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Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic
In Paris's Pere-Lachaise cemetery lie the bones of many renowned departed. It is also home to a large number of stray cats. Now, what if by some strange twist of fate, the souls of the famous were reborn in the cats with their personalities intact? There's Maria Callas, a wilful and imperious diva, wailing late into the night. Earthy, bawdy chanteuse Edith Piaf is a foul-mouthed washerwoman. Oscar Wilde is hopelessly in love with Jim Morrison who sadly does not return his affections. Frederic Chopin is as melancholic and deeply contemplative as ever, and in honor of the tradition of leaving love letters at his tomb, he is now the cemetery's postmaster general. Last but not least, Marcel Proust is trying to solve the mystery behind some unusual thefts - someone has stolen Rossini's glass eye and Sarah Bernhardt's leg. Told in a series of amusing set pieces and intercepted letters, this is a delicious tale of intrigue, unrequited love, longstanding quarrels, character assassinations, petty spats, and sorcery that builds to a steady climax at the cats' annual Christmas pageant.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
16 people are currently reading
747 people want to read
About the author
Bill Richardson
77 books51 followersBill Richardson was born and grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba on a quiet little street. He admits to being a shy kid, a quality that has carried over into his adulthood. With his two brothers and the neighborhood children, Bill would play hide and seek, red rover and tag. They got into the usual sorts of mischief: garden raids and snowball fights.
Bill has always taken comfort in reading. As a child his tastes were very diverse, ranging from the adventures of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, the Happy Hollisters, and the Enid Blyton books to comics featuring Archie, Richie Rich, Little Lulu, Casper, Batman and Superman. The Alice in Wonderland books were favorites, and he still loves them today.
Bill’s parents also influenced his reading habits at a young age. His mother introduced him to a six-volume set called Our Bookhouse, an anthology of readings from many different sources; and Bill’s father would share his favorite poetry with the family. And Bill took to reading poetry as well: A Child’s Garden of Verses and the A.A. Milne poems. He claims that he didn’t start to read with anything like purpose or intensity until he reached adolescence. Many of the classic children’s books, such as The Wind in the Willows and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, he came to as an adult.
In 1976, Bill received his B.A. from the University of Winnipeg. He went on to pursue a Master of Library Sciences at UBC, graduating in 1980. In 1998, Bill was honored with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Winnipeg. For six years he worked as a children’s librarian.
Bill is well known in Canada as a CBC Radio host. He’s also made many freelance contributions to both network and regional shows. In 1992, Bill began hosting a summer show called Crosswords, which would continue for four years. He next became the guest host of a classical music request show, and when the show moved to Vancouver in 1996, he was chosen as the show’s permanent host; it became known as As You Like It, to reflect Bill’s interest in the music and letters of his audience. In 1997, Bill became the host of a new program, Richardson’s Roundup. The Roundup is very interactive with its listening audience.
Bill has always dabbled at writing. Even as a child he had a vivid presentiment that this is what he would do. His columns have appeared in The Globe and Mail, Western Living Magazine, The Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, and Xtra West Magazine. Bill won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour in 1994.
In 2000, Bill published his first novel for young adults. After Hamelin tells the tale of Penelope, the only child to escape the lure of the infamous Pied Piper. Now grown to the ripe age of 101, the feisty Penelope recounts her fantastic adventure to rescue the other children of her village from the clutches of the nasty Piper. Bill’s wonderful story has gone on to earn more than a dozen awards and nominations.
Bill makes frequent public appearances reading poetry, narrating musical works, giving keynote speeches and signing books. As time slips away, Bill hopes to use as much of it as he can catch. He believes that “if you’re going to write, you damage yourself if you don't pay attention to the ideas that come your way and try to make something of them. It’s a kind of responsibility, which isn’t to say that you’ll write well, but you still need to make the effort.”
Bill has always taken comfort in reading. As a child his tastes were very diverse, ranging from the adventures of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, the Happy Hollisters, and the Enid Blyton books to comics featuring Archie, Richie Rich, Little Lulu, Casper, Batman and Superman. The Alice in Wonderland books were favorites, and he still loves them today.
Bill’s parents also influenced his reading habits at a young age. His mother introduced him to a six-volume set called Our Bookhouse, an anthology of readings from many different sources; and Bill’s father would share his favorite poetry with the family. And Bill took to reading poetry as well: A Child’s Garden of Verses and the A.A. Milne poems. He claims that he didn’t start to read with anything like purpose or intensity until he reached adolescence. Many of the classic children’s books, such as The Wind in the Willows and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, he came to as an adult.
In 1976, Bill received his B.A. from the University of Winnipeg. He went on to pursue a Master of Library Sciences at UBC, graduating in 1980. In 1998, Bill was honored with an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Winnipeg. For six years he worked as a children’s librarian.
