The Bachelor's Cat

by L.F. Hoffman

In a holiday love story told from the man's point of view, a difficult if romantic bachelor stumbles upon a stray cat that helps him find the right woman to love

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Cats, Animals, Adult Fiction, Adult, Christmas

121 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1997

Reviews

[Sheri · Rating 2 out of 5]

As one little kitten wriggles her way into the bachelor’s heart and home, he soon realizes that he wants and needs the love and affection of a good woman. A sentimental read for cat lovers, but dissatisfying on all other fronts. The reader is left wondering if the bachelor made the right choice for the right reason.

[Carah · Rating 1 out of 5]

EEk. Haven't been this grossed out by a book in a long time. Great concept at face value... but the devices he used to tell this story were SO cringeworthy. The amount of body shaming in this book was disturbing. I would write them here... but they are that offensive. It's like the author didn't even realize how offensive some of the remarks he made were. This story was not about a cat helping a man find love... this book was about a man struggling with the fact that he fell in love with a woman that had a body type he didn't like, and him wrestling with the difficult choice of choosing his toxic yet "SKINNY" ex-girlfriend or the amazing woman he loves that is "overweight". The bachelor was insanely shallow, yet thought he was a total stand up guy that was simply a "romantic". The poor woman in this novel deserved so much better. On top of all that nonsense.... the poor cat has to almost die to show the idiot that this incredibly kind, funny, cool woman that he loves being with is worth his time. This book gave me a damn head ache. The adorable cat could almost add a star.... almost.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

whoops, i didn't realize that i was 'reviewing' my own book.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute little book about a man, a cat, and commitment. I love cats and believe they can and do change lives...as do most animals if you give them a chance.

Short and sweet.

[Hugo Damián · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tras la aparente sencillez de la historia, quienes sepan prestar atención y tengan la mente lo suficientemente despierta podrán encontrar un precioso meta-relato acerca de quienes somos realmente, de como proyectamos en nuestros seres queridos nuestros propios miedos, ansiedades y alegrías, de como para recibir cariño primero es fundamental abrir el corazón y dar algo primero a cambio.

Una hermosísima pieza de lectura que, lamentablemente, se me antojó demasiado corta. Hubiera dado cualquier cosa por un par de capítulos extra!

[laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great short read. A spare novel about a bachelor wandering from one meaningless relationship to the next, and not really committing to anything in his life (including a real trash can). Then a kitten shows up at his doorstep... Then the bachelor meets a woman, one who doesn't play games, but is intriguing... The interesting thing in this very short book, is only the cat gets a name...

[Leonor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reseña

Nuestro protagonista es el soltero, de quien nunca sabemos el nombre. Este hombre se encuentra en una relación tóxica con su novia, una mujer que sólo lo utiliza para los períodos en los que no puede conseguir a otro hombre "mejor".

Su vida cambia cuando recoge a una gatita muy pequeña, la acoge en un frío día y la cuida, aun cuando su vida no pasaba por las mejores circunstancias.

La historia nos narra la vida del soltero, cómo evoluciona la relación con su gata llamada Frankie, y cómo ella la ayuda a tomar la decisión más difícil de su vida.

Crítica

Es un libro para leer pausadamente. Es corto, los capítulos también lo son, y tiene mucho espacio entre sus páginas. Sin embargo, uno se llega a encariñar bastante con Frankie y a esperar que el soltero sea capaz de tomar decisiones adecuadas.

Me gustó el estilo del autor, y también el hecho de que hubiese una tierna gatita involucrada en la historia. Seguiré leyendo material de Lynn Hoffman.

3.5 / 5 estrellas

[Andrés Almanza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin conocerle nunca el nombre a uno de nuestros protagonistas logramos sentir de cierta manera lo que el siente. La Soledad, la rabia, lo desconocido, lo que se piensa es amor, la duda y el verdadero amor.

