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The Ghost Cat
A charming novel for fans of Before the Coffee Gets Cold and How to Stop Time , following a cat through his nine lives in Edinburgh, moving through the ever-changing city and its inhabitants over centuries
Early morning, 1902. At 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, Grimalkin the cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat and lick his favorite human's hand. But this is to be his last day on earth…before he becomes the Ghost Cat.
Follow Grimalkin as he witnesses the changes of the next 120 years, prowling unseen among the inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement while unearthing some startling revelations about the mystery of existence, the unstoppable march of time and the true meaning of feline companionship.
Early morning, 1902. At 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, Eilidh the charlady tips coal into a fire grate and sets it alight. Overhearing, Grimalkin the cat ambles over to curl up against the welcome heat and lick his favorite human's hand. But this is to be his last day on earth…before he becomes the Ghost Cat.
Follow Grimalkin as he witnesses the changes of the next 120 years, prowling unseen among the inhabitants of an Edinburgh tenement while unearthing some startling revelations about the mystery of existence, the unstoppable march of time and the true meaning of feline companionship.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published August 3, 2023
662 people are currently reading
21232 people want to read
About the author
Alex Howard
3 books105 followersAlex is the author of The Ghost Cat, a bestseller in the UK and USA. Also a theatre professional and social media influencer, his TikTok page @housedoctoralex has nearly 300,000 followers while his work on Capital Theatres’ dementia programme helped it receive a UK Theatres Excellence in Inclusivity Award in 2023.
Alex loves helping writers of all backgrounds craft language into beautiful prose and verse. A PhD graduate of English, his first book Library Cat owes its existence to a bout of procrastination while studying at the University of Edinburgh, going on to win the People’s Book Prize in 2017. He also writes poetry and has been published in New Writing Scotland, Gutter and The London Magazine, while his fiction has been translated into nine languages. A recovering academic, his monograph Larkin’s Travelling Spirit was published in 2021.
Somehow, Alex manages to split his time effectively between writing, delivering literary events and working at Capital Theatres, Edinburgh. When he has a spare moment (rarely!) he enjoys renovating his Edwardian flat, uncovering its hidden secrets with his cat Tabitha, son Sasha and wife, Ellie. He is currently working on a new novel The Ship’s Cat, scheduled for publication in Spring 2026.
Alex loves helping writers of all backgrounds craft language into beautiful prose and verse. A PhD graduate of English, his first book Library Cat owes its existence to a bout of procrastination while studying at the University of Edinburgh, going on to win the People’s Book Prize in 2017. He also writes poetry and has been published in New Writing Scotland, Gutter and The London Magazine, while his fiction has been translated into nine languages. A recovering academic, his monograph Larkin’s Travelling Spirit was published in 2021.
Somehow, Alex manages to split his time effectively between writing, delivering literary events and working at Capital Theatres, Edinburgh. When he has a spare moment (rarely!) he enjoys renovating his Edwardian flat, uncovering its hidden secrets with his cat Tabitha, son Sasha and wife, Ellie. He is currently working on a new novel The Ship’s Cat, scheduled for publication in Spring 2026.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 916 reviews
September 21, 2024
“A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays.” - Old English Proverb
This was an absolutely charming tale from the POV of a cat…yes, that’s right…a CAT! I felt like I was stepping into the head of Garfield 🐈
🌟🌟🌟🌟
FULL REVIEW 👇🏼
This book was UNIQUE to say the least.…it’s not often that you get to go inside the brain of a cat!
We begin the book with the introduction of the sweet, same maid, Eilidah that had found Grimalkin in Thirlestane Lane stables, and tended to and cared deeply for him throughout his life, right until he died (for the first time) in 1902. From then on Grimalkin would come back as another cat, each time as a haunting of the OG. During each haunting, Grimalkin would make his new observations. This was a very clever way of taking in and creating a story around changes in time. Particularly changes to the way households were run…everything from the invention of electricity to the written work of Alice and Wonderland.
