Books: Love Saves the Day by Gwen Cooper
Major meow-wow! Within a few pages, I knew Gwen Cooper had done the impossible — made me believe I was hearing the authentic interior monologue of Prudence, the rescued cat who is the major star of this novel. But not to worry, Prudence doesn’t have to carry the whole book. We also lap up chapters by Sarah, the woman who originally rescues Prudence, as well as her somewhat estranged daughter, a lawyer named Laura. Living on the lower East side of New York City, Prudence and Sarah have had a deeply mutual admiration for each other. Then Sarah disappears. Shortly thereafter, Laura and Josh show up at Sarah’s apartment and start packing boxes. Prudence is also packed up and moved to their apartment on the upper West side.
The worst possible thing has happened: Sarah has died, but Prudence doesn’t really understand that for quite some time. Laura is on automatic pilot at work and within her relatively new marriage. She is not dealing with the unresolved issues she had with her mother. Single Mom Sarah was a bohemian of sorts, once a DJ and eventually, the owner of a record store. Laura feels permanently scarred by an awful event in her childhood, where she and her mother were turned out of their tenement apartment with only the clothes on their backs. Ever since then, Laura has fiercely dedicated her life to achieving financial security. Anyway, though at first she does not warm up to her mother’s cat and thus, poor Prudence is an emotional wreck. Eventually these two gals forge a bond that leads towards healthy grief and acceptance. The scenes where Prudence roots around in Sarah’s boxed up possessions, searching for familiar smells are heart-wrenching. Her calculating moves to annoy or endear herself to her new owners are truly a stitch! You will so believe you have been granted access to what makes cats tick. I was reminded of a book with similar appeal, The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein, even though that lovely book was about a dog (sorry, Prudence). I also enjoyed Gwen Cooper’s nonfiction book, Homer’s Odyssey: a Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat (2009).
PS: I have the opportunity to meet the author today, since she is appearing in Houston at Friends for Life, a no-kill animal shelter!
By the way, the cat on the cover does not much look like Prudence; now why couldn’t they have done a better job of that? Also, the title, based on the name of a resale shop, is a little too cutesy for me. But those are small matters indeed, compared to the deep pleasure of spending time with Prudence and her two-legged caretakers. Read and enjoy!
What a great review. I wish my grandmother were still alive. She was an avid reader and absolutely loved stories about animals. I don’t know the author’s name, but Grandma Dorothy devoured a series of a books about a cat who sounds a lot like Prudence. I think she would have really enjoyed reading about Prudence.
Racing in the Rain … I listened to that book on CD … until I realized where it was going and it made me feel too sad to continue. What I did hear, though, was excellent.
Thanks for sharing. YAY for no-kill shelters!
Guess I logged in wrong (no phot) on that last message, plus made too many typos before rushing off to church this AM. The shelter did have a few dogs, but luckily they were some distance from the cats, not barking and the happy cats did not seem aware of them. If I had known about Friends for Life, we might have gone there instead of the SPCA, but maybe next time. Besides, we are quite happy with our Miss Abigail, loving her more every day!
Thank you.
Great that you got to meet Ms. Cooper. The cat shelter sounds like a wonderful place to be and visit. A true, safe cat haven! This is the first I’ve heard of a stand-alone cat shelter of this type. Truly wonderful.
Ahh, thanks for the MD greeting, Devin & back at you & sweet Dusty.
Got to meet famous cat mother Gwen Cooper last night at the no-kill shlete!. Best shelter I’ve ever been to. The cats were not in cages but in big rooms with lots of runways and perching places. Absolutley no kitty litter smells due to an advanced air filtration system. Andc the cats looked so happy and healthy, all peacefully co-existing — very inspiring!
🙂 Glad you like it. I learned how to make it in a year ago during a ZRN program in chat. The radio host was using it, taught me how to do it and it has stuck with me.
Btw, hope you and Abbie have a great Mother’s Day!
Thanks for reading, Devin. Love your cat emoticon — learned something new!
Three meows from this “spot” in the world! >’.’<