Dewey by Vicki Myron

Title: Dewey - The Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
Author: Vicki Myron
Series: Stand alone book
Source: Bought
Format: Paperback
Pages: 277 pages
Genre: Memoir
Overall Rating:

Synopsis (from the book cover):
He was an abandoned kitten - frostbitten, starving, shivering. And about to become world famous. Dewey Readmore Books was only a few weeks old when he was stuffed into the Spencer Public Library's returned book slot. He immediately won the heart of Library Director Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the lost of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and alcoholic husband. For the next nineteen years, this library cat never stopped charming the people of this Iowa town with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility (for a cat), and, above all, sixth sense about who needed him most. As his fame grew, Dewey became the mascot of a farming community fighting the greatest crisis in its long history - and a source of inspiration for people all over the world.
I am easily touched whenever I read or watch anything that feature stories about pets and how their presence make a difference in the lives of the owners. Such stories tend to be bittersweet and for sure, they never fail to make me shed a tear or two (or a bucket in the case of Marley & Me)at the end of the stories. Even though Dewey didn’t give me as huge impact as Marley & Me did – but still – as a cat lover, the pulling-at-my-heartstring-feeling was definitely there.

Dewey was not just a story about an extraordinary cat that lived his life in a library at small town Iowa. It also chronicled the history of Spencer and the hardship that this small town community had to face during the Great Depression, Recession and how they prevail till today. At the same time, the author also shared some very personal fragments of her life that I doubt many would be willingly share to anyone. This story is about love, about resilience, about hope and about getting up after suffering a severe fall. How did Dewey fit in all these categories, you might ask? He was there, pouring his unconditional love and was there to be a “silent friend” to everyone in that town.

What I found most interesting in Dewey was the way the author described the relationship that Dewey had with other people and how, in some ways, he helped them during their difficult times. His personality was charming and the way he accommodated himself for just about everyone was simply amazing. As the author mentioned in the book, “He had an amazing sense of who needed him”. The only complaint that I have is its lack of cohesiveness where it seemed hard to find a fluid connection from one chapter to another. Though, whatever the book lacked of, it surely made up in heart – I’ve no doubt about that. I really enjoyed it and I believe that anyone who loves cat would definitely fall in love with this book as well.

Favourite Quote:
...That's life. We all go through the tractor blades every now and then. We all get bruised, and we all get cut. Sometimes the blades cut deep. The lucky ones come through with few scratches, a little blood, but even that isn't the most important thing. The most important thing is having someone there to scoop you up, to hold you tight, and to tell you that everything is all right.

11 comments:

  1. Oh wow. What an awesome quote and what an adorable cover. Thanks for this review Shy.

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  2. Lovely review - I cried more than a few tears when I read it. I haven't read Marley & Me but sounds as though I'd like that too.

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  3. I love the cover and this sounds like such a cute book! Great review :)

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  4. I've got this in my TBR pile after my MIL lent it to me. I think it sounds like a sweet story but it's going to take some time before I get around to reading it

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  5. Wonderful review :) , I've heard of this but wasn't sure now I have added it to my TBR List :D Thanks for the review!

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  6. wow..this book was totally suit for me since i am a cat lover..it really melting my heart to see that adorable cover..

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  7. @Everyone: Thank you for visiting! I think that this is one of the book that everyone could relate to especially the part about dealing with hardship. Try it, and you'd know what I mean =) And definitely go for Marley & Me as well. One of the best book I've ever read in 2009!

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  8. The book sounds amazing. Yesterday I saw the translated version in the bookstore..I thought it looked great (same cover)..

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  9. Dewey sounds like such a sweet and special cat. I heard that there is a movie being made about this book with Meryl Streep as Vicki Myron. Nice review! I am hoping to read Marley and Me this year. I am more of a cat person and wish my library had a library cat.

    By the way, you have an award at my blog.

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  10. I have this one and Marley and Me in my TBR Mountain. I can hardly wait to read them both! Have a great weekend and thanks for the follow on my blog!

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  11. I have this on my shelf to read. I couldn't resist the cute face - he looks just like my cat Mickey who past away a few years back. I really enjoyed Marley & Me too, but now I'm looking forward to reading this one more after reading your review! :)

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