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Sleeping with Cats: A Memoir
by
Marge Piercy
Marge Piercy, a writer who is highly praised as both a poet and a novelist, turns her gaze inward as she shares her thoughts on life and explores her development as a woman and writer. She pays tribute to the one loving constant that has offered her comfort and meaning even as the faces and events in her life have changed -- her beloved cats.
With searing honesty, Piercy te...more
With searing honesty, Piercy te...more
Paperback, 368 pages
Published
December 24th 2002
by Harper Perennial
(first published December 24th 2001)
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I mostly 'really liked' this. The Five stars are for one thing and one thing only: She is a sexual feminist and is not afraid to mention it.
I was moved, inspired and most of all justified by her continuous descriptions of her own sexuality, her exploration of it and her brutal unapologetic honesty about being a sexual creature and needing it. Lots.
Besides which, she is a delightful creature, albeit with a dark depressive streak which I attribute to her genetic heritage. Sadly, I think being a...more
I was moved, inspired and most of all justified by her continuous descriptions of her own sexuality, her exploration of it and her brutal unapologetic honesty about being a sexual creature and needing it. Lots.
Besides which, she is a delightful creature, albeit with a dark depressive streak which I attribute to her genetic heritage. Sadly, I think being a...more
A wonderful memoir. Another author that I now understand more clearly my connection. As with Dorothy Allison, she has a working class background and a strong feminist sense and history. The framing of the book with her relationship with the cats in her life spoke to me as well. It has made me think about the relationships I have had with animals in my life (dogs have played a role in my life as well.) It has given me another leaping off place for stories.
Feb 04, 2012
Needleroozer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
feminists, cat lovers, poets, fans of Marge Piercy
This book is so fantastic!
I love so much about Marge Piercy. I love the way she decided to remain childless because she knew she couldn't sacrifice her writing and her time to be a good mother. I love the way that she knows she can be a difficult person. I love the way she is a true, strong feminist who wants equality for women, equality for people. I love the way she understands poverty, having grown up in it. I love that she gardens, grows food, barters her produce for food she cannot grow. I...more
I love so much about Marge Piercy. I love the way she decided to remain childless because she knew she couldn't sacrifice her writing and her time to be a good mother. I love the way that she knows she can be a difficult person. I love the way she is a true, strong feminist who wants equality for women, equality for people. I love the way she understands poverty, having grown up in it. I love that she gardens, grows food, barters her produce for food she cannot grow. I...more
The first Marge Piercy novel I read was Braided Lives for a Women's Studies course I had in college. I fell in love and read all her previously written work. Then I had to wait for anything new - and I always read it. I usually enjoyed it too.
This book is a memoir of her life. I knew she had grown up in Detroit and went to the University of Michigan. I had no idea it was so difficult for her. She is one of those people who uses the struggle to become stronger and it was fascinating to read. She...more
This book is a memoir of her life. I knew she had grown up in Detroit and went to the University of Michigan. I had no idea it was so difficult for her. She is one of those people who uses the struggle to become stronger and it was fascinating to read. She...more
There are many things to enjoy about this memoir, not the least of which is Piercy's insight into and respect for cats. Reading it has brought a new layer of depth to my relationship with Birdie, who was never under-appreciated to begin with. (And now I want more cats - though Birdie would never allow it. )
Having just finished this, my immediate impression is with the richness of life when fully lived and fearlessly faced. Piercy is never sentimental and seldom self-aggrandizing as she relates t...more
Having just finished this, my immediate impression is with the richness of life when fully lived and fearlessly faced. Piercy is never sentimental and seldom self-aggrandizing as she relates t...more
Marge Piercy is so interesting. Her life growing up in poverty with indifferent parents, living in a rough area of Detroit was so richly written. I felt like I could climb into her skin in her early years. As she gets older, she spends too much space on the personality and care of her cats... While well written - it didn't really capture my imagination.
