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Cat Man
Fiddler, an intelligent young man, has joined the circus because he is broke. He becomes the Cat Man, keeper of the big cats, and his hands have the scars to prove it. The the panther, the jaguar, the cheetah, the tigers, the enormous lazy male lion named Joe, and Rita, the killer leopard, all become intriguing characters in their own right, brilliantly populating the novel along with their freakish human cohorts, who include the animal department head, the train crew, the seat department, the prop men, the winos, and the townies. Etched in exquisite detail, Cat Man is a crystalline portal into the bizarre and fascinating world beneath the big top.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1956
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About the author
Edward Hoagland
80 books54 followersEdward Hoagland (born December 21, 1932, in New York, New York) is an author best known for his nature and travel writing. His non-fiction has been widely praised by writers such as John Updike, who called him "the best essayist of my generation."
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 12, 2016
Edward Hoagland is a writer I've enjoyed, especially his essays. With that in mind, I couldn't wait to get into this novel about the circus, which was the first novel he wrote, in the 1950s. Hoagland was a 'cat man', an employee who took care of the big cats, including lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, and the dangerous jaguar.
I guess I'm not a circus person.
The circus comes across as a cruel world, leading me to cringe as I turned the pages. There isn't much description of the characters, mostly relying upon dialogue. The chapters are named after the circus stops, in the north-central section of the United States. Like that part of the country, the pages fill with small-town gloom, as the crews complete their work and jump on board their next train destination. Although the action takes place in the mid-20th Century, it feels more like the dust-strewn 1930s instead of the optimistic '50s.
A hard read for me. I still like Hoagland, but I'll stick with the essays.
Book Season = Autumn (dead-end)
I guess I'm not a circus person.
The circus comes across as a cruel world, leading me to cringe as I turned the pages. There isn't much description of the characters, mostly relying upon dialogue. The chapters are named after the circus stops, in the north-central section of the United States. Like that part of the country, the pages fill with small-town gloom, as the crews complete their work and jump on board their next train destination. Although the action takes place in the mid-20th Century, it feels more like the dust-strewn 1930s instead of the optimistic '50s.
A hard read for me. I still like Hoagland, but I'll stick with the essays.
Book Season = Autumn (dead-end)
Displaying 1 of 1 review