From the best-selling author of The Elegance of the Hedgehog comes this delightful, delicate tale that pays tribute to the poetry of the everyday, to Japanese philosophy, and to the ingenuity and sardonic humor of cats.
What a mysterious, confounding thing is a writer! Yet, spend a little time with the writer’s cats and one might just understand her better.
Muriel Barbery, via her feline friends and co-conspirators, takes readers into her atelier, offering them a behind-the-scenes peek into her process and problems, joys and disappointments. The tale is told from the perspective of one of the writer’s four cats, Kirin, who, together with her cohort, may or may not be a reliable narrator. There’s Ocha, the leader of the gang, a tough guy with a soft heart; the bandy-legged and affectionate Mizu, Ocha’s sister; the phlegmatic and refined Petrus, lover of flowers; and finally, pretty Kirin, narrator of this bewitching story.
A superb, funny, and touching text for writers, readers, fans of Muriel Barbery’s best-selling novels, and cat lovers.
Review
“Barbery’s poetic prose and Maria Guitart’s enchanting illustrations are an irresistible combination that readers will love to cozy up to and lose themselves in for a moment.”—Booklist
“Creative types of all stripes—especially cat lovers—will be enchanted by Barbery's fun and delightfully philosophical storytelling.”—Shelf Awareness
“A book of few words delightfully illustrated by Maria Guitart...readers will be entranced by the detailed portrayal of Barbery’s ménage, her domestic habits and customs, her obsession with order, her writing routine, and so much more.”—La Stampa (Italy)
