Thursday, January 14, 2016

Review: FELINES OF NEW YORK, by Jim Tews

Felines of New York: A Glimpse Into the Lives of New York's Feline Inhabitants, by Jim Tews. Published 2015 by Simon & Schuster. Cats. Humor.

Kind of does what it says on the label, this parody of the much-lauded Humans of New York. You get pictures of cats with names and what neighborhood they live in, along with a line or two about their lives.

I think if you live in New York you get enough humans in your life to last you awhile and there is no real need to disturb the peace of your apartment by bringing them in to it, since the whole reason you have your quiet apartment is to get away from them. So this book is perfect for New Yorkers who feel like they have a little too much in the way of other New Yorkers in their life sometimes, and maybe not enough cats.

I have two cats who immigrated with me and and we enjoy learning the perspective of New Yorker cats. Sam the cat from Williamsburg says "I used to be an indoor cat but the kid left the door open and I got out. I was just waiting for the right moment. That kid was kind of a jerk, a real whisker-puller." If my cats were in this book, they would say something like, "We moved here from a big house and I think I like having less space. I have more control over my environment. It's noisier though." Or maybe "New Yorkers are either really nice or crazy. We haven't met any though. We don't go outside." Tews imagines vivid interior lives for his feline subjects and conjures up their moods and personalities in quick quips. As a reader you get to both look at cute pictures of cats and share in the fantasy of their imagined lives.  It's kind of irresistible.

Rating: BUY

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review.

1 comment:

Carin Siegfried said...

Haha! The author's name is Tews and you have a typo towards the end calling him Mews which is hilarious considering the subject matter!