Catnip: A Love Story

by Michael Korda

From silly to sweet, 365 cat sketches by Michael Korda, drawn with love for his wife With the imagination of a writer and the eye of an artist, Michael Korda doodled on the backs of old manuscripts in his tackroom while his wife, Margaret, was out riding. They loved and acquired cats―a habit written about previously in their book,  Cat People ―and the few in residence at this time would serve as inspiration for the drawings. These are no ordinary cat illustrations, though. Korda’s cats read newspapers and books; go ice skating in the small country town where they live; comfort Margaret’s horse, Monty, after a stressful vet visit; sell fried mice at the Farmer’s Market, and undertake (on paper, at least) whatever fanciful endeavors their keeper conjures up.   The result is a collection of magical pieces, filled with joy, that represent a year in the life of a couple in love with one another, and certainly with their cats. b&w illustrations throughout

Genres: Nonfiction, Cats, Art, Memoir, Humor, Animals, Love

192 pages, Hardcover

Published February 6, 2018

About the author

is an English-born writer and novelist who was editor-in-Chief of Simon & Schuster in New York City.

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful, witty,poignant little book of drawings featuring the author's resident barn cats and horses tugs my heart yet. Micheal Korda sketched a drawing everyday for Margaret, his wife ,to help her bear up through daily cancer treatments.it reflects hope, courage,silliness, and most deeply, abiding love.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it and cried a the end. Margaret clearly loved her cats and Michael loved Margaret. The Summer and Winter drawings are my favorites. On the one hand, I wish the book were a little bigger to see the drawings better, and on the other, its cute size make it a perfect gift book.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a charming little book with a serious background...the humorous illustrations of the family cats on various adventures were doodled by the artist in hopes of raising the spirits of his wife, who had terminal cancer. It's not only the love story of the couple for their pets, but also the love and support of Korda for his spouse.

It is true, this couple lived a life that most of us will never experience. There are exotic trips, gourmet restaurants, and a stable of horses and their caretaking staff. This aspect may make some people reject the book on principle. However, there is much content here that is so universal to the human condition (death of a loved one; taking joy in animals and nature), that to me at least, this was the overriding theme of CATNIP.

[Sirah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael's beloved wife is nearing the end of her life, so to cheer her up, he begins doodling little caricatures of their cats. The illustrations touch her heart, and even after hear death, the cats offer candid peeks at Margaret's life.

On the one hand, this feels a lot like a rich man's vanity project as he processes the loss of his wife. On the other, you can't really fault him for loving her and wanting to make her happy. Is it great art? Well, did it make me feel something? The answer to the latter is yes, so I suppose the former must be too, although I certainly wouldn't hang it on my wall.

[Charty · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's hard to rate this - can you call it silly or cute? The off the cuff drawings Korda sent to his wife in her last year of life are silly, comical, charming and heart warming. They mostly feature his wife's cats, with cameos by wandering felines who happen by, as well as a couple of their horses. If you like cats and horses you'll likely be charmed by the little scenes. There is minimal text, mostly to provide context. The drawings are mostly black and white, done quickly with skill but not perfection. I enjoyed them, but I wish the book had been a larger size to better see the illustrations (and read the captions). The whole point of it all is the art, and yet there are often 3 drawings crammed on one page.

4 stars for the art and concept, 3 stars for the presentation.

[Christine Jeffords · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of cartoons drawn by Korda while his wife was undergoing treatment for brain cancer. Slightly anthropomorphizing the five cats then sharing their lives, he produced several hundred sketches of them throughout her final year, from "Cat Barbecue" (the cats grilling) to "Happy Birthday, Ruby" as the cat so named prepares to blow out the candles on her cake, with stops at the mall, the ski resort, voting, recovering from New Year's Eve indulgences, writing traffic tickets, and on and on. And one at the end that may break your heart--"The cats waving goodbye to Margaret" as she heads for the hospital for the last time. Says Korda, "...somehow they knew. If they could have waved goodbye or cried, they would have."

Given the quality of their reproduction, many of the cartoons are a bit difficult to make out; you should plan to read the book under a good strong light, perhaps with a magnifying glass at hand. But for anyone who has ever loved cats, or known someone who did, it is indeed "A Love Story."

