Helpful Score: 12
As a fan of both cat cozies and mysteries based in actual history, I was delighted to find How to Wash a Cat. It seemed like it was tailor-made for me--until I started reading it.
The cats and the history did, in fact, prove charming. The rest of the tale? No so much. The main character is nameless throughout the bulk of the book, which was irritating, and the resolution of that issue was equally obnoxious. There is also a lack of description of the main character. The only certainty is that she's passive to the point of being wishy-washy. The other characters, however, are described in detailed, rather snotty ways. Most of them, for instance, are smelly and/or childish.
The deal-breaker, however, was that the mystery simply wasn't very good. Like the rest of the book, it had lots of potential with very little follow through. Aspects of the tale originated only to go nowhere, leaving parts unresolved, while other aspects skewed dangerously close to deus ex machina territory.
The cats and the history did, in fact, prove charming. The rest of the tale? No so much. The main character is nameless throughout the bulk of the book, which was irritating, and the resolution of that issue was equally obnoxious. There is also a lack of description of the main character. The only certainty is that she's passive to the point of being wishy-washy. The other characters, however, are described in detailed, rather snotty ways. Most of them, for instance, are smelly and/or childish.
The deal-breaker, however, was that the mystery simply wasn't very good. Like the rest of the book, it had lots of potential with very little follow through. Aspects of the tale originated only to go nowhere, leaving parts unresolved, while other aspects skewed dangerously close to deus ex machina territory.
Helpful Score: 6
This book was a cute cozy. The main charater had zero personality but her cats made up for it. Rupert wa a cutie.. I have one named that myself.
The book had alot of history of San Francisco which was really cool, but the plot was scattered and The character Monty was just obnoxious...
The ending was very confusing.. What did Mrs. Wang give to her? It ended very suddon and odd. Maybe the next book will be more rounded out.
The book had alot of history of San Francisco which was really cool, but the plot was scattered and The character Monty was just obnoxious...
The ending was very confusing.. What did Mrs. Wang give to her? It ended very suddon and odd. Maybe the next book will be more rounded out.
Bonnie A. (ladycholla) -
Helpful Score: 3
Loved this story. Great characters, some to love, some to irritate and some to want to keep at a distance. Quirky tale, good Gold Rush history, fun story about the Green Vase Shop.
Kathleen J. (cozyreader) reviewed How to Wash a Cat (Cats and Curios, Bk 1) on + 101 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
The book was interesting in that it had a lot of San Francisco history. That said, I found it to be a little hard to get through for 2 reasons.
First, it is a little wordy--sometimes first time authors overelaborate, she did that.
Second, I found Monty, the character to be extremely irritating and could not imagine how the main character could spend time with him.
The cats, however, especially Rupert, are extremely cute..
First, it is a little wordy--sometimes first time authors overelaborate, she did that.
Second, I found Monty, the character to be extremely irritating and could not imagine how the main character could spend time with him.
The cats, however, especially Rupert, are extremely cute..
Helpful Score: 3
I liked this book, but found it a bit slow going at the beginning. But the ending was good. The characters are interesting, but one is quite annoying. I always enjoy reading books with a bit of history in them. I feel as though I have learned something.
