Von Katzen und Männern

by Nina de Gramont, Oliver Wolfskehl (Translator)

Haughty Bengals, faithful Maine coons, and feral strays: These are the haunting familiars that animate Nina de Gramont's superbly imagined debut collection of short fiction. Prowling through every story, these enigmatic creatures expose the truth that lies beneath the surface of every encounter between women and the men they love.

A young woman finds two dark surprises in her home: a magpie dismembered by her mischievous cat, and an unsettling glimpse of her fiancé's secret inclinations...

A pregnant housewife quietly suffers a visit from her troubled brother-in-law while her hidden anger comes to life in the suddenly hostile behavior of her docile house cat...

A frustrated newlywed clings to the last vestige of her well-appointed upbringing — a pampered Himalayan high point — until a rangy stray cat shows her the true meaning of marriage...

As clever, finessed, and keen as the feline disposition it celebrates, Of Cats and Men marks the arrival of an exciting new voice in fiction.

Genres: Short Stories, Cats, Fiction, Animals, Adult Fiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Nina de Gramont's latest novel, The Christie Affair, is an international and New York Times best seller, and the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for February, 2022. Nina is also the author of a collection of short stories, Of Cats and Men, as well as the novels Gossip of the Starlings and The Last September. She has written several YA novels (Every Little Thing in the World, Meet Me at the River, The Boy I Love, and -- under the pen name Marina Gessner -- The Distance From Me to You). Nina teaches creative writing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. She lives with her daughter and her husband, the writer David Gessner.

Reviews

[m d · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5, but i may be biased 😆😻

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of Felines and Females

Nature of the Beast: Chick upset after she discovers her boyfriend has gasp a stash of old men's magazines

The Closest Place: Trigger warning - schizophrenic door-slamming brother and the unresolved mystery of a missing cat

Scuffling: I suppose we're supposed to draw some parallel between the mother in the attic and the cat stuck in a wall

- Flurf has taken it upon themself to slap the wall telephone when they are hungry (3, 4, 5 and 8 am) and or their buddy Baltimore the sable stray is begging glow-eyed at the backdoor. Balty has this thing, too, where he begs, gets served and eats, descends to the Underworld (the porch crawlspace), waits three minutes, returns and begs thinking I think it's a totally different cat (plot twist: it is?)

Wedding Bed: Young married couple - he's a roofer who befriends a bum, she's a bookstore clerk who bewitches a stray cat.

Human Contact: One of those disgustingly, perfectly in-love college couples have their limits tested when the boyfriend inherits a Wyoming ranch and transforms from her ideal moonlight-lassoing Jimmy Stewart into Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty seemingly overnight. Special appearance by Monique the Cat.

In His Shoes: Widow (wearing her dead husband's footwear) recounts at closed casket funeral how a bell-collared feline was the bait in trap of a premeowditated murder - creepy, crawly, creepy creepy, crawly crawly.

- Was walking to the store late the other day (in this merry, merry month of May) when I was approached by a gentlemanly one-eyed orange cat. He followed me for a bit then scuffed off to a back yard. Well, I'll tell you what: saw today a bright green Lost sign tapped to a telephone pole: seeking desperately a one-eyed etc. And that one-eyed orange cat who seemed to know, and be on, his way has a name - Mr. Piddles. Wouldn't you know it? I'll be keeping an eye out for that gentleman, that Mr. Piddles: even during our brief, cautious, encounter, I felt a kinship and, now, want only to see him returned to his fold. He is loved, he is missed.

Politeness of Kings: another relationship comedy/drama - this time dealing with a birthday party and cat allergies. The ol' the-cat-goes-or-I-go powerplay.

By His Wild Lone: Lady discards her husband, children, and, most callously, her cats in pursuit of an ill-conceived romantic entanglement.

Stealing Baby's Breath: a new mother considers old world superstitions as she wrestles with post-purrrrrrtum depression.

Lieutenant Island: Young widow reconnects with her first husband and his second wife (a know-it-all acquaintance known well) - freshly shorn cats and frothy Cape Cod tides a sure recipe for rekindling romance in the elegaic conclusion to this calming collection.

[Hollie Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

(review written just after reading the book in 2002)
Great writing. Every time I fell into the story - the situations - the people - the cats. And then it would end. Often without any sort of closure - nothing resolved. Trying to mimick life perhaps? (and a darned good job of it too I might add.) I didn't want the stories to end. I'm still wondering what happened to Mia and Walter and wild Abelaird. Did Greg end up kissing Tara or not? Did Camille ever become comfortable with a man whose salary was measured in hourly wages and not yearly ones? And did her purebread cat befriend the wild tom living in the breadtruck in the front yard? Ms. de Gramont sucks you in and leaves you to figure it out on your own…

[thebooknerdnextdoor 📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of short stories about the relationships between men, women & cats.

