The Goodbye Cat, Hiro Arikawa
The Goodbye Cat, Hiro Arikawa
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The Goodbye Cat

Author: Hiro Arikawa, Philip Gabriel

Narrator: George Blagden

Unabridged: 6 hr 41 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 10/10/2023


Synopsis

In the much-anticipated follow-up to the bestselling and beloved The Travelling Cat Chronicles, seven cats weave their way through their owners’ lives, climbing, comforting, nestling, and sometimes just tripping everyone up in this uplifting collection of tales by international bestselling author Hiro Arikawa.

Against the backdrop of changing seasons in Japan, we meet Spin, a kitten rescued from the recycling bin, whose playful nature and simple needs teach an anxious father how to parent his own human baby; a colony of wild cats on a popular holiday island show a young boy not to stand in nature’s way; a family is perplexed by their cat’s undying devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father; a woman curses how her cat will not stop visiting her at night; and an elderly cat hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be in each other’s lives forever.

Bursting with love and warmth, The Goodbye Cat exquisitely explores the cycle of life, from birth to death—as each of the seven stories explores how, in different ways, the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down. A huge bestseller in Japan, this magical book is a joyous celebration of the wondrousness of cats and why we choose to share our lives with them.

About The Author

Hiro Arikawa is a renowned author from Tokyo. Her novel The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a bestseller in Japan and has been made into a feature film.Philip Gabriel is a highly experienced translator of Japanese and is best known for his translation work with Haruki Murakami.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Mai

$5.99 audiobook sale @ Libro.fm I thought a book about cats that is set in Japan would be more fun. I didn't realize these were short stories. The first one was so long that I didn't realize there were others. A lot of the shorter ones ended abruptly. The cats were cute, though, so don't mind me. šŸ“± Th......more

I loved this author's previous book "The Travelling Cat Chronicles", so even though I don't gravitate toward short stories I gave this one a try. Sadly, I didn't much care for this offering. Out of this collection of seven cat stories I only connected strongly with one of them. In some cases I found......more

Goodreads review by Megan

3.5 stars. reading vlog: [URL not allowed] super cute stories with hiro arikawa's typical accuracy to the cat inner monologue haha but I just didn't feel like any of the stories were super memorable/impactful! an enjoyable read if you liked The Travelling Cat Chronicles but I wouldn't reco......more


Quotes

"All manner of cats and their chosen humans—and the otherworldly bonds between them—are tearfully and joyously spotlighted in The Goodbye Cat...More than her human protagonists, her furry characters exude distinct, memorable, impossible-to-ignore personalities. From one tale to the next, tissues might get soggy and eyes puffy, but the hope that there will be more stories will surely lift readers’ hearts."
—Christian Science Monitor