As an avid reader, I get excited about the great number of books out there to read, either for entertainment, education, inspiration or with some books, all three. The quantity available in print, audio, and e-books reminds me of the vast amount of life in the oceans, so I call these book reviews “Diving Into A Sea of Books”. As with diving into an ocean looking for interesting objects, diving into books means you come across mixed results: over here, a book you don’t bother to finish, over there, a “treasure”—one you like so much you can’t wait to reread it, and way over there, a book you read and think, “Meh”.
A couple weeks ago my computer/internet gave me fits; it was too warm and humid for me to do anything outside; I was grumpy and my nerves were on edge; I wanted—no, NEEDED—an escape from my world. I picked up a novel I bought a couple weeks before: Hemingway’s Cats by Lindsey Hopper. Immediately my mind landed in Key West, Florida, where Ernest Hemingway’s house is located. Besides being the museum and house of the well-known writer, the grounds are famous for the large number of six-toed cats which freely roam the place.
Laura Lange goes to Key West to work as a tour guide at the Hemingway House. She finds a far different life than she ever knew back home. The weather is one quirky element; another is her co-workers, landlords and other residents, including chickens. The cats display their idiosyncrasies as well.
As the novel develops, various questions pop up: will Laura fall in love with one of the guys who thinks she’s “hot”? Are the rumors swirling around about assorted characters true? How will Laura deal with her ex-boyfriend back home who keeps texting her? And the question which involves everyone, human and feline—will Key West get pounded by a hurricane?
Hemingway’s Cats is a light, entertaining read. Romance and humor abound. The characters have their good points and bad. The characters’ motivations are realistic. The cats are as involved in the novel as the humans are.
Language and other cautions: “H**l” and “D**n” used by some characters, but not every other word. Numerous references made to characters drinking and going to bars as a social event. No graphic bedroom scenes.
Title: Hemingway’s Cats
Author: Lindsey Hooper
Publisher: Kensington
©P. Booher
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