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure at the start and it took me until the third chapter to really understand what was going on and where this tale would take us…
Simply put this is a book about history over the past century. Despite it being told through the eyes of a cat, we get a very clear and accurate description of what has happened across the world from 1902 to 2022. Honesty if someone had told me this was a book about history I probably wouldn’t have read it but Alex Howard has painted a fascinating and beautiful written tale with a cozy, feel good charm. Whether you like cats or not, history or not, I reckon anyone could get joy from reading this story.
I loved the snippets of reality posted as footnotes at the bottom of various pages, giving the reader a true representation of what was happening in the world at that time point. I felt like I was learning but it was FUN 🤩 for example, the excitement of electricity stemming from the introduction of the 1909 second Electric lighting Act to life changing psychological advances in The Interpretation of dreams by Sigmund Freud.
The homely Victorian odours of coal and horse dung were long gone, and instead Edinburgh was filled with ‘an old tangy, polishy scent’ similar to paraffin. This in fact was the smell of leaded fumes of new petroleum-driven cars in the 1940s.
I also highly appreciated Grimalkin’s Observations at the end of each chapter. They gave a humorous addition to the book. One that particularly caught my eye was in 1969 he observed decoration to be horrendous flowery wallpaper and humans to be inebriated numpties in tinfoil hats 😂 followed by in October of 1997…FRIENDS…”What would Rachel say?” His response was ‘oh, give a cat some peace!’. I got so much joy from reading and experiencing Grimalkin’s very human like emotions. Of course, we don’t know what the cat was thinking at this moment but it certainly made for a very entertaining and sometimes, emotional read.
It was fun when in his final 3 years of playing he experienced a new impulsion…mischief! And boy would he play…
Furthermore, the pure Scottish slang that was used was the perfect addition; it gave the book real character and made it unique to Scotland rather than just another history book.
Until finally the day came (insert a box of tissues) when all his thoughts and pains ceased and dissolved into air 💤 into a dreamless sleep he went…peace was all that was left.
Ah, that was certainly a special book for the memory bank 🥰
🌟🌟🌟🌟
This was an absolutely charming tale from the POV of a cat…yes, that’s right…a CAT! I felt like I was stepping into the head of Garfield 🐈
🌟🌟🌟🌟
FULL REVIEW 👇🏼
This book was UNIQUE to say the least.…it’s not often that you get to go inside the brain of a cat!
We begin the book with the introduction of the sweet, same maid, Eilidah that had found Grimalkin in Thirlestane Lane stables, and tended to and cared deeply for him throughout his life, right until he died (for the first time) in 1902. From then on Grimalkin would come back as another cat, each time as a haunting of the OG. During each haunting, Grimalkin would make his new observations. This was a very clever way of taking in and creating a story around changes in time. Particularly changes to the way households were run…everything from the invention of electricity to the written work of Alice and Wonderland.
Truthfully, I wasn’t sure at the start and it took me until the third chapter to really understand what was going on and where this tale would take us…
Simply put this is a book about history over the past century. Despite it being told through the eyes of a cat, we get a very clear and accurate description of what has happened across the world from 1902 to 2022. Honesty if someone had told me this was a book about history I probably wouldn’t have read it but Alex Howard has painted a fascinating and beautiful written tale with a cozy, feel good charm. Whether you like cats or not, history or not, I reckon anyone could get joy from reading this story.
I loved the snippets of reality posted as footnotes at the bottom of various pages, giving the reader a true representation of what was happening in the world at that time point. I felt like I was learning but it was FUN 🤩 for example, the excitement of electricity stemming from the introduction of the 1909 second Electric lighting Act to life changing psychological advances in The Interpretation of dreams by Sigmund Freud.
The homely Victorian odours of coal and horse dung were long gone, and instead Edinburgh was filled with ‘an old tangy, polishy scent’ similar to paraffin. This in fact was the smell of leaded fumes of new petroleum-driven cars in the 1940s.
