I didn't expect to love a novel narrated by a cat. But I was on long flight and this book had been on my Kindle for a while. Something had drawn me to it in the first place, so I decided to give it a try. Once I got used to the cat's voice, I became slowly captivated by the story of Nana (the cat) and Satoru, the man who takes in the stray, then ends up travelling around Japan looking for a friend who can take over Nana's care. The novel unfurled like a good movie, vividly visual, quirky and heart-warming, with a mystery at its heart. As any cat lover will know, cats have the potential to heal us or to break our hearts, and what kept me reading was wondering which way this was going to go for both characters.
STUNNING HARDBACK GIFTING EDITION, INCLUDES A RIBBON
RECOMMENDED BY THOUSANDS OF INTERNATIONAL READERS - the feelgood story of a journey around Japan with a cat by your side. Translated by Philip Gabriel, a translator of Murakami.
INCLUDES 6 BEAUTIFUL LINE-DRAWINGS
'Bewitching... as self-possessed and comforting as - well, a cat' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH _____________
It's not the journey that counts, but who's at your side.
Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van.…
I don't know how I missed this book when it first came out in 2021. I picked it up in November on a cold, rainy day at a bookshop next to a cafe. I immediately went next door, ordered coffee, and cracked the cover. An hour later, I walked home through the rain and kept reading through the next two days, immersed in the webs of relationships in the small Ontario town of Solace. Like small towns everywhere, this one has its dark secrets. That's what kept me reading. But its ultimately hopeful outlook made me reluctant to leave the world that Mary Lawson had created. When I turned the final page, I wanted to go back to the beginning and start reading the book again.
Set in the frozen north of Canada in 1972, this is a novel of painful histories and the moments in life when we can change for the better.
Clara's rebellious older sister is missing. Grief-stricken and bewildered, she yearns to uncover the truth about what happened.
Liam, newly divorced and newly unemployed, moves into the house next door and within hours gets a visit from the police.
Elizabeth is thinking about a crime committed thirty years ago, one that had tragic consequences for two families. She desperately wants to make amends before she dies.…
I could practically smell the salt air and the rank odour of seaweed wafting from the pages of this novel. Author Lauren Wolk clearly loves the sea herself. Her knowledge of it is portrayed through the daily life of the book's strong, girl protagonist, Crow. I felt like I was there, wading through the mucky sand, digging clams, and bumping around in the wooden skiff that Crow and her guardian, Osh, rely on for transportation. An adventure, a mystery, and a celebration of the richness of island life, Beyond the Bright Sea stayed with me long after I finished the book.
'Harper Lee has a worthy successor. Wolk is a big new talent' - The Times
Crow has lived her whole life on a tiny, starkly beautiful island. Her only companions are Osh, the man who rescued her from a washed-up skiff as a baby and raised her, and Miss Maggie, their neighbour across the sandbar. But it is only when a mysterious fire appears across the water that an unspoken question of her own history forms in Crow's heart, and an unstoppable chain of events is triggered. Crow sets out to find her lost identity - and, ultimately, to learn…
Speaking of strong, girl heroines, Red Fox Road features 13 year-old Francie Fox, who must fend for herself when her family's truck breaks down on a remote logging road in Oregon. With her love and respect for nature and for adventure, Francie has imagined survival scenarios before. But with both her parents missing, and no sign of rescue as the days drag on, Francie is tested in ways she never envisioned. The deep Oregon wilderness becomes almost a character in itself, as Francie faces a fierce windstorm, fallen trees, a rushing river and a curious bear.