Bill is well known in Canada as a CBC Radio host. He’s also made many freelance contributions to both network and regional shows. In 1992, Bill began hosting a summer show called Crosswords, which would continue for four years. He next became the guest host of a classical music request show, and when the show moved to Vancouver in 1996, he was chosen as the show’s permanent host; it became known as As You Like It, to reflect Bill’s interest in the music and letters of his audience. In 1997, Bill became the host of a new program, Richardson’s Roundup. The Roundup is very interactive with its listening audience.
Bill has always dabbled at writing. Even as a child he had a vivid presentiment that this is what he would do. His columns have appeared in The Globe and Mail, Western Living Magazine, The Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, and Xtra West Magazine. Bill won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour in 1994.
In 2000, Bill published his first novel for young adults. After Hamelin tells the tale of Penelope, the only child to escape the lure of the infamous Pied Piper. Now grown to the ripe age of 101, the feisty Penelope recounts her fantastic adventure to rescue the other children of her village from the clutches of the nasty Piper. Bill’s wonderful story has gone on to earn more than a dozen awards and nominations.
Bill makes frequent public appearances reading poetry, narrating musical works, giving keynote speeches and signing books. As time slips away, Bill hopes to use as much of it as he can catch. He believes that “if you’re going to write, you damage yourself if you don't pay attention to the ideas that come your way and try to make something of them. It’s a kind of responsibility, which isn’t to say that you’ll write well, but you still need to make the effort.”
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
March 17, 2022
While Bill Richardson's Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic certainly begins its existence as quirky, fun and witty enough, ultimately, I do have to admit that I have totally and utterly found in particular the author's mode of literary expression rather majorly personally frustrating at best (with far too many different literary genres, ranging from letters, journals, poetry, and of course then interwoven with standard narration, presented in a kind of mishmash like stew of writing and composition that on the one hand feels more than a bit too complicated and involved but on the other hand is also rather majorly on the surface, stereotypical and as such annoyingly dragging and really not all that humorous either, even though many do seem to consider Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic as primarily satire, as humour).
And indeed (and personally), while I have found the whole premise of Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic imaginative and full of potential (that the feral cats of Paris' famous Père-Lachaise cemetery are actually reincarnated famous artists, musicians, authors etc. of the past, worthies such as Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Chopin, and of course also Alice B. Toklas who is patiently waiting for her companion Gertrude Stein to also be reincarnated as a cat and then join her at the cemetery), the overabundance of presented characters (well over twenty main ones) and the to and for me at best frustratingly flat, uneven and distracting writing style has really made me not all that much care abut what even happens to the reincarnated cemetery cats (what occurs story and theme wise in Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic) and has indeed also rendered me so increasingly bored with my reading experience that I finally ended up deciding to stop my perusal of Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic (and to perhaps also consider that even though many readers do seem to find Bill Richardson a talented and approachable, humorous author that he is obviously NOT for me, as I have now attempted to read Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic twice and both times, at around page seventy or so, I have given up in frustration since I personally really cannot stomach how Bill Richardson writes, that stylistically, he and I absolutely do NOT mesh and fit).
And indeed (and personally), while I have found the whole premise of Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic imaginative and full of potential (that the feral cats of Paris' famous Père-Lachaise cemetery are actually reincarnated famous artists, musicians, authors etc. of the past, worthies such as Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Chopin, and of course also Alice B. Toklas who is patiently waiting for her companion Gertrude Stein to also be reincarnated as a cat and then join her at the cemetery), the overabundance of presented characters (well over twenty main ones) and the to and for me at best frustratingly flat, uneven and distracting writing style has really made me not all that much care abut what even happens to the reincarnated cemetery cats (what occurs story and theme wise in Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic) and has indeed also rendered me so increasingly bored with my reading experience that I finally ended up deciding to stop my perusal of Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic (and to perhaps also consider that even though many readers do seem to find Bill Richardson a talented and approachable, humorous author that he is obviously NOT for me, as I have now attempted to read Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic twice and both times, at around page seventy or so, I have given up in frustration since I personally really cannot stomach how Bill Richardson writes, that stylistically, he and I absolutely do NOT mesh and fit).
November 9, 2008
If you love cats, and you love France, and you have an extremely peculiar sense of humor and an appreciation for the absurd, I think you'll love this book. You may even adore it.