He de confesar que en un par de páginas se me ha escapado una que otra lágrima, el descubrir el verdadero amor dentro de la creemos es la realidad absoluta. Este libro llegó por casualidad, y es tan fácil de leer que en una tarde puedes hacerlo, simplemente no hay peros en "La Gata del Soltero".

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, fun read about a life transformed by a whiskered critter. Much like The Cat Who Went To Paris, this little novel demonstrates the very powerful influence animals can have on human lives.
No names are given to any of the characters, save for "Franke" the cat. The bachelor is refereed to as exactly that, "the bachelor," and the women in his life as "the girlfriend" and "the woman." Though the story is predictable before the cover is even cracked, it is likely to put a smile on the face of even the most miserly curmudgeon among us (like moi.)

[chambejd / Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was sub-par for me. I thought the main character was shallow and the book was very impersonal...you don't even know the characters' names. It is a self-proclaimed "love story", but I thought the main character has no idea what love is.

[María Greene F · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dulce, muy cortito, un poco simplón. Hay partes que son muy condescendientes y algo pre fabricadas, pero igual en general me pareció un relato honesto.

Me gustó mucho, aunque más que una novela, es una pincelada. Supongo que eso también tiene su gracia.

[Richelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fell in love with the cat in this story more so than the story itself.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stray changes a bachelors life for the good. The cat taught him how to love. Helping him chose the right girlfriend for his wife. A small book with a lot of meaning.

[Pedro · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reseña completa:
http://miljeroglificos.blogspot.cl/20...

La gata del soltero es la historia de un pintor que se encuentra mal anímicamente por que su último trabajo no ha tenido éxito y su novia lo ha dejado nuevamente. Es en este ambiente donde encuentra una gata afuera de su casa, a la que a pesar de sentirse inseguro, le da hogar. Inesperadamente para él, con esta gatita va formando una relación de mucha complicidad, la que será su fiel compañera mientras él lucha con esa indecisión de seguir atado a su antigua novia o iniciar por completo una nueva vida con la nueva mujer con la que va a salir.

Personalmente, me pareció un libro muy regular. No puedo calificarlo de malo pero tampoco me siento cómodo diciendo que es bueno. Tiene cosas negativas como positivas.
Al ser un libro tan corto nunca llegué a conectar por completo con el protagonista y muchas de sus actitudes me sacaron de quicio, pero la relación que va formando con la gatita está retratada de buena manera ya que se ve el progreso de conocimiento mutuo que tienen entre ambos.

La pluma del autor es super abarcable, lo que hace que el libro sea muy ligero y fácil de leer. No lo recomiendo como compra, pero si lo tienen en su casa o en la de algún cercano es una buena opción si desean leer algo suave después de una libro extenso. Así también es ideal para los que llevan una rutina ajetreada y no tienen tanto espacio para leer, y para aquellos que quieran ir motivándose de a poco con la lectura.

Calificación final: 2.5 de 5.

[Hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story is easily read in an hour or two, about a bachelor whose cat seems to help him make an important choice. Heartwarming.

[Sarah Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author writes so detached from his own story that it makes it really hard to get into. The way he describes the 2 women in is life that he's debating between I'd so shallow and disgusting that it's no wonder he wasn't married for so long. Some exerpts of this:

"He had taken into thinking of her as his Mixed Blessing-he even introduced her that way once. Her face was exotic, Europe and Asia in it, high cheekbones and ferocious eyes." (pg. 21)

"This was a woman who took her hikes on the couch with a bag full of chocolate chip cookies." (pg. 46)

"She was not at all like the athletic beauties for whom he lusted. She didn't touch some magic switch and turn him on like the girlfriend." (pg. 62-63)

"Her tan had been well maintained and there was a pair of Lolita-red heart-shaped sunglasses perched on top of her head. Childlike and sexy: It was pure, vintage girlfriend, just like the good old days." (pg. 99)

Why any of these two ladies would want this man, I don't know.