I also highly appreciated Grimalkin’s Observations at the end of each chapter. They gave a humorous addition to the book. One that particularly caught my eye was in 1969 he observed decoration to be horrendous flowery wallpaper and humans to be inebriated numpties in tinfoil hats 😂 followed by in October of 1997…FRIENDS…”What would Rachel say?” His response was ‘oh, give a cat some peace!’. I got so much joy from reading and experiencing Grimalkin’s very human like emotions. Of course, we don’t know what the cat was thinking at this moment but it certainly made for a very entertaining and sometimes, emotional read.
It was fun when in his final 3 years of playing he experienced a new impulsion…mischief! And boy would he play…
Furthermore, the pure Scottish slang that was used was the perfect addition; it gave the book real character and made it unique to Scotland rather than just another history book.
Until finally the day came (insert a box of tissues) when all his thoughts and pains ceased and dissolved into air 💤 into a dreamless sleep he went…peace was all that was left.
Ah, that was certainly a special book for the memory bank 🥰
🌟🌟🌟🌟
August 24, 2024
A cat has nine lives. For three he plays, for three he strays and for the last three he stays. ~ English proverb 🐈
As many of you know I am a cat lover. Books written with cat narrators are so intriguing to me and this one was a delight. Good, but not great. Perhaps the author's TikTok inclinations and my lack of an account have something to do with it. He mentions the app several times in the Acknowledgments.
Here are the three things I really liked:
🏘 7/7 /Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh is the central location for the entire book. Our cat narrator returns to the same room with each life. He may go out and about when in his straying lives, but always starts in the same place.
🐈Grimalkin, our narrator, is an orange marmalade cat. I do love the orange tabbies so that endeared me to him from the beginning.
🗓The scope of history is seen in quick snapshots beginning with 1902 and the imminent publication of 'Peter Pan' and ending with the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
If I were a resident of the UK, this might have worked a little better to me. There are some things that just went right over my head. I did enjoy the bits about the royal family. Thank you to Hanover Square Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
As many of you know I am a cat lover. Books written with cat narrators are so intriguing to me and this one was a delight. Good, but not great. Perhaps the author's TikTok inclinations and my lack of an account have something to do with it. He mentions the app several times in the Acknowledgments.
Here are the three things I really liked:
🏘 7/7 /Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh is the central location for the entire book. Our cat narrator returns to the same room with each life. He may go out and about when in his straying lives, but always starts in the same place.
🐈Grimalkin, our narrator, is an orange marmalade cat. I do love the orange tabbies so that endeared me to him from the beginning.
🗓The scope of history is seen in quick snapshots beginning with 1902 and the imminent publication of 'Peter Pan' and ending with the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
If I were a resident of the UK, this might have worked a little better to me. There are some things that just went right over my head. I did enjoy the bits about the royal family. Thank you to Hanover Square Press and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
July 27, 2024
1.75⭐️ Grimalkin is a majestic cat living in a historical flat in 1890’s Edinburgh. Once his natural life comes to an end, he is given a rare opportunity to experience the ages of the world in 9 separate lives in a distinctly feline way: 3 to stay, 3 to stray, and 3 to play.
Unfortunately this was a huge miss for me. It could have been cute and very sweet, but the writing was so poor that the attempts at charm very rarely landed. There were some strangely fatphobic, bigoted, and misogynistic vibes in certain chapters and the things that Grimalkin knew and could figure out seemed random with no clear pattern. There was no singular thread to connect the different storylines together and most of them seemed to end unceremoniously and awkwardly transition into the next without rhyme or reason. Grimalkin himself wasn’t a compelling enough character to carry the storyline through each vignette so it really dragged through most of the story.
Instead of charming snapshots of each era with a common thread of something meaningful to the story, like human-cat interaction or the way a single family inhabits the house, we get partial vignettes of random historical events with a diatribe of strange judgements on each from a poorly fleshed out character.