Waiting for Gertrude is set in Paris' gargantuan Pere Lachaise cemetery, where the souls of some of the notables buried therein have returned to Earth (translated, to use their term) as cats. A befurred Alice B. Toklas (the book's narrator) is waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her dear Gertrude Stein to reincarnate (translate) while Oscar Wilde pines and whines and preens hoping to attract the affection of his beloved Jim Morrison ("Jamz"), a ferocious, kitten-devouring three-testicled tomcat. All the while, quadriped versions of Isadora Duncan and Edith Piaf are making all kinds of merry hell for the other feline residents of the cemetery who include:
Jean de la Fontaine, the French fabulist returned now as a second-rate tour guide who insists on delivering his lectures in iambic pentameter, and whose poems introduce the various characters and situations;
Modigliani - then as now, a great painter;
Rossini - an aged and quite senile cat who cannot remember he was once a composer;
Collette - a high-class Persian cat of aristocratic ownership who followed a randy tomcat from her wealthy home to the cemetery, and now a noted teacher of yoga;
Chopin - the once-composer and now Per Lachaise's Postmaster General, where the cats have learned how to write and do write often;
Sarah Bernhardt - still an actress despite losing a leg;
Marcel Proust - a Private Investigator investigating a series of mysterious thefts taking place over the course of the novel and whose head is often - quite literally - stuck up his nethermost orifice in search of inspiration;
Heloise and Abelard - back on Earth as kitties who are, respectively, a highend caterer and "lifestyle consultant" and a publicist; and,
Ondine - the only human character, known as the "Spay Queen;" the cats' arch-nemesis and an enthusiastic proponent of feline population control
Readers who appreciate a novel that is extremely weird but profoundly humorous and satirical will enjoy Waiting for Gertrude. Part romance, part fantasy, and part satire, the reader who enjoys Monty Python and Douglas Adams will be perfect for this insane look at the afterlife.
You simply have to love a book containing a sentence that reads, "There never was such a ratter as Sarah Bernhardt!" What a fun read!
Waiting for Gertrude is set in Paris' gargantuan Pere Lachaise cemetery, where the souls of some of the notables buried therein have returned to Earth (translated, to use their term) as cats. A befurred Alice B. Toklas (the book's narrator) is waiting, and waiting, and waiting for her dear Gertrude Stein to reincarnate (translate) while Oscar Wilde pines and whines and preens hoping to attract the affection of his beloved Jim Morrison ("Jamz"), a ferocious, kitten-devouring three-testicled tomcat. All the while, quadriped versions of Isadora Duncan and Edith Piaf are making all kinds of merry hell for the other feline residents of the cemetery who include:
Jean de la Fontaine, the French fabulist returned now as a second-rate tour guide who insists on delivering his lectures in iambic pentameter, and whose poems introduce the various characters and situations;
Modigliani - then as now, a great painter;
Rossini - an aged and quite senile cat who cannot remember he was once a composer;
Collette - a high-class Persian cat of aristocratic ownership who followed a randy tomcat from her wealthy home to the cemetery, and now a noted teacher of yoga;
Chopin - the once-composer and now Per Lachaise's Postmaster General, where the cats have learned how to write and do write often;
Sarah Bernhardt - still an actress despite losing a leg;
Marcel Proust - a Private Investigator investigating a series of mysterious thefts taking place over the course of the novel and whose head is often - quite literally - stuck up his nethermost orifice in search of inspiration;
Heloise and Abelard - back on Earth as kitties who are, respectively, a highend caterer and "lifestyle consultant" and a publicist; and,
Ondine - the only human character, known as the "Spay Queen;" the cats' arch-nemesis and an enthusiastic proponent of feline population control
Readers who appreciate a novel that is extremely weird but profoundly humorous and satirical will enjoy Waiting for Gertrude. Part romance, part fantasy, and part satire, the reader who enjoys Monty Python and Douglas Adams will be perfect for this insane look at the afterlife.
You simply have to love a book containing a sentence that reads, "There never was such a ratter as Sarah Bernhardt!" What a fun read!
February 21, 2017
Che storia graziosa e divertente!
La storia si svolge nel cimitero parigino Père-Lachaise dove vive una colonia di gatti randagi; ma non sono gatti comuni perché ogni micio è una reincarnazione di un personaggio illustre seppellito in quel cimitero e tutti si ricordano delle loro vite umane.
La narratrice principale è Alice B. Toklas che aspetta ansiosamente l'incarnazione della sua amata Gertrude Stein. Nel frattempo si dedica a preparare stuzzichini e manicaretti a base di hashish e accudisce le gatte gravide perché ognuna di loro potrebbe far nascere la sua compagna.
Veniamo a conoscenza delle vite degli altri gatti illustri anche tramite le lettere che si spediscono. Oscar Wilde è perdutamente innamorato di Jim Morrison, gattone sciupafemmine, e gli scrive appassionate lettere d'amore; Isadora Duncan balla sempre al chiaro di luna; Gioachino Rossini è un bon vivant che apprezza il buon cibo e le belle donne (gatte). C'è anche un mistero da risolvere per l'investigatore privato Marcel Proust: chi ha rubato la gamba di Sarah Bernhardt, il libro degli incantesimi di Bonne Maman, l'occhio di vetro di Rossini e il fallo della scultura funeraria di Wilde?