So you may wonder how the cat saved this man's life? Well at the end of the book he is going to meet up with the girlfriend and let the woman leave him (no they don't get names, and he only refers to them as the woman and the girlfriend). He leaves his door open, which the cat runs into the street and gets hit by a car. The man takes the cat to the vet, where he realizes the woman will be at the house, leaving him, so he makes a call to the house, implying he chose the woman over the girlfriend. The epilogue reveals the cat lived and he has a daughter in the future (I feel very sorry for the kid).

This does not read like a love story, it reads as a man realizing he has to settle down and be with a sensible woman (even if she isn't attractive). The only reason this gets 2 stars is because of the cat shenanigans and the cat lives at the end. I hope the woman in real life has some self worth and left this man.

[evie · Rating 3 out of 5]

short and sweet

[Julieann · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Once upon a time there was a bachelor..." He was a struggling artist with a girlfriend he couldn't manage to keep. But she was exciting and when - if - he sold a piece of art, that was really exciting. Nothing seemed to hold, though.
One day he took in a stray cat, still a kitten. She was wet and cold on his doorstep. He saw movers across the street and asked them if it came from that place. No. He offered her a home and she took it.
The first night she slept curled up next to him. Over the next few months, then years (a few). He sold more paintings, the girlfriend came back for some more visits, and the cat learned her name.
Then, at the neighborhood bar, he met a girl - a woman - who was very different from the girlfriends he always had. The cat liked her right away, so he knew she had some good points. Maybe not all the ones he wanted, but still.
One day the cat took her courage in her hands and tried to follow him outside. It wasn't good - she was hit by a car and really, really hurt. But it made up his mind for him. The last short chapter is the result, years later, of what that was.

[Océano de libros · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bueno, este libro fue una locura temporal. No me preguntéis porqué lo cogí para leer pero así fue. No sé si fue por el gatito de la portada o más bien por la sinopsis, a ver de qué manera el autor relacionaba una gata con un soltero, y le daba un sentido, pero ahí estoy yo leyendo (un relato porque es bastante corto, a decir verdad no creo que sea novela).
Ya en la sinopsis nos queda claro que tenemos por un lado a un soltero algo mujeriego y a una pequeña gatita; como se une todo eso lo sabremos poco a poco con una narración en tercera persona casi en el 95%, con lo cual casi me ahogo porque necesito diálogos, es algo que necesito como el aire para respirar, llamadlo manía.
Sinceramente no puedo darle más que un dos y le sobra. Su protagonista no me hace mucha gracia pero a fin de cuentas es realista, aunque sus acciones no me resulten pero en fin...
En suma, si este relato intenta servir como moraleja para explicar la superficialidad de algunas personas y reflejar el verdadero amor, le ha faltado un poco más para reflejarlo bien, ese final no me ha convencido.

[Roger · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed to read something different-a palate cleanser, as it were. The Bachelor's Cat certainly fit the bill. This sweet little book will probably take up about an hour of your time, Constant Reader, but I think it is worth reading. It is simply written and conveys a simple message: animals can change your life. There are some people who will never get that-the Michael Vicks of the world have something essential missing from their internal wiring. The author of this book did not have that deficiency and his life becomes richer because he rescued a cat-though actually the cat rescued him. The best analogy I can come up with: you cannot explain color to a person who has been born blind. In the same way some people will never understand the joys and sorrows of animal companionship, and admittedly author LF Hoffman demonstrates in his narrative that he has to be taught these things himself. So there is some hope, for some people. As for those who will never understand-when I am capable of moving past my anger and loathing of those individuals I feel a great amount of pity for them.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the book. The last chapter almost pulled the same manipulative ending as Breath, Eyes, Memory and Friendship Cake but thankfully didn't. Given the photograph on the back of the book, I have to wonder if the author was writing in part about himself. It was nice to see the Bachelor evolve as a character as the kitten brought out the best in him. Anyone who liked this book would also like Clevland Amory's books and James Herriot's Cat Stories. With so many of these sentimental books about men and their cats, do they count as a genre—"kit lit" perhaps?