Also, points deducted for the plotline of a literal 1890’s era cat selling a man’s stocks online as some far-fetched form of vigilante justice. That was a little too much for me.
Huge thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this Advanced Reader Copy! This review is my honest opinion and offered voluntarily!
Unfortunately this was a huge miss for me. It could have been cute and very sweet, but the writing was so poor that the attempts at charm very rarely landed. There were some strangely fatphobic, bigoted, and misogynistic vibes in certain chapters and the things that Grimalkin knew and could figure out seemed random with no clear pattern. There was no singular thread to connect the different storylines together and most of them seemed to end unceremoniously and awkwardly transition into the next without rhyme or reason. Grimalkin himself wasn’t a compelling enough character to carry the storyline through each vignette so it really dragged through most of the story.
Instead of charming snapshots of each era with a common thread of something meaningful to the story, like human-cat interaction or the way a single family inhabits the house, we get partial vignettes of random historical events with a diatribe of strange judgements on each from a poorly fleshed out character.
Also, points deducted for the plotline of a literal 1890’s era cat selling a man’s stocks online as some far-fetched form of vigilante justice. That was a little too much for me.
Huge thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for this Advanced Reader Copy! This review is my honest opinion and offered voluntarily!
November 8, 2024
3.5 to 4 Stars
Most of this book was beautiful, I felt sympathy and love plus a bit of laughter for the Cat's adventures, emotions, and loss. Living through his nine lives with him, was a magical experience full of wisdom, laughter but also heartache. I can see how people may find this "slow," but to me, it was a way of world building and depth to the characters. I loved Grimalkin and his hilarious commentary. The ending of the epilogue confused me. I read it three times and am still confused, so I guess the ending wasn't the best as I don't get it. I was hoping for something else or more. Otherwise, a sweet read.
Most of this book was beautiful, I felt sympathy and love plus a bit of laughter for the Cat's adventures, emotions, and loss. Living through his nine lives with him, was a magical experience full of wisdom, laughter but also heartache. I can see how people may find this "slow," but to me, it was a way of world building and depth to the characters. I loved Grimalkin and his hilarious commentary. The ending of the epilogue confused me. I read it three times and am still confused, so I guess the ending wasn't the best as I don't get it. I was hoping for something else or more. Otherwise, a sweet read.
September 29, 2023
The idea of following a (ghost) cat through time, observing the changing world and experiencing fleeting insights into everyday life of individual human beings while pondering about your own (aka the cat's) mortality, was executed in a very fun, cute and thought-provoking way.
I really liked how the different time periods were described. It felt both authentic and atmospheric as well as emotional sometimes. I wish some of the chapters were longer, especially the ones taking place in the 1800s and the early 1900s. At the same time, I learned a lot of new interesting facts about Scotland and history in general. A few of the more contemporary chapters/hauntings were not as interesting to me personally, most notably the one set in the 1940s and the very last chapter. By the way, it would have been nice to have an epilogue about the Grimalkin's afterlife now that I thnk about it. Anyways, I also enjoyed that some time periods indirectly affected future chapters, and that some characters and places unexpectedly reappeared again. It sometimes made the story feel less believable and realistic, but it also enriched the reading experience in a way.
I really liked how the different time periods were described. It felt both authentic and atmospheric as well as emotional sometimes. I wish some of the chapters were longer, especially the ones taking place in the 1800s and the early 1900s. At the same time, I learned a lot of new interesting facts about Scotland and history in general. A few of the more contemporary chapters/hauntings were not as interesting to me personally, most notably the one set in the 1940s and the very last chapter. By the way, it would have been nice to have an epilogue about the Grimalkin's afterlife now that I thnk about it. Anyways, I also enjoyed that some time periods indirectly affected future chapters, and that some characters and places unexpectedly reappeared again. It sometimes made the story feel less believable and realistic, but it also enriched the reading experience in a way.
