Monday, October 2, 2017

Molly and the Cat Café by Melissa Daley




Reviewed by Jeanne

Molly the tabby barely remembers her kittenhood except for the moment of meeting Margery, the kind lady who adopted her.  Her life is comfortable:  she adores Margery and Margery returns her love in full measure.  Then Margery begins to have lapses.  She puts mashed potatoes in Molly’s bowl and has trouble recognizing family and friends.  The next thing Molly knows is that Margery is gone and Molly is sent to live in a house with unfriendly dogs.  It’s a miserable existence, and the little cat is determined to find a better home on her own. She runs away, but she’s unused to life as a street cat: she’s cold, she’s hungry, and she’s in danger from all sides.

When things seem darkest, she finds Debbie, a struggling single mother trying to make a life for herself and Sophie, her sullen teenage daughter. Debbie is trying to run a café, but things are not going well.  Debbie may have to close up shop and move away.  Has Molly found a new home just to lose it all again?

This is a sweet, heart-warming story, narrated by a bright and sensible little feline who has pluck and love to spare.  Her tone rather reminds me of any number of British characters but for some reason Miss Read is the one I’ve settled on.  She’s a gentle but no-nonsense girl who hopes she can somehow help Debbie solve all her problems.  I never bet against the cat in such circumstances.

There’s a bit of romance thrown in for good measure, and Anglophiles will enjoy the Cotswold setting.

I was in the mood for a feel-good story and this fit the bill admirably.  I’ll be passing it along to cat-loving friends as well. A second book in the series, Christmas at the Cat Café has been published in the U.K.

Melissa’s cat Nancy has her own Facebook page:  look for Nancy Harpenden-Cat. Nancy seems a bit more opinionated than Molly, but is still very entertaining.

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