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short book, filled mostly with cute cat illustrations drawn by Michael Korda. He created them for his late wife, who was undergoing treatment for brain cancer, in an attempt to cheer her up. While there were elements I couldn't really relate to (their caviar preferences, their horses, her modeling career, etc) there were some more heartfelt aspects I enjoyed. He lovingly describes each cat in detail, and its obvious he showed his love for his wife with these drawings. I felt like the book fell short, that it took the wrong approach by focusing on the drawings, when obviously the real story is about him and his wife. Maybe the grief was too new, maybe the publishers pushed it this way, who knows.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catnip is a very charming book about Michael Korda's love for his wife, and their love for their pet cats. Each cat has a little biography written through the eyes of Michael. For example, their cat Kit Kat is bossy, bound and determined to have her own way, and the type of cat who strolls around just to make sure things are in order.
After reading about George, Ruby, Tiz Whiz, Mr. McT, JFK, and Lucky, you cannot help but fall in love with them.
What struck my heart is that Micheal's illustrations were also created to cheer up his wife, who had a malignant brain tumor. A very delightful read.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the imagination of a writer and the eye of an artist, Michael Korda doodled on the backs of old manuscripts in his tackroom while his wife, Margaret, was out riding. They loved and acquired cats and the few in residence would serve as inspiration for the drawings. Korda’s cats read newspapers and books; go ice skating in the country town where they live; comfort Margaret’s horse, Monty, after a vet visit; sell fried mice at the Farmer’s Market, and undertake whatever endeavors their keeper conjures up. And this was all done to amuse his wife, who was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. A true tribute to love.

[Kai Hunter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was definitely not what I expected. This book is a collection of doodled cartoons that Michael Korda drew almost one per day for his wife Margaret for over the last year of her life. (Margaret Korda died from brain cancer in 2017.) The cartoons are of Margaret's cats with guest appearances from some of her horses and even some humans. There is no other name for this than a love story. It is so clear that Michael loved Margaret so very much. He really wasn't a cat person, but he learned. I'm so very glad I read this!

[George Ilsley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Even someone obsessed with cats will find this a slight volume. Sure the backstory is sad and moving, but the small format and poor quality reproductions make the cartoons hard to make out. A narrative with a few well chosen doodles would have proved much more engaging. For some reason this volume was rushed out and the result is meh. I'd rather wait for the grief to settle and learn more about Margaret.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant story with multiple charming love stories--not only between the author and his wife Margaret but between her and her beloved cats and horses--and one gets the distinct impression the author is more than fond of the four-legged family members too. Not going to set the world on fire but an enjoyable read with love and enjoyment of life's pleasures--Dunkin' Donuts, championship equestrianship, small-town life, and of course love having more weight than Margaret's death from cancer.

[Norma J. Engelberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

True love. When Michael Korda started drawing cats and horses to amuse his wife after she was diagnosed with brain cancer, he didn't know she was sending the drawings to friends. The cats and horses get into situations, enjoy the seasons and generally have good times. Many of the drawings depict the cats enjoying human pastimes but they keep their own feline personalities. My one complaint is that Korda's handwritten captions are difficult to read.

[Shaun Jex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming. Tender. Melancholy. Featuring a year's worth of drawings (one a day) that author Michael Korda made for his wife during her struggle with a malignant tumor that ultimately claimed her life, these little sketches and stories are a heartfelt expression of Korda's love for his wife and their mutual love of the felines that were their companions.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an interesting format with drawing and vignettes. It was a quick read. But overall, the topic was a bit muddled (perhaps purposely so) with the focus and arc of the story being this couple's cats, their history and how they fit into the "love story" of this couple's final year together.
I would recommend this book to cat lovers looking for a quick read as honestly this story was more about cats than anything else- a cat memoir perhaps.

[Ken French · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bittersweet collection of cat cartoons Korda drew for his wife during the last year of her life.

[Brittany T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be very sweet, especially because Gene doodles for me too <3

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable and touching tribute to cats, cat owners, and love. <3

[Rekki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute and somewhat sad little book

[Jodie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very moving story for the cartoons - nice to read.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bittersweet love story with cats. These cats loved Margaret and felt her loss. I laughed and cried.

[LillyBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a cute little collection of charming and often funny cartoons about cats. The author also writes some lovely descriptions of the cats' various personalities. What's not to like?

[Cait the Bookish Bansídhe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very bittersweet read. It's a beautiful tribute to Michael Korda's late wife, Margaret, with charming doodles of their cats and little anecdotes of their life together.

[Sue Mosher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sad but sweet, and lots of cute cat drawings.

[Kristin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute cartoons. Could have been a bit clearer for the reader.

[Pamela Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Brea Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

True love is real but rare. A sweet story with a bittersweet ending.

[Kim Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author doodled on old manuscripts in his tack room witty drawings for his wife Margaret. Catnip a love story was published and provided humor to his wife in her final year of life.

[Deborah Cleaves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving book of drawings and stories of love between a husband and wife during the wife’s last year of life.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book of the author's cartoon drawings of his cats. He drew one almost every day for his wife the last year of her life when she had brain cancer. A bitter sweet endearing book.