May 30, 2024
Do
not
make the mistake I made: Despite appearances, this is not a middle-grade book! One of the chapters in it is full of expletives (not gratuitous ones, however). Which is a pity because tweens would adore this book.
Adults will find this spectral feline tale pretty alluring, as well. Born in the Victorian Era, cat Grimalkin’s life is cut short; to make up for it, the cat in the sky allows Grimalkin eight more shots at life (making nine, of course). Grimalkin visits the house at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh over 120 years and marvels at the changes. I really enjoyed Grimalkin’s reactions to the changes of the 20th and 21st centuries. Recommended.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.
Adults will find this spectral feline tale pretty alluring, as well. Born in the Victorian Era, cat Grimalkin’s life is cut short; to make up for it, the cat in the sky allows Grimalkin eight more shots at life (making nine, of course). Grimalkin visits the house at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh over 120 years and marvels at the changes. I really enjoyed Grimalkin’s reactions to the changes of the 20th and 21st centuries. Recommended.
In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review.
January 28, 2025
i mean, of course i cried in public about a cat that passes away and tries to find the woman that took care of him, only to comfort her in her final moments on earth. but that’s not all — he continues to explore the 20th and 21st centuries as a ghost cat
July 22, 2023
This has got to be the first book that has made me weep during the first chapter! But by chapter two I was smiling again and I knew that I had a great read ahead of me!
We follow Grimalkin the cat, who passes away one fine day by the fire and his soul is transported to another world where he meets the great cat-sìth, who explains to him that he still has 8 lives remaining and that he has something special about him. It turns out that Grimalkin is a cat of uncommon curiosity and insight, the finest of the cat kind! Which means that should he choose to take the 8 lives he is owed then he must live them out on earth as a ghost cat!
**The cat-sìth is a fairy creature from Celtic mythology, said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Legend has it that the spectral cat haunts the Scottish Highlands. The legends surrounding this creature are more common in Scottish folklore, but a few occur in Irish. Some common folklore suggested that the cat-sìth was not a fairy, but a witch that could transform into a cat nine times**
The author’s writing style is enchanting, entertaining and engaging on so many levels, a perfect picture was painted in my mind of Grimalkins desires, surroundings and feelings. I found this beautiful little cats paws wrapped around my heartstrings throughout the entirety of the book.
Overall, this was a delightful read of which I am sure will leave the cat lovers among us yearning for more!
We follow Grimalkin the cat, who passes away one fine day by the fire and his soul is transported to another world where he meets the great cat-sìth, who explains to him that he still has 8 lives remaining and that he has something special about him. It turns out that Grimalkin is a cat of uncommon curiosity and insight, the finest of the cat kind! Which means that should he choose to take the 8 lives he is owed then he must live them out on earth as a ghost cat!
**The cat-sìth is a fairy creature from Celtic mythology, said to resemble a large black cat with a white spot on its chest. Legend has it that the spectral cat haunts the Scottish Highlands. The legends surrounding this creature are more common in Scottish folklore, but a few occur in Irish. Some common folklore suggested that the cat-sìth was not a fairy, but a witch that could transform into a cat nine times**
The author’s writing style is enchanting, entertaining and engaging on so many levels, a perfect picture was painted in my mind of Grimalkins desires, surroundings and feelings. I found this beautiful little cats paws wrapped around my heartstrings throughout the entirety of the book.
Overall, this was a delightful read of which I am sure will leave the cat lovers among us yearning for more!
Want to read
October 9, 2024I'm a simple person, I see a cat, I add it to my tbr.
September 16, 2024
Ghost cat was not for me, this book is about a cat who dies and his death is missed by the cat god. In doing so he is unable to take advantage of his 8 remaining lives, so the cat god offers to allow him his 8 remaining lives by being a ghost based off an English proverb ~ A cat has nine lives. For three he stays, for three he strays, and for three he plays.
