The Cat's Table by Michael OndaatjeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Michael Ondaatje's one of my favorite authors, so I was greatly looking forward to his latest book, "The Cat's Table." Unfortunately, it is not one my favorite books. His writing is still beautiful, poetic and magical, but some of what he attempted to do with this book - the narrator jumping back and forth in the narrative time between his 3-week boat journey to England, and his adult point of view looking back to events of that trip - did not work for me. There is a bit too much telling of what things meant, rather than allowing the beautifully wrought details to express themselves.
There is also a long passage that is a quote from one of the character's letters, and rather than giving the character her own voice, the letter sounds exactly the same as the rest of the narrative. One of my pet peeves in books - give characters distinction!
View all my reviews
