Silent Meow: An unwanted kitten and a man who is facing many challenges rescue each other

by Linda C. Marchman

In the early 1960s, a freak storm left a small Southern Maryland town reeling. Besides the property damage, the residents were mentally devastated, especially one man who had lost the person most precious to him. As he tried to cope with the new reality, he fell deeper into depression, almost unable to cope with the challenge of daily living. Eventually he finds comfort in a stray kitten and the two bond, essentially rescuing each other. He didn't want a cat living with him, but was "taken under her paw" and able to resume his life. The two were meant to be together until another tragedy occurred. As time passed, the cat assumed a "job" that no one would have thought possible. A mysterious object went missing and was discovered time and again in a strange place. Set in a by-gone era, in a simpler time, the message is as true today as it was years ago. Silent Meow is a heartwarming tale of the human-feline bond that many animal lovers will appreciate.

Genres: Animals

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 6, 2017

About the author

Linda C. Marchman has had a relationship with cats all her life. Beginning in elementary school she began rescuing stray and homeless cats, trying to find appropriate homes for them. She is a self-proclaimed “cat lady” and some may think of her as a “crazy cat lady” but that doesn’t faze her. Her love of felines has brought a number of them to spend their lives with her and her husband, Rex. Thanks to her patient demeanor, many ferals and strays have become beloved pets and contented house cats. She believes that all cats can be tamed somewhat so they can coexist with humans.
Linda has had a varied career, working as an assistant principal in an elementary school, a teacher at a community college, an assistant director of an arts council, an office worker in an investment firm and a church administrator. Fourteen years ago she started a business, “Social Butterflies” where she raises and sells live butterflies to people who release them at special occasions. She also designs unique jewelry made from expired butterfly wings and other natural materials.
Gone Astray is her first novel, one that she has been thinking of writing for many years. She currently lives in Charlottesville, Virginia with Rex and a houseful of cats.
https://www.facebook.com/GoneAstrayBy...

Reviews

[Jelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet but a little sad, a story about how life is uncertain and sometimes the cat chooses the human at exactly the right time. Pros: Very well written and edited for self-pub. Set in 1960s northern Virginia and rural Chesapeake Bay area of southern Maryland, the place is so well done. From the seasons, sounds and smells, food and lifestyle, every aspect is so genuine. The author is local and it shows. The depiction of cat behavior and cat life is also very well done as one would expect in a cat story. Cons: There are a lot of characters and it may seem like digression from the plot as entire chapters go into those backstories but is all woven together in the end. There are also a lot of traumatic events that occur; for me one or two would have been plenty for the entire book. Overall, I would recommend to cat lovers.

[Margie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really sweet story.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a sweet, peaceful book to read while curled up with your own cat. I liked the 60s setting, and how it takes place in the Maryland/DC/Alexandria area. Exactly my neck of the woods, which I don’t tend to see in fiction in general. It has some good themes about counting your blessings, not taking things for granted, and really cherishing your loved ones that you have right now. That life is precious and fragile, all life forms. And it also does a good job of showing things from different perspectives, man or woman, man or animal, child or adult. It would be wonderful and lovely if more people could emulate the same sort of energy this book does.

[Ann Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the subject matter. The writing style was a bit rudimentary