Grimalkin is offered 2 more lives of staying in the house that he died in, 3 lives to stray around Edinburgh, and 3 lives to play which he has powers of a poltergeist and can interact with the world. Through these lives, Grimalkin and the reader witness landmark events of Scottish history from 1902 until 2022 through the eyes of a cat.
This book was not for me, even though I really enjoy cozy cat reads and have a pretty low bar in what I like in this genre. To me, it felt like the author created an interesting concept but didn’t flesh it out enough. Like they created the idea of the ghost cat and made an outline about 8 key events of Edinburgh in the last century and summarized them using the perspective of a cat.
There just wasn’t enough to really allow the characters to develop, and the cat is hardly allowed to interact with the world so it’s like watching the landscape roll by while looking out a car window.
Grimalkin is offered 2 more lives of staying in the house that he died in, 3 lives to stray around Edinburgh, and 3 lives to play which he has powers of a poltergeist and can interact with the world. Through these lives, Grimalkin and the reader witness landmark events of Scottish history from 1902 until 2022 through the eyes of a cat.
This book was not for me, even though I really enjoy cozy cat reads and have a pretty low bar in what I like in this genre. To me, it felt like the author created an interesting concept but didn’t flesh it out enough. Like they created the idea of the ghost cat and made an outline about 8 key events of Edinburgh in the last century and summarized them using the perspective of a cat.
There just wasn’t enough to really allow the characters to develop, and the cat is hardly allowed to interact with the world so it’s like watching the landscape roll by while looking out a car window.
January 24, 2025
I loved this story. The idea of a Ghost cat going through the ages and seeing all the changes in the world really is the sweetest.
This is sweet, sad and comical. Grimalkins view on the world and the new changes he experiences had me feeling all the range of emotions and I really didn't want this story to end.
The characters are all lovely in their own way and the world building is fantastic. I enjoyed reading about the past views and attitudes to things and the new changes that we have in the world today.
A beautiful story and I was even more thrilled to read that this was inspired by the author's own experiences with his own cat.
This is sweet, sad and comical. Grimalkins view on the world and the new changes he experiences had me feeling all the range of emotions and I really didn't want this story to end.
The characters are all lovely in their own way and the world building is fantastic. I enjoyed reading about the past views and attitudes to things and the new changes that we have in the world today.
A beautiful story and I was even more thrilled to read that this was inspired by the author's own experiences with his own cat.
February 28, 2024
I love the ideas here, but not the execution.
I was expecting the vignettes to examine the humanity of each new tenant in the flat, with our feline lead musing on the human condition and how different eras affect that as he travels the decades. Maybe I misinterpreted the synopsis, and if so, that's on me. What I got, however, was our feline lead giving an educational tour with as many history beats as possible shoved into each vignette.
I'm sure this will work for some readers, as will the author's sense of humor, but neither worked for me.
I was expecting the vignettes to examine the humanity of each new tenant in the flat, with our feline lead musing on the human condition and how different eras affect that as he travels the decades. Maybe I misinterpreted the synopsis, and if so, that's on me. What I got, however, was our feline lead giving an educational tour with as many history beats as possible shoved into each vignette.
I'm sure this will work for some readers, as will the author's sense of humor, but neither worked for me.
September 19, 2024
I liked the premise but the execution was lacking.
April 6, 2024
flop. didn’t do what he thought it did. the cat didn’t even get 9 lives just 9 half an hours on every historical event
September 1, 2024
5🌟
I loved this! It even made me cry. Over the course of 120 years, we witness vignettes of the lives of those that inhabit 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, an Edinburgh tenement, in the company of Grimalkin the cat who has been granted their remaining lives in ghost form.
The historical reference points are really interesting, but it is Grimallkin's love for Eilidh, the child who found them and who accompanies her through her life, which really touched me.
It is a very enjoyable, charming read that was more emotional than expected.
I loved this! It even made me cry. Over the course of 120 years, we witness vignettes of the lives of those that inhabit 7/7 Marchmont Crescent, an Edinburgh tenement, in the company of Grimalkin the cat who has been granted their remaining lives in ghost form.