[Jaime · Rating 5 out of 5]

Small book, big themes. It's about a man and a little cat who save each other, it's about reality and responsibility, and what makes life more livable and worth the journey. When I couldn't stop enthusing about this library book my husband surprised me with my own copy, which I will keep forever for that reason alone, but the story itself is a treasure to revisit regularly.

[Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story of a nameless man and his cat, Frankie, made me so happy when I first read it eons ago. This past week, I picked it up to reread. Fluff and mind candy. It is a simple read about how a man who is looking for love discovers how to truly love and be loved when he opens his heart to a cat. This quick read is not even 100 pages long, and I read it in one sitting.

[Siti Britney · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute. My friends gave me 3 cats because of this damn book.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short sweet story. Not earth-shattering or the great American novel, but it doesn't try to be other than a short introspective story about how a cat helps his "pet" discover himself.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a lovely little book that I read in one hour on a plane. A very cute tale, easy to read and charming. Not a bad way to spend an hour!

[Svalbard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libro trovato in bancarella per un euro, pubblicato negli anni Novanta, copertina rigida, sovraccoperta, un’edizione graficamente molto curata; pochissime pagine, quasi più un racconto che un romanzo, una storia semplicissima ma estremamente calligrafica. In sostanza un libro di cui non si può dire troppo male né troppo bene.

Uno scapolo, molto compiaciuto della sua scapolitudine (curioso il fatto di aver usato, nella traduzione, un termine così desueto, quando ormai “single” è diventato di uso universale), artista di medio successo, che vive a Baltimora, si trova per puro caso fuori dalla porta una gattina orfana e abbandonata. La prende in casa con l’intento di ritrovare il suo padrone o darla via comunque, e invece, come prevedibile, diventa parte imprescindibile della sua vita, compagna affettuosa e giocherellona. Intanto lui si barcamena nella relazione a intermittenza con una ragazza bellissima e molto astuta, che lo prende e lo lascia a intervalli regolari, e nelle pause entrambi si fanno altre storie ed altre esperienze (ehi, mica male a pensarci). Finché un giorno non conosce una donna meno platealmente bella, ma intelligente, simpatica e anche con un bel feeling erotico, e la storia con quest’ultima tende a stabilizzarsi finché lei, come se fosse cosa scontata, gli dice: a questo punto o viviamo insieme o fermiamoci qui…

Grande turbamento, ovviamente, per lui, tanto più che proprio in quel momento la ragazza a intermittenza entra nella fase “on” e gli si para davanti in una “mise” che, da come è descritta, non lascerebbe molte alternative a lui e ancora meno al suo organo sessuale. Sulle prime lui resiste, ma poi decide di capitolare… e proprio in quel momento accade l’evento assolutamente imprevisto e imprevedibile nel romanzo, anche dato il tono generale: lui esce di casa, lasciando la porta aperta, la gatta, pur di non lasciarlo solo (e fino a quel giorno aveva avuto un terrore totale di uscire) lo segue… e viene investita da un’auto.

(Confessione personale: stavo leggendo il libro in un ufficio postale in attesa di essere chiamato allo sportello. Questa scena è arrivata in modo talmente inatteso e imprevisto che sono letteralmente scoppiato a piangere - so bene quanto sia ineluttabile l’amore degli animali, e dei gatti in particolare -, proprio in quel momento sono stato chiamato e ho perso il turno, non potevo presentarmi in lacrime allo sportello dando l’impressione alla sportellista che il pacco che stavo spedendo - un banale reso ad Amazon - avesse in realtà chissà quale significato, tipo restituire a una ex fidanzata i suoi effetti personali, giusto per restare nel tema del romanzo).

Epilogo: molti anni dopo si scopre che l’artista e l’altra donna sono sposati, hanno una figlia, e la gatta è ancora tra loro, viva anche se zoppa.

Storia da poco, ma scritta molto bene, anche troppo.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pocas veces me encuentro con una joya que me recuerda lo fascinante que es la literatura y como impacta en la realidad de las personas. Pues bien, La gata del soltero, es una de ellas. Un pequeño libro que nos habla del amor más puro que podemos encontrarnos y, de como, esta emoción puede cambiarnos la vida. Es una novela muy corta pero emotiva. Y por eso no puedes dejar de leerla.