Ogni tanto nel cimitero si fa viva una gattara, Odine, che cerca di acciuffare i gatti per farli sterilizzare. La sua preda più ambita è Jim Morrison, gattone con tre testicoli e inseminatore instancabile, che però riesce sempre a sfuggirle; Alice Toklas si offre volontaria e il povero Abelardo, come in vita, verrà castrato contro la sua volontà.
Sono molti i personaggi celebri che s'incontrano leggendo il libro (non li ho elencati tutti) e ogni personaggio ci viene introdotto da Jean de La Fontaine, cioè la sua reincarnazione felina, che ci fa la presentazione in versi.
Ci sono molti dettagli sulle vite di questi personaggi illustri ed è un libro veramente divertente e ben scritto. Alcune parti sono poetiche, altre sono malinconiche, ma il più delle volte questi gatti ci strappano un sorriso.
La storia si svolge nel cimitero parigino Père-Lachaise dove vive una colonia di gatti randagi; ma non sono gatti comuni perché ogni micio è una reincarnazione di un personaggio illustre seppellito in quel cimitero e tutti si ricordano delle loro vite umane.
La narratrice principale è Alice B. Toklas che aspetta ansiosamente l'incarnazione della sua amata Gertrude Stein. Nel frattempo si dedica a preparare stuzzichini e manicaretti a base di hashish e accudisce le gatte gravide perché ognuna di loro potrebbe far nascere la sua compagna.
Veniamo a conoscenza delle vite degli altri gatti illustri anche tramite le lettere che si spediscono. Oscar Wilde è perdutamente innamorato di Jim Morrison, gattone sciupafemmine, e gli scrive appassionate lettere d'amore; Isadora Duncan balla sempre al chiaro di luna; Gioachino Rossini è un bon vivant che apprezza il buon cibo e le belle donne (gatte). C'è anche un mistero da risolvere per l'investigatore privato Marcel Proust: chi ha rubato la gamba di Sarah Bernhardt, il libro degli incantesimi di Bonne Maman, l'occhio di vetro di Rossini e il fallo della scultura funeraria di Wilde?
Ogni tanto nel cimitero si fa viva una gattara, Odine, che cerca di acciuffare i gatti per farli sterilizzare. La sua preda più ambita è Jim Morrison, gattone con tre testicoli e inseminatore instancabile, che però riesce sempre a sfuggirle; Alice Toklas si offre volontaria e il povero Abelardo, come in vita, verrà castrato contro la sua volontà.
Sono molti i personaggi celebri che s'incontrano leggendo il libro (non li ho elencati tutti) e ogni personaggio ci viene introdotto da Jean de La Fontaine, cioè la sua reincarnazione felina, che ci fa la presentazione in versi.
Ci sono molti dettagli sulle vite di questi personaggi illustri ed è un libro veramente divertente e ben scritto. Alcune parti sono poetiche, altre sono malinconiche, ma il più delle volte questi gatti ci strappano un sorriso.
October 27, 2017
I enjoyed how each chapter of this book was told from the point of view of a different character, which gave different perspectives to how the events were unfolding. Being famous celebrity characters, it was fun to read their personalitiies and, in the case of the authors, see their writing styles come out in the chapter that they were narrating.
March 19, 2019
This charmingly funny little fantasy novella is for cat lovers everywhere - and anyone in need of a good chuckle. In Paris' famous cemetery Pere Lachaise, famous "residents" are being reborn as cats. Everyone from Oscar Wilde to Chopin to Alice B. Toklas has returned in feline form. Alice has been waiting for her lover Gertrude Stein for a long time and decides to take matters into her own hands - EH paws - and highjinxs ensue. There is definitely some mature content in this novella, but it is funny and charming nonetheless.
August 24, 2018
This is one book that I know that I definitely got from my sister. Looking at the cover and even reading a bit of the description doesn't even start to give you an idea of half the mess that you will find within these two covers.
For me the story was a bit on the confusing side. Although I have heard some of the big names before there were a few others I have no idea about, which is suppose to be part of the charm of the tale. As a result the story didn't turn out to be my cup of tea.
Furthermore the whole book ended up becoming a complete book of raunchy smut. If it wasn't one vile something or other then there had to be something that had to be topped off even worse than the one before it.
The writing was a bit on the stuffy side and had a bunch of foreign words added whether French, Latin or even Italian. For one who likes to know what they were reading I ended up bouncing back and forth to Google translations more times than I want.
There were a few illustrations thrown in so that way the reader could get a somewhat idea of the characters. At the most though they were cartoonish while I didn't like that style either.