The historical reference points are really interesting, but it is Grimallkin's love for Eilidh, the child who found them and who accompanies her through her life, which really touched me.
It is a very enjoyable, charming read that was more emotional than expected.
August 31, 2024
The idea of this book was wonderful- a cat that has nine lives. Each lived over different periods of time in the same house.
Unfortunately the book lacked any depth or really any point in my opinion. We flew through each period of time, learning very little about the inhabitants of the house or the time period and ultimately not caring. The cat’s constant use of the word ‘numpty’ was also irritating!
This definitely fell short for me I’m afraid.
Unfortunately the book lacked any depth or really any point in my opinion. We flew through each period of time, learning very little about the inhabitants of the house or the time period and ultimately not caring. The cat’s constant use of the word ‘numpty’ was also irritating!
This definitely fell short for me I’m afraid.
May 3, 2024
2.5/5
Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read an eARC for “Ghost Cat.”
This book was cute and cozy
.
It was an interesting idea and I enjoyed it overall.
It just really didn’t have much sustenance or depth. I loved following Grimalkin through history, starting with the invention of electricity and ending with Queen Elizabeth II’s death. My issue is I wanted more of everything. I wanted more historical details, more descriptions, more depth to each haunting, and more personality of Grimalkin.
Overall a quick ok read.
Thank you Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for allowing me to read an eARC for “Ghost Cat.”
This book was cute and cozy
.
It was an interesting idea and I enjoyed it overall.
It just really didn’t have much sustenance or depth. I loved following Grimalkin through history, starting with the invention of electricity and ending with Queen Elizabeth II’s death. My issue is I wanted more of everything. I wanted more historical details, more descriptions, more depth to each haunting, and more personality of Grimalkin.
Overall a quick ok read.
April 29, 2024
I really wanted to like this book! :( Plus there is a cat on the cover. the premise sounds interesting but the cat's POV sounded neither cat nor human. It sounded bratty to me and I did not enjoy it. Each of his life was a short chapter that coincides with some significant historical event. Maybe I'm too dumb, it did not resonate with me, did not enjoy the footnotes and felt it a chore to get through it. Sorry!
September 18, 2024
Hmm.....I wasn't in the right frame of mind for this book. I like cats. I like Victorian times.
In another life I'd love this book or even 5 years ago.
In another life I'd love this book or even 5 years ago.
November 14, 2024
Such a lovely read
August 24, 2025
I love a wee Japanese translation about cats and was hoping this would be a similar vibe, with a very fun concept. Instead, I found it to be a super embarrassing read. From chapter one when he entered the afterlife and met a ‘Cat-Sith’, I just found myself cringing at the way too obvious winks at events we all know, random historical events, and ‘character progression’ with no way to convince me that there should be.
Also so many weird moments that just took me out of it. A cat that can read? And knows the street names of Edinburgh? Like why are we doing that? But also trying to keep it true to a cat’s instincts and habits?
AND it included my absolute pet peeve of when the author writes in dialect badly.
ALSO, (this is a spoiler) including himself in the last chapter was too much. I couldn’t cope. Eek.
Also so many weird moments that just took me out of it. A cat that can read? And knows the street names of Edinburgh? Like why are we doing that? But also trying to keep it true to a cat’s instincts and habits?
AND it included my absolute pet peeve of when the author writes in dialect badly.
ALSO, (this is a spoiler) including himself in the last chapter was too much. I couldn’t cope. Eek.
June 1, 2025
Howard’s sentences are lovely. It is a shame that they serve a chronically uninspired plot, shamelessly traipsing through every historical stereotype: the Victorians were stuffy, the 40s were all Blitz-spirit bonhomie, the 60s were groovy and psychedelic. The total lack of surprise or subtlety in Howard’s rendering of time and place fatally undermines an affectionate portrait of a phantasmic cat and its observations.
