets English expressions and slang literally. Will this decent young man win the fair maiden? Can he save the town from those crooked politicans? More importantly, will he be willing to don his fur and four-footed condition after his worldly experiment? And will the gloom-and-doom Sorceror ever improve his opinion of mankind? A delightful read for all ages, especially cat lovers.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Light and Fun Read, March 3, 2001

By 

John (United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man (Anytime Book) (Mass Market Paperback)

The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man by Lloyd Alexander is a short and entertaining read which also has some commentary on the human condition.

The novel is about Lionel. He is a cat. One day, he asks his master/sorcerer if he would change him into a man anyway. The sorcerer doesn't have a very high opinion of man, but he ends up changing Lionel into a man. Lionel then travels into the city. There, he finds corruption of all kinds. He finds a mayor who is greedy and power-hungry. The captain of the guard is corrupt. Huge numbers of offenses happen to Lionel. But Lionel also finds some friends. He meets Dr. Tudbelly and falls for Mistriss Gillian. Lionel eventually has to fight against his enemies for his friends and try to stay a human.

The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man is a commentary on life. Through the eyes of a naive creature, Alexander exposes some of the failures of mankind. Alexander also shows the greatness because love and justice can prevail. Alexander makes all of these observations in a thrilling and at times funny story. The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man is not Alexander's greatest book. It just is not quite as entertaining or insightful as his Westmark Trilogy, Prydain Chronicals, or The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian, but Alexander never has written a book worth less than five stars. The Cat Who Wished to Be a Man is a great piece of literature for people of all ages.