The Travelling Cat Chronicles Kindle Edition

Author Hiro Arikawa captures the depths of a bond that can be formed between a human and his pet, in this case between a young man named Satoru and his cat named Nana. Their relationship has a happenstance beginning, as the cat is a stray that uses Satoru's silver van as a refuge from the weather, sunning on top during the day and hiding underneath in rain. When Satoru notices the cat, he begins to leave food scraps out for him. This arrangement continues for a while, until the cat is hit by a car and suffers a broken leg. He crawls to Satoru's door and meows for his very life. After an indoor convalescent period, a decision must be made. Satoru lives in an apartment that does not allow pets. Much of the story is told from the point of view of the cat, who thinks in and can understand human language, but cannot speak. His thoughts are humorous and quite sardonic, bringing many laugh-out-loud moments to this reader. Once the cat consents to be adopted, Satoru gives him the name of Nana because the shape of his tail resembles the Japanese word for the number sevenSatoru is a very kind person, but he has seen his share of sorrows. His parents were killed in a car wreck when he was in his teens, and he had to go live with an aunt who would not let him bring the previous cat he so dearly loved. That cat went to live with distant relatives and died before Satoru could visit him. Just when Nana and Satoru were settling in together, Satoru announced they must go on a trip and that he would be looking for a new owner for Nana. He didn't give a reason, but at this point fairly early in the book, the journeys began, as Satoru sought one home after another for his beloved feline friend. At each stop along the way, where Satoru would be visiting close friends from the many different schools he had attended, Nana would misbehave so that the potential owners would reject him. After several failed tries, Satoru heads to his aunt's house, where it is determined both man and cat shall live.Arikawa's descriptions of the magnificent journey through Japan are breath-taking. It made me want to see Mount Fuji in person. Nana enjoys the walks through magnificent flowers and fields, but is very scared of the ocean for its noise and irregular and powerful movements. Eventually the sad reason Satoru tried to give Nana away is revealed and some very poignant passages follow. It was a tearjerker for me, but a wonderful book. I'm an adult reader, but I can recommend this book for young adults because there is no bad language, the story flashes back to school days of Satoru and his friends, and kids love their pets.

The book is an amazing story of the love between a human and a feline. The friendships we make in our lives and the soft and caring human who all he did for his friends and feline was an act of love.

An easy read and ultimately heart warming. It’s a little child like but pure in a very Japanese sense. I am glad I read it.

A real tearjerker but with fun and laughs mixed in. Written so you believe it is being told by a cat. A feel good kind of story. I recommend it to cat lovers and people who enjoy a life story.

Satoru is 25 years old and finds a cat with a crooked tail and markings just like when he had when he was a boy. He loves it instantly and takes it home and names it Nana.Anyone who likes cats would enjoy this book, unless the sentimentality is too much for you. I enjoyed it very much, especially the side commentary of the cats thoughts which are often more sarcastic than his actions would suggest.Satoru has a good life with his cat, but then one day he comes, and tells Nana that he will have to find him a new home. We don’t really find out why but they pile into a silver van and go to see all of Satoru’s friend on a long trip. They see many wonderful things and have an excellent time.There’s more to the story and if you would like something, gentle and comforting this might be for you. I gave it five stars.

I wanted to like this novel. I really did. I mean, cats and everything. But I can only say that I feel lukewarm about the whole experience. This is a read that I thought would be about something else entirely.In the opening segments, a man named Saturo forms a bond with a cat (Nana) who Saturo has rescued from being hit by a car. Saturo eventually helps kitty recover and recuperate and the bond is firmly solidified. However, for reasons that are undiscovered until much later in the novel, Saturo is forced to try to give up and find a suitable owner who will take Nana and care for him. From here, we go from place to place, locale to locale, as Saturo tries to find Nana a place.As I hinted at earlier, this had all the makings of a book I would like, but it really felt like the book’s title is a massive misnomer since so much of the focus is on human interaction and the behind-the-scenes interactions and so little of it is really about the life of Nana.Also, the plot jumps around way too much and too randomly without any rhyme or reason, and so there is not much in the way of a deep focus on any one story or moment. It was too scattered, and it feels like it could have been a translation issue. (Also, it was odd how the narrative voice shifted from the sarcastic Nana to a third person narrator on a whim from segment to segment).The novel heads toward a slightly predictable path in the final parts and just overall has an overly sentimental, saccharine mood that is too heavy handed and obvious. The author lays this on way too thick. Because of this, there is not as much power in the key moments that should have been more of an emotional investment on the part of the reader, and, in general, things fall a little flat.In the end, I appreciate the kitty and the story of his owner and there is a little charm and thoughtfulness to how it is presented, but it just didn’t entirely work with all the behind-the-scenes family/ human drama.

Beautiful story full of life lessons, comforting philosophy, and the beauty in loving an animal - one of the greatest joys of human incarnation. I really cannot do the story justice, but it's a must read for anyone who has ever loved a cat.