Ophelia

by Florence Stevenson

Rich Miss Margaret Brewster leaves everything to her cat Ophelia. Lawyer Daniel Dillon tries to kill the cat who is transformed into a beautiful woman. Feigning amnesia, Ophelia becomes a femme fatale playing off Daniel against Miss Margaret’s next heir, innocent nephew Julian Brewster, to regain possession of her home.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Horror, Literature

128 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Pseudonyms: Zandra Colt, Lucia Curzon, Ellen Fitzgerald, Pamela Frazier and Florence Stevenson

Reviews

[Jeffrey Canino]

A bewitching tale of feline revenge from beyond the grave, OPHELIA is about as charming and lighthearted as a gothic can be. Our heroine is not a hapless young woman at the mercy of mysterious forces driving her mad and/or towards death. Rather, she's a cat, the feline heiress of an eccentric and swiftly deceased elderly woman who thought leaving her house and fortune to her furry companion would work out fine, despite the jackals salivating in the wings. The piece's villain (a pewter-coveting lawyer, naturally) has no patience for Ophelia to live out her nine lives, and so he cuts them short by tossing her down a dank, unused well on the property. End of Ophelia-- in one form, at least.

The sudden surprise appearance at the well's bottom of a young female amnesiac-- all "naked! naked! naked!-- draws the lust of the lawyer, the scientific interest of the spinster's nephew (and new heir), and the scandalous murmurs of the townsfolk. Who is this mysterious woman, and isn't it a coincidence that her name is also Ophelia? Not a chance, and what ensues is a delightful subversion of gothic expectations as the villain becomes the subject of our heroine's peculiar brand of psychological torment, building to a reckoning that leaves the dog with his due. All this plus budding interspecies romance, frequent shameless nudity, and a scene where a grown woman attempts to capture and eat a frightened squirrel. A small masterpiece, imo.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I originally read this book as a young girl back in the early 90's. I came across it in my local library and loved it. Then I moved to another state and couldn't find it for years. I searched everywhere in town and online, finally coming across it on some random used book site because the book is out of print.

I think it's an adorable book. A rather unique tale that combines a kind of fantasy reincarnation combined with a fantastic revenge plot.

Definitely a must read for anyone who likes a nicely woven short story with a female lead.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

As delicious as the first time I read this story as a teen. I believe Ophelia is the very first novella I had read, given to me by a next-door neighbor who was an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy. It's a quick and entertaining read even in its short form. (I wish the author had added more meat to the story.) This 128 page Signet paperback is hard to find, but if you come across an old copy, pick it up for an afternoon. I'm leaving details out of the review because it might spoil it for the reader.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

PIÙ ROCAMBOLESCO

Originale, leggero e simpatico, "Ofelia" colpisce immediatamente per la singolarità dell'idea iniziale. I suoi dialoghi, poi, rendono la trama estremamente fluida e godibile, fino a terminare con un epilogo assai divertente e bizzarro.
Vi dirò, le premesse mi avevano lasciato immaginare avventure ancora più rocambolesche ed un finale molto più scoppiettante. Insomma, lo sviluppo è decente, ma sicuramente non all'altezza di quanto preannunciato nella sinossi.

[Erica Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quirky paranormal gothic-y tale of revenge that begins with a reverse Animorph in a well. Our feline heroine may have met a grisly end, but not to worry—she’s BACK in a…new form.

She’s hot, naturally, and curiously, she can read, but old habits die hard (curtains, squirrels, and rats—be warned). Accompanied by the disembodied voice of her trusty late owner, she sets out to search for something stolen and very valuable—but someone else has other plans.

This isn’t a gothic romance. It’s kind of a gothic paranormal romcom and I’m here for it.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of those lovely little oddball fantasies that pop up every now and then and defy classification. These days, it might be labeled as a paranormal romance, although there's more satire here than romance.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book we used to borrow from our old babysitter. As a teen I loved it! As an adult, I found the premise a lot of fun (cat turns into woman), but was annoyed at the lawyer's creepy sexual obsession with Ophelia (the former cat).

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this as a teen. Great femme fatale story.

[Paola · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐
Sicuramente la trama prometteva bene e ci si aspettava una storia interessante e con dei colpi di scena. Purtroppo l'ho trovato scontato, scene infantili e senza alcun senso ai fini della trama. Per non parlare della totale assenza di logica in alcuni avvenimenti (Davvero sbuca una ragazza a caso in un pozzo e la polizia non interviene? Qualche struttura? Un ospedale? No, in casa di sconosciuti, a caso).
E poi il finale... Meglio che non parlo.
Direi che è stato un libro che mi ha davvero delusa. Avevo alte aspettative, peccato.

[Lainey · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The cover intrigued me as a young teenager, and the story was unlike anything I read up until then. I decided to revisit, and it’s just as quirky as I remembered. I think many of the adult references must have gone right over my head at the time.

[Cmoore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A remarkable story of a cat that was thrown into a wishing well... and it's one of my favorite stories...

[Rosalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tre stelle e mezza. Una lettura davvero carina, certo, ho avuto un attimo di WTF verso la fine ma tutto sommato la storia mi ha piacevolmente intrattenuta.

[greta ⛧ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ofelia è una gatta fortunata: ha appena ereditato un villino, compresi arredi e suppellettili.
La sua si annuncia come una vita lunga e negli agi. Qualcuno, però, non è affatto d'accordo con la decisione della sua padrona, l'ormai defunta Margaret Mary Patricia Brewster, e pensa bene di liberarsi della scomoda "ereditiera". Il malfattore getta la micina in un pozzo, senza tener conto del fatto che è non un pozzo come tanti, ma un pozzo dei desideri, e ciò che la gatta ha desiderato subito prima di morire è stato il diventare un essere umano...

Favola surreale, sempre in bilico tra la storia per bambini e il pruriginoso, ed è questo contrasto a non convincere più di tanto.
Ofelia, una volta divenuta donna, sembra essere irresistibile per qualsiasi uomo, cosa che facilita la sua vendetta, ma che annoia il lettore per l'eccessiva semplicità con cui viene risolta la faccenda, e la brevità del romanzo sembra una diretta conseguenza del non aver saputo sviluppare meglio un'idea comunque intrigante.
Peccato.

Più un cinque che un sei, ma si sa, Goodreads non permette le mezze stelline...