All in all there were too many elements that I didn't enjoy. The stuffy writing, the awful-to-me illustrations, the lewd violence and so much more. Others may enjoy this read but I would have a hard time recommending it to most of my own friends just as it is.
For me the story was a bit on the confusing side. Although I have heard some of the big names before there were a few others I have no idea about, which is suppose to be part of the charm of the tale. As a result the story didn't turn out to be my cup of tea.
Furthermore the whole book ended up becoming a complete book of raunchy smut. If it wasn't one vile something or other then there had to be something that had to be topped off even worse than the one before it.
The writing was a bit on the stuffy side and had a bunch of foreign words added whether French, Latin or even Italian. For one who likes to know what they were reading I ended up bouncing back and forth to Google translations more times than I want.
There were a few illustrations thrown in so that way the reader could get a somewhat idea of the characters. At the most though they were cartoonish while I didn't like that style either.
All in all there were too many elements that I didn't enjoy. The stuffy writing, the awful-to-me illustrations, the lewd violence and so much more. Others may enjoy this read but I would have a hard time recommending it to most of my own friends just as it is.
August 1, 2009
This fantasy will not be for everyone--it's definitely not a children's book. Richardson posits that many of the cats in Paris's Pere Lachaise cemetery are, in fact, reincarnated versions of some of the famous people buried there. Some retain their two-legged characteristics--Isadora Duncan is now a dancing cat--and some take up new occupations--Marcel Proust is an introspective private investigator. But the main character is Alice B. Toklas, waiting for the long-delayed reincarnation of her beloved Gertrude Stein. Always the cats face the threat (to most of them) of Ondine, a Parisian who captures and neuters the cats when she can. It seems like a responsible act to us humans, but the cats are outraged.
August 14, 2009
Oh, what a fun book! Recommended by my dear friend Angela, it tells the story of the cats in the Pere LaChaise graveyard in France. The souls of the famous people buried in Pere LaChaise have been reincarnated into the cats--so we hear of the interactions of Sarah Bernhardt, Maria Callas, Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Colette, Edith Piaf, Moliere, and others. The book's main character is Alice B. Toklas, Gertrude Stein's real-life partner, who is patiently waiting for Gertrude to be reincarnated. A sweet book, a fun book, full of artistic references and beautiful writing.
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February 18, 2015Initially when I was told"It is about the feral cat colony that lives in that famous cemetery in Paris and the cats take on the personalities of some of the famous people buried there", I could not wait to read it. You need to have a certain sense of humour to tolerate this book. I was very disappointed. I thought is was a great idea but badly executed, (my apologies to the author,but these are my feelings). There were wonderful moments, and some very funny ones, but on the whole...I would not spend money buying this book.
June 13, 2017
I suspect any sane person might have looked at the summary for this book and surmised that the story would be a bit too...whimsical is a nice way of putting it. But I'm a huge sucker for cemeteries (especially Parisian ones), not to mention French writers and artists. Reincarnated as cats and interacting across different eras (as in, Oscar Wilde falls for Jim Morrison)! If I hadn't already read it, I would be excited all over again by these keywords. But alas, too much quirk and not enough plot.
March 1, 2019
Super weird and hard to follow. I finished because it was under 200 pages.
July 7, 2008
A bit of whimsy in which the famous people buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris— Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Colette, etc.—are reincarnated as the graveyard’s many cats; I actually found it rather disturbing. There are some nice moments— Alice B. Toklas’ longing for the thus far absent Gertrude Stein forms the heart of the book, and it’s appropriately achy and passionate; I was also really struck by a scene with Chopin in which he morns the fact that his music must now remain entirely within his head. However, I’m not sure that the conceit that these humans-reincarnated-as-cats still behave entirely like humans—they write letters, bake, go ballooning, launder sheets, and so on—really worked for me, especially contrasted with the occasional bursts of pure animal behavior, starting with ass-sniffing and moving on to rape and castration. Ack! I simply couldn’t connect with whatever tone Richardson was going for, and thus continued to feel an at times welcome remove. Strange and unsettling and not, ultimately, for me.
February 5, 2010
An incredibly funny book. If you like cats, you will like this book. Alice B Toklas has translated(authors word) into a cat in a Parisian cemetery along with other famous people who are four legged cats also. Except for Isadora Duncan who only has three legs. I have laughed so hard. You must read it if you have not.
August 13, 2013
I thought this sounded intriguing but didn't enjoy the 'high falutin' language at all, though I LOVED another book by him about two men running a B & B...can't recall the name of that. No doubt it is reviewed on this site, though. The idea that cats are the reincarnation of notable people is clever, just didn't care for how it was presented.
June 3, 2018
Went to an author reading for this book - just loved it! Talking cats in the Pere-Lachaise cemetery - what's not to love?
April 5, 2019
A capsule review & opinion:
Revenant felines cavort in Paris' Pere-Lachaise cemetery. The fun is cat - ching .. umm.. infectious.
