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Indlæser... Cat out of hell (udgave 2014)af Lynne Truss
Work InformationCat Out of Hell af Lynne Truss
Cats in Fiction (135) Indlæser...
Bliv medlem af LibraryThing for at finde ud af, om du vil kunne lide denne bog. Der er ingen diskussionstråde på Snak om denne bog. This review first appeared on scifiandscary.com Reviewing books is a bit of a balancing act sometimes. I thoroughly enjoyed Lynne Truss’s comic horror tale ‘Cat Out of Hell’, and stand by the 4-star rating I’ve given it. The rating is an entirely subjective one though, it’s my opinion of the book immediately after finishing it. It’s what I think of the book now, in a year’s time I might feel differently. I write this in the absolute certainty that a lot of people who read the review won’t like the book at all. Anyway, enough navel gazing, on with the review. ‘Cat Out of Hell’ is a silly, witty, gripping, inventive and occasionally creepy short horror novel about evil felines and the truth of their nine lives. The protagonist is Alec, a mild-mannered librarian who gets pulled into investigating mysterious goings on relating to an urbane talking cat Roger. What follows is as ludicrous as you might expect. Thankfully the author tells the story with such enthusiasm and joy that it works. The cover proudly boasts ‘as read on BBC Radio 4’ and that sums the books up perfectly. It’s very British: cosy and clever and entertaining. There is horror here (the climax is pretty gruesome), but it’s not going to give anyone nightmares. The gore is theatrical, appropriately enough given that it’s published by the revitalised Hammer brand. The horror often feels like something that might have graced British cinema screens in the 1960s or 70s. The blood never seems truly real and the horrific events somehow distant. Like many classic horror tales it often uses letters and second hand accounts of events to tell the story. This allows Truss to keep the talking cats just enough at arms length that they don’t seem completely ridiculous. She brings things up to date by throwing in emails, out of office replies (to great comic effect) and references to YouTube clips. International audiences may struggle with the with sheer volume of British cultural references packed into the book. Truss throws in Sherlock Holmes, Kenneth Branagh, James Bond, Judi Dench, The Durrells and Littlehampton among others. The weaving of such specifics into the book gives it a definite sense of place and time. This might have seemed at odds with the fantastic events Truss is relaying, but her light comic touch makes it work. That comic tone as well as the references make this an almost overwhelmingly English book. Truss infuses it with a gentle surrealism that’s a little like Monty Python. There is also a warm affection for English culture and places that worked perfectly for me but may not for every reader. If the above appeals then I think you’ll enjoy this book. It’s not deep or groundbreaking, but it is gently entertaining, funny and creative. Best read by the fire on a wintry Sunday afternoon with a pot of tea and some chocolate digestives. I knew going into this book that it involved a talking cat and a murder mystery, but this book was weird and gruesome. I had hoped it would be funny, but that's not the impression I came away with. Certainly, there were amusing parts, but it didn't make me laugh like other books have. And, well, I guess I just didn't care for it, even if there is a conspiracy of evil cats bent on taking over the world. ingen anmeldelser | tilføj en anmeldelse
Belongs to Series
Fiction.
Horror.
Mystery.
Humor (Fiction.)
HTML:Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Lynne Truss (Eats, Shoots & Leaves) is back with a mesmerizing and hilarious tale of cats and murder For people who both love and hate cats comes the tale of Alec Charlesworth, a librarian who finds himself suddenly alone: he's lost his job, his beloved wife has just died. Overcome by grief, he searches for clues about her disappearance in a file of interviews between a man called "Wiggy" and a cat, Roger. Who speaks to him. It takes a while for Alec to realize he's not gone mad from grief, that the cat is actually speaking to Wiggy . . . and that much of what we fear about cats is true. They do think they're smarter than humans, for one thing. And, well, it seems they are! What's more, they do have nine lives. Or at least this one does ?? Roger's older than Methuselah, and his unblinking stare comes from the fact that he's seen it all. And he's got a tale to tell, a tale of shocking local history and dark forces that may link not only the death of Alec's wife, but also several other local deaths. But will the cat help Alec, or is he one of the dark forces? In the deft and comedic hands of mega-bestseller Lynne Truss, the story is as entertaining as it is addictive" (The Sunday Telegraph) ?? an increasingly suspenseful and often hysterically funny adventure that will please cat lovers and haters alike. And afterwards, as one critic noted, "You may never look at a cat in quite the same way again" (The Daily Mail No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Indlæser... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC-klassificeringVurderingGennemsnit:
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The book narration was a bit problematic, it shifted between screenplay style, first person narration, emails, e-miaow (apparently telepathic conversation between a cat and the cat master. Don't ask me) and, of course, all plot holes. It’s even written in the book: “I no longer care much for the gaps in this story, so I hope that you don’t either.” I care, I hate gaps, and I don’t want to be sitting after reading a book wondering about this and that. I mean why bring up stuff in the first place if you’re not going to explain it? Gah!
Now I’m going to get on with my life and leave this book behind me.
1.5 stars
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review! ( )