I honestly just picked up the book for the cat in the title & cover page lol. The stories were very interesting & diverse. Its not just about romantic relationships between a man & a woman but also about families.

A lot of the stories didn’t really have an ending. It just leaves you to guess what would happen next in the characters’ lives.

If you were wondering, the cat reference in the title doesn’t play a huge role in each of the story. Few just mentions them in passing. In others, the cats play a much bigger role as like the character’s pets or a storyline involving a cat causing trouble.

I guess I could say most of the stories were a light read. Each story is different & has a different theme. Some were a bit disturbing and others were kinda enjoyable. But most leave you reflecting about your own life.

[Karen GoatKeeper · Rating 3 out of 5]

All ten of the short stories in this collection involve relationships between men and women. All have a cat or cats as part of the story.
The stories keep the reader reading. They are well written. Most are about the interplay between a man and wife played out against some life situation throwing that relationship into difficulty.
Although I did keep reading the stories, I didn't find any one of them to really like.

[Andrea Renfrow · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid writing, the stories I read exhausted me and left me uninterested in reading more. I wasn't in the right place emotionally to pick it up. They're a bit on the depressing side and spike my anxiety. If you've ever actually been in a bad relationship these stories are well written enough to give you flashbacks.

[Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved being reminded of the Harvest Restaurant in the short story, "Stealing Baby's Breath." Gosh, I miss their tea and yogurt parfaits.
Perfect book to read on an autumn Colorado day with a cat curled up in your lap.

[Diane Crespo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable but not great.

[Shae Peterman · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit, at first I was wary of this book having a "gimic." (Every story in this collection centers around a woman's relationships with men and cats.) I wasn't sure how diverse the stories could possibly be. I was wrong. This is an excellent collection, one I might even recommend to people who don't like short stories. That said, the first few stories are good but nothing special. The last few stories, however, are exceptional. My favorites were: "Human Contact," "In His Shoes" (the central action of which disturbed a horror film buff I know), "The Politeness of Kings," and "By His Wild Lone."

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully, well-written short stories that tended to leave me with a feeling of sadness at the end of each. This was because they ended either without any true resolution of the conflict, or with the sense there would be no HEA and true unhappiness was not that far away. Not my cup of tea, but I can admire the skill of the author in bringing these characters to life so well in the short span of pages given to each couple.

[Neobe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love short stories but I'll admit this is the first time I have read a book of short stories all the way through in one sitting. I was on vacation with my sister and she gave me this book to read on the beach. She said I ignored her the entire weekend. These are beautiful stories that pull you in.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was fascinating; it was filled with so many different 'short stories' but they didn't feel separate of each other as they all related back to her main theme, the characters relationship with cats and men.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories, each with a cat snuck into the plot. Not flimsy by any means, but I felt there was some raggedness, with only two stories striking me as first-rate. Even so, as a lover of short stories, I enjoyed this.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the cats would be more involved in the stories. However, the conflicts are well written. One of these stories gave me the chills as it perfectly described a panic attack. I would read this a second time.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting stories. The first few stories are good but the last few stories were drawn out; slightly depressing. The women lack direction & purpose in life. The cats lurk in the shadows in the stories. Where's the cat? Where's waldo? It's fun getting to know the cats.

[John E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clean, readable stories that somehow lacked the significance of great stories. The cats were props not characters and many of the men seemed to be the same. It seems that "Women" should have been in the title also since all central characters were women.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for cat lovers like myself.

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved the short stories in this book. They are so descriptive you can almost imagine yourself being right there in the stories and feel what the characters are feeling.

[Florence Buchholz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended for all cat lovers.

[Sue]

it's on the stack under my bedside table and I can't wait to get to it.

[Danae Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping short stories you will not forget. I loved this book and I do not even like cats.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember when I have enjoyed every single story in a book of short stories-- until this book.
These stories are surprising, touching, and beautiful.

[Chastain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard to put down this collection of short stories that accurately portrays women, mental illness and our beloved pets.

[Denise]

Loved it!

[Ginny T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a number of short stories compiled in the one book. This was a half read and the stories tend to be on the same lines - a female who is having man trouble and also has a cat hence its name.

[Jill]

My dad just sent this to me. I'll keep you posted.

[Gail Kennon]

well written and touching tales.