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Title: The Cat Who Brought Down the House by Lilian Jackson Braun ISBN: 0-515-13655-7 Publisher: Berkley Pub Group Pub. Date: January, 2004 Format: Mass Market Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.18 (50 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Not a very good book
Comment: THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE by Lilian Jackson Braun
I would like to preface this review by saying that anyone who has not read these books before should avoid reading THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE as their first book in the series. Published in 2003, this is the very last book in the series, and it's a big disappointment.
This was my introduction to Lilian Jackson Braun's famous cat series, known for being very cozy mysteries with more emphasis on the "cozy" than "mysteries". Jim Qwilleran is a very wealthy citizen of the small town of Pickax, "located 400 miles north of everywhere", and is owned by two Siamese cats Yum Yum and Koko.
The big news in this story is that a famous citizen of Pickax, Thelma Thackeray, who left town decades ago to make her living amongst the movie stars of Southern California, has returned to live out her remaining years. She has a nephew that still lives in Pickax, but he's not exactly her favorite person. Nevertheless, she had loved her dear departed brother and had come home to set things right.
While the town goes into a dither over the return of their famous Thelma, Qwilleran notices that Koko, his male Siamese, is acting strangely. He seems to be trying to tell his owner something, but Qwilleran can't quite make out what it is. It takes a while, but soon Qwilleran puts the clues together. There is trouble in town, and it's connected to Thelma and her nephew.
My overall feeling towards this book is very negative, although I ended with the book knowing I will try a few of the other books in the series. The book seemed to be written on a 1st grade level, and I was highly embarrassed to think this was supposed to be geared towards an adult reader. I felt cheated, and also thought that the author was simply churning out anything to please her publisher. There are also rumors of this book being ghostwritten, which would hardly surprise me. Based on the many negative reviews of this book, I am glad to know that I am not alone with my assessment. Frankly, this series has run its course. But that shouldn't deter anyone from reading the earlier books in the series. I am certainly going to be reading them, as I already own a few! Unfortunately, THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE will go down as one of my bottom 10 for 2003.
Rating: 2
Summary: An era has ended
Comment: While I deeply respect Ms. Braun and have so greatly enjoyed the wonderful characters she brought to life in the Cat Who series, it now seems painfully obvious that she now has little if anything to do with the actual story developments in the newest entries in this series. And what is worse is that apparently no editors are available to clean up the writing, punctuation, and grammar in what is being published. Even when past plot lines were easily deciphered, the dialog among the many characters and the antics of Koko and Yum Yum were more than sufficient to make the read very enjoyable. Alas that is not true in this entry and the rapid attempt to close out the last chapter is the most disappointing of all. Perhaps it is time to allow the era of entertaining mysteries in Moose County to end and not drag the memory down with inferior editions.
Rating: 2
Summary: Time to wrap it all up...
Comment: When the editor misses two entire pages where the writing lapses completely into first person and then reverts back (and it was not within Qwill's journal entry) and with so many meaninless forays that seem to be gratuitous for sentimentality's sake, I hate to think of where this series is heading. IMHO, this series reached its peak with "The Cat Who Moved A Mountain" and "The Cat Who Wasn't There" and has seriously declined in plot and writing quality over the last four books or so. I was a major fan of Qwill and his world, but I have to say, sad as it is, that I just don't care much anymore. The fire has gone out and this book has helped douse those flames. I am not even finished with it yet...I have about 1/4 of it yet to go, but I already see where this is going. It's not quite as meaningless as the last book, but it is quite close. The substance in this story seems superficial, and I am going to have to fight to finish this off.
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Title: The Cat Who Went Up the Creek by Lilian Jackson Braun ISBN: 0515134384 Publisher: Jove Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Cat Who Talked Turkey by Lilian Jackson Braun ISBN: 0399151079 Publisher: Putnam Publishing Group Pub. Date: 26 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
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Title: The Private Life of the Cat Who: Tales of Koko and Yum Yum from the Journals of James MacKintosh Qwilleran by Lilian Jackson Braun ISBN: 039915132X Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons Pub. Date: 23 October, 2003 List Price(USD): $10.95 |
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Title: Short and Tall Tales: Moose County Legends Collected by James Mackintosh Qwilleran by Lilian Jackson Braun, Lillian Jackson Braun ISBN: 0515136352 Publisher: Jove Pubns Pub. Date: 25 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.50 |
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Title: The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (Cat Who... (Paperback)) by Lilian Jackson Braun ISBN: 0515132268 Publisher: Jove Books Pub. Date: 01 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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