The Cat's Table
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes he is seated at the “cat’s table”—as far from the Captain’s Table as can be—with a ragtag group of “insignificant” adults and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys tumble from one adventure to another, bursting all over the place like freed mercury. But there are other diversions as well: one man talks with them about jazz and women, another opens the door to the world of literature. The narrator’s elusive, beautiful cousin Emily becomes his confidante, allowing him to see himself “with a distant eye” for the first time, and to feel the first stirring of desire. Another Cat’s Table denizen, the shadowy Miss Lasqueti, is perhaps more than what she seems. And very late every night, the boys spy on a shackled prisoner, his crime and his fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever.
As the narrative moves between the decks and holds of the ship and the boy’s adult years, it tells a spellbinding story—by turns poignant and electrifying—about the magical, often forbidden, discoveries of childhood and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage.
Customer Reviews
The Cat's Table
I really enjoyed this. Imagine what an adventure it would be for an eleven year old boy to sail to a new home on a three week ocean voyage? I enjoyed the setting and all the sub plots. Surprisingly easy reading for an author who is thought to be high brow.
100 Words or Less
As a huge fan of The English Patient, I looked forward to this novel. If anyone reads my reviews, you know this is never a good beginning.
Not that this novel is bad. Far from it. It’s basically I feel the whole immigration, outsider-looking-in, life-as-an-experience from childhood upward saga has been overdone so many times. This novel offers nothing new to that style.
After 100 pages, I gave it a rest. Too familiar and with nothing unique to offer. Too bad. It is so wonderfully written.
:)
Good