A World Without Color: A True Story Of the Last Three Days With My Cat
One story. Two endings. Genuine and fictional. Which ending is yours?
What do you say to someone who is dying? And what do you say when that someone can't understand a word you are saying? How do you comfort each other throughout... and beyond?
My love, if you go away in a few days, the world will lose its colors and darken like the land of Mordor. If you go away a
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A World Without Color: A True Story of the Last Three Days with my Cat is a short memoir about one family’s experience of losing a beloved pet, a cat named Marcel. Bernard Jan lays out his experience with Marcel’s last 3 days of life as the emotions pour out of him on screen.
I found this book on Goodreads this morning after reading one of Bernard Jan’s blog posts and it sounded like a must read. As a person who has many pets, I sometimes think ...more


Paul and I have put two cats down ourselves over the past 40 years. The pain - sadness - and grief lingered for a long time.
In this short story we are witness to a beautiful love story between a cat and his owner and the family they are a part of.
Gut wrenching loss when death comes.
Rest In Peace Marcel ....
Always - always - so ...more

Bernard Jan tells in detail the last 3 days of Marcel’s life, as his cat goes through its final stages of suffering from diabetes. This story is very emotional and touching, which felt like a self-professing love poem to Marcel – his pet, his companion, his love. The emotions are raw and unrestrained and the difficult decision to stop the suffering by putting Marcel to sleep, weighs heavily on his heart yet it is the final act of kindness he can offer. “I wish I could be brave like you an ...more



Saying good-bye and “putting down” a pet who is suffering is one of the greatest nightmares a person can face. Is it really time? What if….what if…w ...more

This sort of memoir delves very deeply into the author's connection to his cat, and goes on and on about how much love there is. Tragically, the cat is sick and in it's last days. It's quite impressive that someone could write an entire short book about just these moments.
I think a narrative would have helped, some ...more

I received a free eBook copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.
Writing: 5/5
Originality: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Firstly, I would live to give a huge thank you to Bernard Jan, the author of this incredible and heart-lifting novel, for sending me a review copy!
A World Without Colour: A True Story Of the Last Three Days With My Cat is an emotional novella and memoir about his last three days with his cat. This was a short read which only made it more enjoyable- it made it honest and not exagger
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The writing is very emotional and it depicts very well his emotions and conflict. Any pet owner will identify with his story and with all he has had to deal with. I used to be ...more



A World Without Color is about a cat named Marcel and his owner, Be ...more

I'm glad that this story is a book because reading it in silence is like prayer, like tribute to this relationship and recognition that animal friends are just part of the family.
Ps "got a free copy from th ...more

At the end of his book, Bernard writes, "Writing this book was a question of survival, it was not an option or a choice. This story is personal and very important to me, so thank you for reading it" which is probably exactly how named groups of people feel ...more

I initially spotted A World Without Color when author Rebecca Gransden reviewed it on Goodreads. She loved this memoir and I had loved her books so I hoped Bernard Jan's writing would appeal to me as much as it did to Rebecca. It certainly did!
A World Without Color is Bernard Jan's intensely emotional memories of his cat, Marcel's, last three days and nights of life. Jan's writing is raw with grief yet also beautifully sentimental. He remembe ...more




This is not a "pet" story. Rather, it is a love story of a giving friendship that takes us well past the every day and into the deepest part of what makes humans and other animals emotional beings. I was unsure as I read how I felt about this, never having experienced this depth with an animal, because I grew up on a farm. You can't get too close, not ever.
Allowing the words to wash over me ...more

This story is a heartwarming and emotional ode to the last three days that the author spent with his cat, Marcel. Although I read far more fiction than nonfiction, I enjoyed the book and was honored that Mr. Jan would offer to share such a personal memoir with me and the rest of the world.
To see my full review, complete with a list ...more

Undoubtedly, Bernard Jan wrote A World Without Colour with his heart-blood. The question that remains, when reading his short opus, is if it would have been better to wait for a little longer before writing it. Sometimes, when one writes on open wounds, the danger looms that sentiment clouds the writer’s potential. That is a pity. Having said that, I must add my condolences. It is difficult to lose loved ones. Bernard Jan shows courage in sharing that agony, but the question r ...more

Review by Leigh Holland.
As a cat lover, I had to check out this short read. This is a love story. It’s not a romance. Nevertheless, it’s a story about a powerful, moving, enduring love. It’s all the more meaningful as it is a true story. Cat lovers will see their own experiences and feelings mirrored here. This story is an intense testament to the bond humans ...more

5 STARS!!!
"You curl up in your new hideout, and the soft light of April afternoon washes your worn-out body. You are aware of my closeness. you confirm hat with a gentle sigh while my palm tenderly slide down your fur. You still like my touch, although pain is what you mostly feel"
Such an emotional and effective read....I couldnt bring myself to read this in one go. Thats how this book cruely played with my feelings! To make ...more

This isn’t a long book, but I had to read it a little piece at a time. It’s really heartbreaking stuff. If you’ve ever loved and lost a pet, you’ll know exactly where Jan is coming from, and he articulates it perfectly. Oh, the feels! All of them! One of the things that got me was how he kicks himself for tiny, seemingly inconsequential pleasures denied while there was still time. He didn’t go pick some immature grass for his feline friend to chew on, and can’t get over th ...more


My home is empty without her. My life is empty without her. My world is empty without her.
A World Without Color -- such a proper, ...more

Despite how sad this st ...more
Bernard Jan is an award-winning novelist and a poet from Croatia, and he has released four books in English.
Readers' Favorite Gold Medalist 2020
Readers' Favorite Bronze Medalist 2019
A World Without Color is a true story of the last three days he spent with his cat, while Look for Me Under the Rainbow i ...more