Revenant felines cavort in Paris' Pere-Lachaise cemetery. The fun is cat - ching .. umm.. infectious.
April 12, 2022
Absolutely unhinged. This book is an example of what an imagination can do when it’s left unchecked. There was but one passage from the Chopin cat that could be redeemed, a rumination on death and grieving and reincarnation.
Cat sex is notoriously violent, and in this narrative that fact motivates the plot. Edith Piaf is a grumpy washer woman, Colette is a yoga teacher, Proust is a private investigator who searches for truth by tonguing his own a**hole, but Alice Toklas still bakes hashish treats for her friends, as she did when she was human. Her helper, a blind and mute cat named Buttons (a perverse if subtle commentary on the help), brings Alice’s treats to the crematorium of the cemetery, which they use as an oven. The climax and most brutal act of violence is the rape (and yes, the text does use this word) of Alice’s cat sister Tristesse by Jim Morrison, who responds to Tristesse’s love spell not meant for him but for Oscar Wilde. The reason for this mishap is never given, aside from the fact that spells can be tricky to pull off. Morrison is castrated after he ejaculates by Ondine, the human who collects strays in the cemetery and fixes them. His three testicles (yes, he has three) are kept by the local witch-cat in a jar of formaldehyde as they now hold significant magic and aura. As Alice nurtures her sister after the event, she lays her head on Tristesse’s belly to rest. Here she hears the faint, enigmatic whisper of Gertrude from inside Tristesse: « I am here. » Alice’s long wait for her lover is over: her sister is pregnant by her rapist (who, it should be mentioned, almost cannibalized her at her birth; the very idea of Morrison traumatizes Tristesse throughout the novel) with the reincarnation of Alice’s husband, Gertrude. I love a good absurdist tale, but this novel is an acid trip gone wrong, a horrible nightmare.
Cat sex is notoriously violent, and in this narrative that fact motivates the plot. Edith Piaf is a grumpy washer woman, Colette is a yoga teacher, Proust is a private investigator who searches for truth by tonguing his own a**hole, but Alice Toklas still bakes hashish treats for her friends, as she did when she was human. Her helper, a blind and mute cat named Buttons (a perverse if subtle commentary on the help), brings Alice’s treats to the crematorium of the cemetery, which they use as an oven. The climax and most brutal act of violence is the rape (and yes, the text does use this word) of Alice’s cat sister Tristesse by Jim Morrison, who responds to Tristesse’s love spell not meant for him but for Oscar Wilde. The reason for this mishap is never given, aside from the fact that spells can be tricky to pull off. Morrison is castrated after he ejaculates by Ondine, the human who collects strays in the cemetery and fixes them. His three testicles (yes, he has three) are kept by the local witch-cat in a jar of formaldehyde as they now hold significant magic and aura. As Alice nurtures her sister after the event, she lays her head on Tristesse’s belly to rest. Here she hears the faint, enigmatic whisper of Gertrude from inside Tristesse: « I am here. » Alice’s long wait for her lover is over: her sister is pregnant by her rapist (who, it should be mentioned, almost cannibalized her at her birth; the very idea of Morrison traumatizes Tristesse throughout the novel) with the reincarnation of Alice’s husband, Gertrude. I love a good absurdist tale, but this novel is an acid trip gone wrong, a horrible nightmare.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2020
In this delightful story, set in Paris’s famous Pere-Lachaise cemetery where many famous people are buried there including Maria Callas, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison and Alice B. Toklas, author Bill Richardson imagines that the celebrity dead have now been reincarnated into cats who live, work and socialize in the cemetery.
March 9, 2023
This was so silly, sweet and fun. I may read it again and I never do that. It is definitely unhinged at times, but it's about cats! They are ridiculous little creatures that do strange things. You have to keep that in mind while reading. I enjoyed it
May 29, 2023
This was very entertaining. I finished it quickly just forgot to post my review. I love the idea of famous people reincarnated as cats. I adore Morrison and how the author shows his personality. The beginning was a bit rough with Morrison and the kittens but after that it was joyful.
September 21, 2017
A bit ... different, but very clever and entertaining! Especially recommended for cat people and/or those of us with quirky, morbid senses of humor.
May 13, 2019
Quirky read. Put it away for a long time but overall enjoyed the story.
Read
August 16, 2019DNF
I think I'm giving up on this one again nearly half way in.I love the idea but finding it kind of boring.
I think I'm giving up on this one again nearly half way in.I love the idea but finding it kind of boring.
August 12, 2020
Tickles yer intellect. An older title from Bill, but glad I ran into it. Hilarious!
November 23, 2020
A friend gave me this book and I thought it was hilarious. I didn't think the premise would hold up through to the end but it did.