I didn't realize she was so out there in her non-monogamous marriage and feminist work. You can really sense the progression from tough kid to a...more
I didn't realize she was so out there in her non-monogamous marriage and feminist work. You can really sense the progression from tough kid to a...more
In my opinion some of the best of Marge Piercy's poetry has been no-holds-barred honest, passionate and sometimes humorous. This memoir by the poet and novelist reflects on the life feeding her creativity involving three husbands and six cats she has loved. It has also included an active part in the anti-war movement of the 60's and later her involvement in the feminist movement. Her life has been tumultuous, and as with her poetry and novels about women in transition this memoir is an honest an...more
A wonderful memoir!
I'd never read a Piercy book before Sleeping With Cats. I chose it randomly because my library offered it as a digital Kindle rental, and I grew up with many cats, so the familiarity appealed to me. Anyone who values cats that much must be someone I understand, right?
This book was wonderful, and one of the most well-written and sophisticated memoirs I've read. Rather than writing a book with the sole purpose of glorifying herself (as too many writers do), or writing a book that's main appeal is...more
This book was wonderful, and one of the most well-written and sophisticated memoirs I've read. Rather than writing a book with the sole purpose of glorifying herself (as too many writers do), or writing a book that's main appeal is...more
Oops, the good review is when I thought I was commenting on another book. Not this one. The writing is okay, but it's too long and drawn out. There were good parts: her gardening, her writing about writing, the politics, and some of her friends.
I don't think I've ever quit reading a book that far into it before. I just can't bear to keep going. The years she continues to cover her open marriage are too much. I can't read another word of it. Also, I keep thinking she'll wise up and get out of it,...more
I don't think I've ever quit reading a book that far into it before. I just can't bear to keep going. The years she continues to cover her open marriage are too much. I can't read another word of it. Also, I keep thinking she'll wise up and get out of it,...more
An honest writer will admit that everything that he or she writes, down to a grocery list, is in some form autobiography, revealing the author's sense of life, core values, interests. The art of literary expression, like any art, is a self-portrait, and the higher the level of quality, the truer we have been to ourselves. When a book reads flat or false, suspect a lie.
When Marge Piercy writes—and she writes like nobody’s business, having to date published 17 novels and 17 collections of poetry—...more
When Marge Piercy writes—and she writes like nobody’s business, having to date published 17 novels and 17 collections of poetry—...more
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Once I plowed through the disjointed beginning, I couldn't put it down. Having myself failed at more marriages that I care to remember, it was interesting to read this life story bravely laid open before me. Whether she means to or not, she shows that connections with men are on a level with connections with cats - with no particular disrespect to the importance of either men or cats. Cats and men have many similarities. They can be very loveable and affectionate, although they largely take you...more
WOW! I have been reading this on and off since last summer. It is the kind of book I like to read for more than just little bits, so I finished it during my winter break from my job. It was good all along, lots on her earlier years in the movement, relationships found and lost, and cats through out. But the last few chapters, whoa, they almost take my breath away. Starting with the one where she gets very personal with a fearful cat ( I don't want to be a spoiler) and then the eye problems. I ha...more
I really enjoyed Marge Piercy's memoir, especially what she wrote about her early years. I loved the way she put poems in at the end of each chapter. She used the cats in her life as a way to organize the book, and I couldn't help thinking, sometimes, as I made my way through whole chapters describing her cats and their behavior, likes, and dislikes that the only thing more boring than listening to someone else's dreams is listening to someone else talk about their cats. I love cats, but at time...more
Cats. Poetry. Politics. Sex. Sexual Politics. Feminism. Activism. Tough women.
Would that I had read this book when I was 17. I could have used it. Marge Piercy is amazing.
Would that I had read this book when I was 17. I could have used it. Marge Piercy is amazing.
A lovely memoir of her life in the 50s - 90s told through tales of the cats she has owned. Seemed like an honest portrayal of herself and of the times.
Piercy's characterization of her cats is wonderful! Her life experiences are so different from my own, and she tells her history with the acknowledgement of memory's fallibility and an interesting admittance of her own faults. I wish she had talked more about her works of poetry and fiction and how they fit into her life.