August 14, 2023
Such an enjoyable and readable book and you don't need to love cats to enjoy it!
Grimalkin is a vivid character who is a memorable guide through the history of his flat and through time. There is also an emotional thread that runs through this book which adds extra depth and an added dimension which I thought worked very well. This is a beautifully written book with well drawn characters and a great eye for period detail. Buy it and enjoy it, you will find it hard to put down.
Grimalkin is a vivid character who is a memorable guide through the history of his flat and through time. There is also an emotional thread that runs through this book which adds extra depth and an added dimension which I thought worked very well. This is a beautifully written book with well drawn characters and a great eye for period detail. Buy it and enjoy it, you will find it hard to put down.
November 1, 2024
Liked the concept, didn’t love the execution but it was a fun easy cute read
December 27, 2024
Not my cup of tea unfortunately. Quite dull, plodding and full of cliché.
August 24, 2024
The Ghost Cat is an enchanting, mesmerizing read about a special cat who has died and must throughout the years still earn its nine lives. With humor, sadness and irritation, his progression goes from the early 1900's into the 2000's. During this time, we watch this innocent cat learn about the changes, sometimes drastically which have occurred. All he really wants is the simplicity of what he lost, but unfortunately his journey only leads him into turmoil.
In 1902 Grimalkin, who resides at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh, the pet cat of a woman named Elidh whom he loves deeply, falls asleep for the last time after being petted by his owner.
When he awakens, he discovers he is not really dead yet. He is told since he has never lived the nine lives of a cat but was just loved and taken care of and sheltered from harm, he must travel as a ghost and earn those lives before heading off into the afterlife.
Thus, begins Grimalkin's magical journey through the changes in time and years, his home, his beloved, as well as the incredible (but sometimes unlikable) developments in technology, human behavior and life. To say Grimalkin lives those lives to the fullest would be an understatement. He tortures himself (and others) with his unhappiness of what at times he sees. But he somehow is always learning.
Finally, and only then is he allowed to cross over to where he belongs. His final resting place. Come along with this wonderful ghost cat and witness through the eyes of a feline what life is like and what it has become. What is experienced, what he has loved and lost will be a lesson for all who sometimes take the smallest things for granted.
The Ghost Cat was a marvelous journey.
Thank you #NetGalley #HarperCollins/Harlequin/Alex Howard #TheGhostCat for the advanced copy.
In 1902 Grimalkin, who resides at 7/7 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh, the pet cat of a woman named Elidh whom he loves deeply, falls asleep for the last time after being petted by his owner.
When he awakens, he discovers he is not really dead yet. He is told since he has never lived the nine lives of a cat but was just loved and taken care of and sheltered from harm, he must travel as a ghost and earn those lives before heading off into the afterlife.
Thus, begins Grimalkin's magical journey through the changes in time and years, his home, his beloved, as well as the incredible (but sometimes unlikable) developments in technology, human behavior and life. To say Grimalkin lives those lives to the fullest would be an understatement. He tortures himself (and others) with his unhappiness of what at times he sees. But he somehow is always learning.
Finally, and only then is he allowed to cross over to where he belongs. His final resting place. Come along with this wonderful ghost cat and witness through the eyes of a feline what life is like and what it has become. What is experienced, what he has loved and lost will be a lesson for all who sometimes take the smallest things for granted.
The Ghost Cat was a marvelous journey.
Thank you #NetGalley #HarperCollins/Harlequin/Alex Howard #TheGhostCat for the advanced copy.
April 16, 2025
Completely charming and not at all cheesy! I loved it!
August 14, 2024
Finished reading: August 13th 2024
"He was suddenly struck with the sense that this whole business of time travel might turn out to be rather more taxing on his brain than he'd initially thought."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Hanover Square Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
REVIEW
April 7, 2025
book club book! not my absolute fav thing i’ve ever read but very cute , i love cats and it was funny to see the cats pov
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