April 19, 2021
Fun little book, especially if you love literature, cats, or Paris.
January 11, 2022
not as funny as I hoped but still pretty great.
June 7, 2024
[Overall Score: ••1.5-2.6••]
This novel really was more a lampooned attempt to understand or make comedic situations around the idea of reincarnation. Which as a whole doesn't seem like an awful idea. The location of the story was good. The characters weren't bad. However, some more so than others, were inconsequential to the overall tale. This I could live with too, yet something massive hindered this books worth. I believe that 'something' was the writers self-inflated prowess for the literary word. Don't get me wrong, this author has (or had) talent, but it felt very much 'in my face'.
What I mean by that is how the novel was created. It's a Hodge podge of different writing styles complied in one book.There are letters, ramblings, sonnets, pastoral poetry, ransom notes, conversations and a meandering narrative, all compiled into a "complete" story. This in theory, seems like a bold and interesting way of telling a story. However, as a reader it's very jarring. It's not unacceptable, but it's so jarring it becomes almost unsettling. Oftentimes, I would get frustrated with the novelist's choices. Other times, I felt that this adventurous form of writing hindered the pace, tempo and overall point of the novel.
Truth be told, all these major characters who have been reincarnated are unknown to me. Except Jim Morrsion, Chopin and Oscar Wilde. To me, it didn't seem like Jim Morrison, at least not the one that's depicted in movie The Doors or suggested in his music. This book presents him as a sexual deity (which makes sense sure, but that wasn't the only thing the man was). As well there was a lot of free spirited sexuallity rift in these pages (personally, I'm open to said mentalities and schools of thought, but even I have to say it was overdone). The only character I seemed to like was Oscar Wilde and I've never read a single thing he created. I just know a loose history of the man. All the while, the narrator is pleading and practically bleeding out a said longing for a human to die aka Gurtrude Stien.
Honestly, I just felt while reading it "okay cool dude, I get it. You know how to write in a bunch of different styles, but what the hell is the point of this novel?" It never fails something gets kind of intresting again and right back to an on-going poem again, which I had forgot since the last verse some 30 pages ago.
It was strife to get through the first 80 pages before it got interesting to this reader. Another 100 pages later, I receive a weird and mediocre ending. There were elements of witch craft and detective work, like a ghost at the edge of a page taunting you to read. Then you turn the page and no sign of the ghost. As a reader, I felt mad that I never saw the ghost come into full manifestation. And that's what I think this book is. A book that tried to invoke and manifest so many different feelings or ideas that it lost sight of the tale it really wanted to tell. Because of the sopraditc delivery and possible lack of moral, practically everything gets lost in the weeds after completion.
This sense of being lost in the weeds also swallows up the talent this author displayed throughout the pages. If it wasn't for that display of talent, it wouldn't even rate it as high as I have. But when it's all said and done, I was sold a tale that was the exact opposite of what was promised. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. From the starting pages, it presented a bar that it had to meet, and it just didn't meet it. I'm sure there are other fictious novels about reincarnation that would tickle your fancy more! All in all, a mediocre read with difficult pacing. Maybe it's cause I've never been to the location and I'm not cultured enough to know all these reincarnated people. It felt like innuendo and prior understanding of the people depicted in cat form was needed or at it's advisable to look up these dearly reincarnated peoplw before reading this .... thing of novel.
This novel really was more a lampooned attempt to understand or make comedic situations around the idea of reincarnation. Which as a whole doesn't seem like an awful idea. The location of the story was good. The characters weren't bad. However, some more so than others, were inconsequential to the overall tale. This I could live with too, yet something massive hindered this books worth. I believe that 'something' was the writers self-inflated prowess for the literary word. Don't get me wrong, this author has (or had) talent, but it felt very much 'in my face'.
What I mean by that is how the novel was created. It's a Hodge podge of different writing styles complied in one book.There are letters, ramblings, sonnets, pastoral poetry, ransom notes, conversations and a meandering narrative, all compiled into a "complete" story. This in theory, seems like a bold and interesting way of telling a story. However, as a reader it's very jarring. It's not unacceptable, but it's so jarring it becomes almost unsettling. Oftentimes, I would get frustrated with the novelist's choices. Other times, I felt that this adventurous form of writing hindered the pace, tempo and overall point of the novel.
Truth be told, all these major characters who have been reincarnated are unknown to me. Except Jim Morrsion, Chopin and Oscar Wilde. To me, it didn't seem like Jim Morrison, at least not the one that's depicted in movie The Doors or suggested in his music. This book presents him as a sexual deity (which makes sense sure, but that wasn't the only thing the man was). As well there was a lot of free spirited sexuallity rift in these pages (personally, I'm open to said mentalities and schools of thought, but even I have to say it was overdone). The only character I seemed to like was Oscar Wilde and I've never read a single thing he created. I just know a loose history of the man. All the while, the narrator is pleading and practically bleeding out a said longing for a human to die aka Gurtrude Stien.
