The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Title- The Travelling Cat Chronicles

Author- Hiro Arikawa

Translated from the Japanese by - Philip Gabriel

Genre- Fiction

The Travelling Cat Chronicles is a best seller and has also been made into a live action Japanese film. This was my first read for this year and I am glad I chose this one. I am a lover of travel and I carried this book along on my tour to the North-east. I cannot express how blissful it was to sit by the gurgling riverside and read this with the mountains behind me. This book brought a smile on my face at the very beginning when I was introduced to Nana the cat. It is amazing how the cat carries the story forward and tells us about his wonderful escapades with his master Satoru.

The book gives us a glimpse into the life of Satoru and his cat Nana and Satoru's childhood friends. It is a look at the travels and explorations of the master and his cat as they move from place to place and as they do that we the readers are delighted with the beauty of the places they visit and we are acquainted with the people they meet. The description of the places is such that we are literally transported there. The cat Nana tells us about his meeting with different animals and people in an interesting manner we feel it is the most normal thing a cat can do.

Though the book is written in simple language it gives us a deep insight about the life of Satoru and the other characters in the book. We meet his childhood friends and learn how their friendship developed. We learn about the bond he shares with them and his cats Nana and Hachi. The cat Nana also makes us delve deep into the thought processes of a cat. How Nana feels about Satoru's friends and family is revealed to us. The storyline is engaging and we cannot help feeling in love with the loyal Nana and we learn to appreciate Satoru's mission to find the right house for Nana.

'The Travelling Cat Chronicles' is a must read for lovers of animals and travel enthusiasts. It takes us on an interesting journey that explores people and places in a unique and simplistic manner. This is a story about loyalty , gratitude and friendship. This story about a stray cat who becomes family really tugs at your heartstrings. 

This is story that is full of heart. There are so many beautiful moments in it. I was surprised to see my tears flow as I neared the end of the book, the climax is an emotional one. It is not only the story but also the cover page of the book that catches your attention. As a reader we would expect the cat on the cover page to resemble Nana the cat in the story but it is an original brush painting entitled ' Man and the World' which is painted by Shuai Liu, a Chinese painter with cerebral palsy whose work is supported by Chilture.com, a studio of disabled artists. Learning about the artist of the cover page was another plus for me  about this book. 

I am glad this was my first read for this year. I too would like to learn to express my gratitude towards people I meet and those who touch my life and appreciate the good things life has to offer instead of focussing only on the the challenges I face. Life is really beautiful if we find the time to look at the beauty around us- the beauty in the places and the people around us. Waiting eagerly to watch the Japanese movie of the same name as the trailor looks really interesting. 

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