I Was the Cat

An intriguing premise—a cat tells tales of his nine lives and appearances through history—is undercut by slow pacing and a general lack of excitement. While the details of Tobin’s (Bandette) the art are lovely, the overall experience of reading the book is unsatisfying... unless the reader is so cat crazy that any feline-centric story will do. Modern reporter (she blogs) Allison has been hired to write the memoirs of a rich stranger, who turns out to be the talking cat Burma. Sections recount Burma’s stories about his time in ancient Egypt, as Puss in Boots, meeting Napoleon and U.S. Presidents, in World War I trenches, playing Cat in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and facing off with secret agents, all actions which represent attempts to take over the world. The history is interspersed with hints of a current conspiracy. In spite of all this material, the story is a chore to finish. There’s an awful lot of dialogue that reveals very little: everyone rattles on telling what the art is already showing, and the historical digressions take much too long. (Aug.)