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The Cat's Table Audiobook
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(3.75) - 16 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy in Colombo boards a ship bound for England. At mealtimes he is seated at the “cat’s table”—as far from the Captain’s Table as can be—with a ragtag group of “insignificant” adults and two other boys, Cassius and Ramadhin. As the ship makes its way across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal, into the Mediterranean, the boys tumble from one adventure to another, bursting all over the place like freed mercury. But there are other diversions as well: one man talks with them about jazz and women, another opens the door to the world of literature. The narrator’s elusive, beautiful cousin Emily becomes his confidante, allowing him to see himself “with a distant eye” for the first time, and to feel the first stirring of desire. Another Cat’s Table denizen, the shadowy Miss Lasqueti, is perhaps more than what she seems. And very late every night, the boys spy on a shackled prisoner, his crime and his fate a galvanizing mystery that will haunt them forever. As the narrative moves between the decks and holds of the ship and the boy’s adult years, it tells a spellbinding story—by turns poignant and electrifying—about the magical, often forbidden, discoveries of childhood and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage.
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"I thought this would be a simple coming of age story during a sea voyage. I was about 3/4 of the way through it when I realized there was a mystery being solved. Beautifully written with short sentences and chapters that move the story. "
— Mark (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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Selected for the October 2011 Indie Next List
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A New York Times bestseller
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An ALA Notable Book for Fiction
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A 2011 Economist Best Book for Fiction
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A 2011 Barnes & Noble Best Book for Fiction
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A 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize Nominee
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A 2011 Washington Post Notable Book for Fiction
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A 2011 Hammett Prize Finalist
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A 2011 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for Fiction
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A 2011 New York Times Book Review Notable Book
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A Literary Hub Pick of Perfect Summer Reads
The Cat's Table Listener Reviews
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" Great story-telling! Enjoyed the cleverness in this novel. "
— Katy, 11/7/2011 -
" This book started with passengers on a ship, veered into the future life of Michael, back to the ship to tell the back story on another traveler... I thought it was very disjointed. It left me seasick. "
— Sue, 11/6/2011 -
" The scene of the ocean liner passing through the Suez Canal is Ondaatje at his best. "
— Tim, 11/1/2011 -
" Another fine novel from Ondaatje. Doesn't break new ground like some of his previous efforts but well worth reading. A coming of age novel which haunts long after the final page is read. "
— Eamonn, 10/31/2011 -
" I loved the chapters of this book that described the ocean voyage. The other parts of the book (intermingled) I did not care for as much. Read it for the wonderful sense of adventure of the three boys sent on their own on this ocean liner. As always, Ondaatje's prose is beautiful. "
— Alice, 10/30/2011 -
" Nicely written but not much more than a series of missed opportunities after the first 100 pages. "
— Kim, 10/26/2011 -
" Lovely language, full of ideas and subtle observations. A book to savour slowly. Some people will read it / judge it for the plot (whatEVER), I enjoyed it for the mood and places it took me. It's a book that teaches you how to see. "
— Chris, 9/8/2011
About Michael Ondaatje
Michael Ondaatje is the New York Times bestselling author of several novels, a memoir, a nonfiction book on film, and eleven books of poetry. The English Patient won the Booker Prize and Anil’s Ghost won the Irish Times International Fiction Prize, the Giller Prize, and the Prix Médicis.