Como es su primera novela es muy normal que no conociera a L. F. Hoffman, autor de esta obra. Y quizás sea por el tema o por la forma en la que está configurada la novela, pero me ha parecido un escritor normal, con un estilo de escritura simple y bien desarrollado que se apoya en una prosa dinámica, ejecutada de forma correcta y estructurada con acierto, un lenguaje funcional y unas descripciones bastante básicas en lo material pero correctas y bien hechas en lo emocional. Y luego hay que hablar de los personajes. El protagonista indiscutible es el soltero. Un personaje coherente y maduro que se ve sometido a unas dudas compresibles y unos miedos plausibles. Algo que te permite empatizar rápidamente con él y meterte de lleno en la trama.

La historia que nos narra, La gata del soltero, es una preciosa historia de amor, para nada empalagosa ni sensacionalista que te hace recuperar, aunque sea un poco, la fe en la humanidad. Y sin más dilación haré una somera sinopsis. Tenemos al soltero, un hombre romántico y gruñón, que un día al volver a su piso se encuentra a una pequeña gatita. Como es de noche y hace mucho frío, la permite entrar. Cuando decide quedarse con ella, la vida del soltero, que iba de desastre en desastre, empieza a cambiar poco a poco. La gatita enseñará a su cínico dueño lo que es el amor y como éste no se deja engañar por el envoltorio. Así que cuando tiene que elegir entre su espectacular ex novia y una mujer gordita pero increíblemente interesante, el soltero será ayudado por su gatita para descubrir quien es su verdadero amor. Y hasta aquí puedo decir. Pero si me gustaría contar que el libro presenta algunas agudas reflexiones sobre el amor, la belleza, el arte y la naturaleza humana que hacen que leerlo no solo sea un placer, si no además provechoso. Y así llegamos al precioso final. Aunque reconozco que me hubiera gustado algo más de desarrollo, el desenlace es una preciosidad, aunque algo abrupto y un tanto previsible.

En resumen, La gata del soltero, es una maravillosa obra que nos habla de emociones de una forma sincera y cercana. Es todo un regalo que nos demuestra que lo más importante es amar y ser amado. Y de como, a veces, necesitamos que alguno de nuestros amigos peludos se presente para mostrarnos lo válidos y merecedores de amor que somos. Así que la recomiendo plenamente. Se trata de una novela preciosa que encantará a todos, tanto a los amantes de los gatos como aquellos que prefieren los perros o cualquier otro tipo de mascota.

[Liza Maggio · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick read. The narrative voice is different. The only characters who have a name is Frankie, the cat and a deceased childhood friend. Everyone else is the girlfriend, the woman, the boy, the little girl. Possibly lyrical, clearly a choice of style and tone, this lack of names objectives people and distances them from readers (or at least this reader) and worse, possibly, from the narrator himself. Passive voice so many of the sentences are written in. And this too serves to distance readers from the characters. I really dislike, even if it's honest, the way the narrator keeps mentioning the woman's weight.
I wept aloud reading the last chapter, and ironically, in the last chapter of my last novel a similar thing with a worse outcome happens to a child. I didn't cry, but perhaps b/c this is, I suppose, not fiction. Am thankful for the epilogue.

[Alan Torres · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relato corto, los personajes ni si quiera tienen nombre, pues eso no es lo importante, la gata entra en la vida del soltero cuando este se encuentra en medio de una relación venenosa para él, pero como todos los hombres lo llegamos a hacer, nos mentimos a nosotros mismos para volver a ese círculo interminable de sufrimiento intermitente.

Esto hasta que la gata entra al cuadro y facilita su transición hacia un compromiso verdadero.

Me identifiqué con el soltero muchas veces, de las cuales algunas no de manera orgullosa, pero a la larga creo que también aprendemos la misma lección, después de todo, eso es lo que tenemos que hacer.