Honestly, I just felt while reading it "okay cool dude, I get it. You know how to write in a bunch of different styles, but what the hell is the point of this novel?" It never fails something gets kind of intresting again and right back to an on-going poem again, which I had forgot since the last verse some 30 pages ago.
It was strife to get through the first 80 pages before it got interesting to this reader. Another 100 pages later, I receive a weird and mediocre ending. There were elements of witch craft and detective work, like a ghost at the edge of a page taunting you to read. Then you turn the page and no sign of the ghost. As a reader, I felt mad that I never saw the ghost come into full manifestation. And that's what I think this book is. A book that tried to invoke and manifest so many different feelings or ideas that it lost sight of the tale it really wanted to tell. Because of the sopraditc delivery and possible lack of moral, practically everything gets lost in the weeds after completion.
This sense of being lost in the weeds also swallows up the talent this author displayed throughout the pages. If it wasn't for that display of talent, it wouldn't even rate it as high as I have. But when it's all said and done, I was sold a tale that was the exact opposite of what was promised. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. From the starting pages, it presented a bar that it had to meet, and it just didn't meet it. I'm sure there are other fictious novels about reincarnation that would tickle your fancy more! All in all, a mediocre read with difficult pacing. Maybe it's cause I've never been to the location and I'm not cultured enough to know all these reincarnated people. It felt like innuendo and prior understanding of the people depicted in cat form was needed or at it's advisable to look up these dearly reincarnated peoplw before reading this .... thing of novel.
October 26, 2018
I personally loved this book. Which truth be told, I’m a little impartial to, because of it’s gay/lesbian characters. I think it dose a good job of representation without making it all about the character’s orientation. I have read some very badly written lesbian books so I’m pretty grateful for this one.
I also am a big fan of dark humor, so I liked the dark undertones of the book. I will admit that it was written a bit awkward, though. It jolted back and forth between a serendipity and dark atmosphere, that wasn’t well blended.
The format was ok, it is written in several different view points. I thought this was a nice touch but it made the reading a bit slower and perhaps it added to the awkward set up. Granted, the switching of view points was not a wast to the plot, it was well used in progressing the rising conflict.
The ending, was a little of a let down. I really think the author missed out on a great opportunity to round off the plot. However, the ending staying constant with the tone of the book end on the same awkward note.
I highly recommend this book for any one who likes weird books and gay/lesbian literature.
I also am a big fan of dark humor, so I liked the dark undertones of the book. I will admit that it was written a bit awkward, though. It jolted back and forth between a serendipity and dark atmosphere, that wasn’t well blended.
The format was ok, it is written in several different view points. I thought this was a nice touch but it made the reading a bit slower and perhaps it added to the awkward set up. Granted, the switching of view points was not a wast to the plot, it was well used in progressing the rising conflict.
The ending, was a little of a let down. I really think the author missed out on a great opportunity to round off the plot. However, the ending staying constant with the tone of the book end on the same awkward note.
I highly recommend this book for any one who likes weird books and gay/lesbian literature.
December 12, 2009
This was an awesome story. But as noted by others, it will not be for everyone.
The story takes place at the Pere LaChaise Cemetery in Paris. This cemetery is the final resting place of many very famous characters. This includes the likes of Jim Morrison, Marcus Proust, Moliere, Oscar Wilde, and the main character, Alice B. Toklas. In this cemetery, these people are reincarnated as cats. Yes, cats! These cats have in turn taken on the persona and habits of the people they once were. As the main character, Alice B. Toklas is waiting for the much delayed reincarnation of her lover Gertrude Stein.
I thought this was a fun, creative idea that Richardson carried off well. It's a short read but a fun one. This is not a children's book, however it may first seem to be so. It is for those adults that can appreciate the wait for a lover and the absurdity of life/afterlife. Finished it in about 2 days (what can I say? I had to work!) and loved it. :)
The story takes place at the Pere LaChaise Cemetery in Paris. This cemetery is the final resting place of many very famous characters. This includes the likes of Jim Morrison, Marcus Proust, Moliere, Oscar Wilde, and the main character, Alice B. Toklas. In this cemetery, these people are reincarnated as cats. Yes, cats! These cats have in turn taken on the persona and habits of the people they once were. As the main character, Alice B. Toklas is waiting for the much delayed reincarnation of her lover Gertrude Stein.
I thought this was a fun, creative idea that Richardson carried off well. It's a short read but a fun one. This is not a children's book, however it may first seem to be so. It is for those adults that can appreciate the wait for a lover and the absurdity of life/afterlife. Finished it in about 2 days (what can I say? I had to work!) and loved it. :)
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