I didn't think I would like this memoir as much as I did. Cats are important in Marge Piercy's life, but there's a lot more going on. I hadn't heard of her before, but she highlights her life as a writer (poet and novelist), activist, and her various relationships. Highly recommended.
I wasn't enthusiastic about reading Sleeping With Cats, my book club book for this month, but Piercy is a great writer and I'm truly enjoying getting a peek at her life.
I don't know enough about technique to know how she does it, but Piercy manages to do it, but the pace of her sentences follows her chronological age. At the beginning, it feels fast paced and energetic, youthful, and by the end of the book, the pace seems more measured and...perhaps graceful is the word I want. It has been a joy...more
I don't know enough about technique to know how she does it, but Piercy manages to do it, but the pace of her sentences follows her chronological age. At the beginning, it feels fast paced and energetic, youthful, and by the end of the book, the pace seems more measured and...perhaps graceful is the word I want. It has been a joy...more
I enjoy Piercy's fiction, but her memoir was not nearly as satisfying.
Not a memoir for folks unfamilar with Piercy's work, but enjoyable for fans of her fiction or poetry (each chapter ends with a poem). The title is no joke--I think I learned more about her cats than I really needed to. Cat obsession aside, I've always been inspired by Piercy's political activism and the subtle way she often incorporates class and gender issues into her writing, whether fictional or not.
A memoir of the author's life, organized chronologically and identifying the cats who accompanied her life journey. A poet and essayist, a feminist and an activist, Piercy has written an entertaining book that also recors the political times of the 60s and 70s; at times the life details were a little more than I needed but I commend it enthusiastically, especially for cat lovers.
I admire Marge Piercy as a person, a feminist, and an artist. More than I wanted to know about her cats, but she is very devoted to them. It is astounding to get an inkling of where she came from (growing up poor and rough in Detroit) and who she became. If you ever wanted to know how open marriage works (and does not work) this is the book for you. Enjoyable poetry here also.
Marge Piercy and I must have grown up in the same era, the era when families lived in houses that backed up to alleys. In my case, the alley ran beside my house, dividing the block in half.
I've always liked Piercy's poems and I love this book. Her life is a complex, complicated journey, but the one constant are the cats that keep her steady.
I've always liked Piercy's poems and I love this book. Her life is a complex, complicated journey, but the one constant are the cats that keep her steady.
I found this book when I looked up "Sleeping With Cats" on Amazon because I wanted it to be the title of my own novel. Disappointed that it had been taken, I decided to read Ms. Piercy's book. Very entertaining, and NOTHING like what my novel is about! For instance, it was very interesting to read an inside perception of open marriage~
I love Marge Piercy! Her novels are wonderful, she writes so well, so I just had to read this. It is a great book, I almost feel I know her now. I hardly ever read poetry but I was moved to tears by some of the poems (which she has at end of each chapter). And the cats! Wonderful!
Feb 17, 2008
Mari
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Everyone...
Recommended to Mari by:
My daughter Stephanie
This book gives the reader a glimpse into the life of Marge Percy and the cats that weave into the tapestry of her life. A beautifully written autobiography, poignent and powerful.
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As Piercy is relating stories from her life, you begin to recognize them from her books... cool to see how reality inspires fiction and how a writer uses what's around her for material.
I loved Marge for her poetry before reading this and now I want to be her homie. She is too awesome! I guess I'll have to go be a hippie now, thanks.
This is one of the best memoirs I've ever read! One to read over and over. Her writing is so honest and real, I just couldn't put it down.
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“Writing is a futile attempt to preserve what disappears moment by moment.”
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“From the time I arrived on the Cape, one of the things I chose explicitly was to put my writing first. Everything else in my life waxed and waned, but writing, I discovered during my restructuring, was my real core. Not any relationship. Not any love. Not any person. I had become more selfish and less accessible. I ceased to be the universal mommy of the tribe. I wanted to see people when I was done with my writing for the day, and not in the middle of my work time.”
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