Official Review: Sir Thomas Cat and Me and Stories My Gra...

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AlexisLib
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Official Review: Sir Thomas Cat and Me and Stories My Gra...

Post by AlexisLib »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Sir Thomas Cat and Me and Stories My Grandpa Told" by Stanley Yokell.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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Sir Thomas Cat and Me and Stories My Grandpa Told consists of two short books in one volume. “Sir Thomas Cat and Me” describes interactions between Roberto Gonzales, who understands Cat, and Sir Thomas Cat, a cat who understands English. “Stories My Grandpa Told” includes stories told by dogs and other animals, stories about children (including the author), and stories about the Stone family. Photographs of Yokell, his brother, and some of the dogs add to the 1930’s atmosphere of these stories.

Sir Thomas is intelligent and a bit snarky, as a middle-aged cat probably would be, which I found refreshing. I really enjoyed this world where a cat can sit outside with his human watching people go by, asking questions, and giving his own opinions about the subject matter. And be taken into a restaurant! I loved the relationship between Gonzales and Sir Thomas and their thought-provoking discussions.

“Stories My Grandpa Told” provides a glimpse into Yokell’s childhood in Brooklyn during the 1930s. This book feels connected to “Sir Thomas Cat and Me” because it starts with stories told by animals. The stories then move into tales about the Stone family living in New York’s Catskill Mountains. I enjoyed reading about these animals and the children’s adventures. I would have liked more context about the Stones and their time period, but that didn’t detract from enjoying the stories.

Stanley Yokell has a straightforward and matter-of-fact writing style, and the stories are unusual and original. The stories are short and easy to read, making it easy to think “just one more” to see what will happen next until you find that you’ve finished each book.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars, primarily due to the typos on nearly every page, which I found very distracting. There are also some sentences that are repeated a number of times from story to story in “Sir Thomas Cat and Me,” which some readers may find a bit much; while it did annoy me at first, I grew to like it as a part of Yokell’s writing voice. In addition, I read the pdf version and it ended abruptly; it would be nice to include text that wraps up the stories or a back cover so that the reader knows the book has ended and isn’t just missing pages.

This book is aimed at children and adults. I did feel that some of the stories are not appropriate for young children, most prominently in “Sir Thomas Cat and Me,” which includes mentions of neutering, sex, religion, and death. However, parents could read these stories aloud to children and skip the adult material if they like. The stories in “Stories My Grandpa Told” are more appropriate for children.

Readers who enjoy quirky, personal stories about animals will love this book, especially cat lovers and dog lovers. Those who like nostalgic stories about past childhoods will especially love “Stories My Grandpa Told.”

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Sir Thomas Cat and Me and Stories My Grandpa Told
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Kachi_Ejiogu+_
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Post by Kachi_Ejiogu+_ »

Interesting read. However, it would have been such a masterpiece if not for some drawbacks. I hope it's looked into quite soon. Great review, well done.
Ediomis_Enwongo01
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Post by Ediomis_Enwongo01 »

Who wouldn't love a nostalgic story about past childhood? This is the more reason I'll focus on "Stories My Grandma Told" and forget about the other story. Thanks for your wonderful review.
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DEEPA PUJARI
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Post by DEEPA PUJARI »

Nice book for animal lovers. The review is to the point and informative.
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AlexisLib
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Post by AlexisLib »

Kachi_Ejiogu+_ wrote: 08 May 2020, 15:08 Interesting read. However, it would have been such a masterpiece if not for some drawbacks. I hope it's looked into quite soon. Great review, well done.

Thanks for your comment! I really wish more authors would get their books professionally edited. I know it can feel expensive, but it's so worth it. I haven't been able to give 4 stars yet because all the books I've reviewed so far have had more than ten errors. Still, I did enjoy reading it and I know I will remember it fondly for some time.
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AlexisLib
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Post by AlexisLib »

Ediomis_Enwongo01 wrote: 08 May 2020, 16:14 Who wouldn't love a nostalgic story about past childhood? This is the more reason I'll focus on "Stories My Grandma Told" and forget about the other story. Thanks for your wonderful review.
Thank you! I think you'll enjoy the nostalgia, humor and kindness of "Stories My Grandpa Told."
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AlexisLib
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Post by AlexisLib »

DEEPA PUJARI wrote: 12 May 2020, 10:37 Nice book for animal lovers. The review is to the point and informative.
Thank you for commenting! It's nice to see what others think about the book and my review.
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