Audiobook7 hours
Another Insane Devotion: On the Love of Cats and Persons
Written by Peter Trachtenberg
Narrated by Joe Geoffrey
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
3/5
()
About this audiobook
From “a genuine American Dostoevsky” (The Washington Post): a dazzling, funny, bittersweet exploration of the mysteries of relationship, both human and animal.
When his favorite cat Biscuit goes missing, Peter Trachtenberg sets out to find her. The journey takes him 700 miles and many years into his past-- into the history of his relationships with cats and the history of his relationship with his wife F., who may herself be on the verge of disappearing. What ensues is a work that recalls travel narratives from The Incredible Journey to W. G. Sebald's The Rings of Saturn. Trachtenberg ponders the mysteries of feline intelligence (why do cats score worse on some tests than pigeons?), the origins of their domestication, their terrible treatment during the Middle Ages. He also looks at the riddle of why any of us loves whom we love and all the unforeseen places to which that devotion leads us.
When his favorite cat Biscuit goes missing, Peter Trachtenberg sets out to find her. The journey takes him 700 miles and many years into his past-- into the history of his relationships with cats and the history of his relationship with his wife F., who may herself be on the verge of disappearing. What ensues is a work that recalls travel narratives from The Incredible Journey to W. G. Sebald's The Rings of Saturn. Trachtenberg ponders the mysteries of feline intelligence (why do cats score worse on some tests than pigeons?), the origins of their domestication, their terrible treatment during the Middle Ages. He also looks at the riddle of why any of us loves whom we love and all the unforeseen places to which that devotion leads us.
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Reviews for Another Insane Devotion
Rating: 3.0769230923076925 out of 5 stars
3/5
13 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Peter Trachtenberg is a very good writer. In his ANOTHER INSANE DEVOTION, every paragraph is beautiful. But it meanders.Trachtenberg writes in first person about, mostly, his cat Biscuit and his wife, F. He and F. have had and have more than one cat, and Trachtenberg TELLS us about more than one. And he tells us about more than cats.Here’s the structure of this book as I see it: Biscuit is missing. Trachtenberg is out of state and has left his cats in the care of an irresponsible pet sitter. In between paragraphs about this dilemma, Trachtenberg inserts paragraphs about his wife, his other cats, and, also, many other reminisces, reflections, and ruminations. It was too much for me. But I finished ANOTHER INSANE DEVOTION to learn the fate of Biscuit.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Not just about cats but they are central to the narrative and that's what I found most interesting in this engaging memoir. Devotees of feline companionship should much to enjoy here.