Glorious Cats

by Helen Exley

Special occasion

96 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1995

Reviews

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I write reviews to reflect on my books and guide readers, I discover where authors are from so we know whom we are appreciating. I have enjoyed five 1990s treatises from the Helen Exley company and knew it must be named for a woman. It is: now age 80, Helen, a South African, still publishes heartfelt miniature books honouring nature and family. She is an editor and compiler rather than an authoress. Collating other peoples’ poems and paintings would not exercise creativity in me but they are sweet to look through. They are nice to read aloud, which I will always treasure doing for my Mom in a hospital.

Some portraits are sublime and some poems and quotes made me smile from their relatable tenderness and astuteness. One outing was on kissing but my other four highlighted cats and flowers, two life forms I care for passionately and seriously.

I loathe clichés, overdone and overblown jokes about felines or gardening that were never right at all. If a cat lover allows misconceptions to continue any longer, such as not adoring their people or being interested in nothing but food; they have my ire. There is far too much memorabilia on dogs to begin with. What a drag, to waste the cat features we do have on nonsense. Yet, I seldom see any kind of book that praises and understands these creatures honestly and completely.

All five times, I gave three stars to compliment nice scenes and poetry, balanced by the preponderance of much too commonly propagated stereotypes. However impressive or trite, I know a copying business must have permission. I recognize which writers and artists I like but overuse is a pattern. There must be many more writers and painters from whom to choose. “Glorious Cats” is from 1995.

[Sharla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful little book and would make a great gift for a cat loving person.

[Ashley Bowers · Rating 3 out of 5]

“But under the fur, whatever colour it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world’s free souls.” — Eric Gurney

This is simply a collection of feline portraits and quotes, and is therefore best enjoyed for its subject matter and easy reading. I found the soft art style warm and comforting.

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A small book which has sat on my shelf for years, this contains a cat related quotation and an illustration on each double page. In my opinion, not the best book of this type that I’ve read, but some of the pictures were nice.