The Cat Who Brought Down the House

Rating:
Summary: Qwill is back!
Review: "The Cat Who" books are a light mystery series, based on a town "400 miles north of everywhere" and all of its lovely, eccentric inhabitants. The action focuses around one James Qwilleran (Mr. Q to his friends and fans) and his two cats, Koko and Yum-Yum. In each book, an event occurs that draws Q into an investigation which usually involves some element of the town's locales and history. There's no ticking clock, no shooting guns, no sense of foreboding in these books. Each is a return to our beloved Mooseville and the people we now consider our own neighbors. This isn't a marvel of literary fiction- it's merely a comfy, quick read as part of an enjoyable series.

The general consensus among hardcore "The Cat Who" fans is that the *real* Jackson Braun stopped writing the series several years ago. There have been about four ghost writers since, and almost all have done a poor job of recreating Braun's characters and descriptions of Moose County. In the last book, the cats were relegated to mere household pets, and Qwill rambled around with no real point to his actions. Well, I'm thrilled to report that after several strange attempts at recreating Braun's magic, whoever wrote this book got it right!

The old Qwilleran is back- as are favorite locales and neighbors. "The Cat Who Brought Down the House" revolves around a zany new arrival to Moose County, and some of the troubles that her move to Pleasant Street brings. Qwill is on the case, assisted by his two intuitive cats and several of his close friends.

Like I said above, the book isn't deep, it doesn't motivate you to get out a piece of paper and try and solve the crime. It's just a fun read, with a light mystery at its heart. I'm just happy to be able to give the book a good review and I am really hoping that the publisher keeps this writer on - I haven't felt so at home in years.

Happy reading!

Rating:
Summary: Very Dissapointing
Review: Having been a fan of Lillian Jackson Braun for as long as the "Cat Who" series have been out, I am disappointed with this latest book. The whole book seems to be about accumulating material for Qwilleran's Short and Long Tails. Koko and Yum Yum no longer play important roles and have been banished to acting like cats instead of the intelligent cat Koko used to be. I am beginning to wonder if someone other than Lillian Jackson Braun is writing these books. Please, more Koko, less Qwilleran and Polly.

Rating:
Summary: Pathetic
Review: I got this book thinking it was a mystery. The only mystery was how the author has gotten 25 books published! It seems like a Yuppie's dream come true - a detailed account of everything the protagonist eats in snooty restaurants.

Except for a few minimal attempts at hinting that something is amiss, there is no plot that I can find (another mystery!). The crimes are basically described and solved by someone else in the last forty pages of the book.

Don't waste your money!

Rating:
Summary: So bad it's sad!
Review: I have been a long time fan of "The Cat Who..." series, but since the last few, I have been getting my copies from the library because buying them seems a total waste. I really feel sorry for anyone who chose this book as their first experience of "TCW...". I really can't add much more than what other reviewers have said, except to say it's all true. Grammatical errors, check. Lack of suspense, check. Shoddy and inconsistent plot development, check. Suspicion that this book was ghostwritten, check. Moose County, once a beloved and rich tapestry of people and places, is now just a parody of itself. Qwilleran has become even more insufferable - some sort of Godfatheresque oddity who throws money at any and every occasion. Not only that, but the deference with which everyone treats him, practically kowtowing to his least whim is just getting creepy. Kudos to Koko for not "selling out" his dignity. Ok, that whole rant was probably not necessary - let me get to the point. Daddy Warbucks, er, I mean Qwilleran's character development (or lack thereof) and the bootlicking of the entire MC community is way out of balance. It's not credible, it's not pertinent to the plots, and worst of all, it's not entertaining. Au revoir, Koko and Yum Yum. I'll miss you, but not enough to return.

Rating:
Summary: Not a Personal Favorite
Review: I've been a fan of the Cat Who series for about twelve years now; I own quite a few of the earlier volumes, and have read every one of them, first to last. Recently, I've been rereading my copies--so I was particularly thrilled to spot _Cat Who Brought Down the House_ in my library, and I snatched it up with an enthusiasm that I might not have had if I'd been rereading the *later* books in the series and thus remembered their severe dip in quality. Unfortunately, this book served as quite the refresher course for my memory.

I realize that the focus of the series has changed somewhat over the years, and that I shouldn't expect a tight, suspenseful whodunnit; my quibble with the book thus isn't really its lack of a sound mystery. (As with other recent installments, the mystery plot is very, very secondary to scenes and anecdotes about life in Moose County.) What I have problems with is how *pointless* it all felt--not to mention how different Qwill and various other characters seemed from their old selves of even a few books ago, and how many of the characters in this book are relative newcomers to the series and in no way as engaging (IMHO) as the Old Guard. The plot meandered here and there, not so much hard to follow as hard to stay interested in; and Qwilleran himself seemed almost unrecognizable. Since when does he let everyone and their dog--literally!--into his home, when he once resented people wishing to come gawk? Why would he become the special chum of Thelma Thackeray and spend so much time with her? And speaking of which, why was it that in the beginning of the book no one seemed to know who Thelma was or whether she was even real, while in later chapters everyone Qwill talked to had something to say about her brother, her father, and her family history? That sort of continuity error seems sloppy.

And speaking of sloppiness, I question whether an editor even glanced at this novel. Twice I found quotation marks where they had no business being--such as in the middle of a dialogue sentence, as if the author had forgotten the character was already speaking. Qwill's name is even misspelled once! Meanwhile, there are a lot of little throwaway scenes that never amount to anything and aren't interesting enough to add character or flavor to the narrative (Burgess describing in detail the party that the kids on Pleasant Street will be having comes to mind); I found myself wondering in bemusement how this or that scene would later become relevant... and it never did. The book might have benefited from having an editor more inclined to use his or her pruning shears.

Finally, it's hard to imagine how this book contributes anything of lasting value to the series given how everything turns out. (I can't say much more without spoiling the ending, but anyone who's read it through should know what I mean.) I felt empty after reading it. Granted, 'empty' is a better way to feel than 'completely disgusted,' which is how I felt after _Cat Who Saw Stars_, but given that I used to put down a newly-finished Cat Who book with reluctance because I didn't want to leave Qwill's vivid, lovingly-crafted world, I can't help but be saddened by this development.

Now that I've said all that, is there anything *good* about this book? Well, yes... sort of. Maybe. It depends on what you're looking for. Do you just want something light and quick to read, with a couple of engaging characters and a lot of mentions of delicious-sounding foods? Then you might be fine with this. It's nice, it's light, it's fluffy, and there's nothing wrong with that--so long as you go into it knowing what to expect. Personally, I just can't recommend that anyone make this their first Cat Who novel (_Cat Who Could Read Backwards_ would be my recommendation there) or buy it in hardback. I'm not sure I'd even suggest buying it in paperback, at least not without trying to find it at your library first.

Rating:
Summary: Qwill's twenty-fifth appearance
Review: James Qwilleran, his romantic interest, librarian Polly Duncan, and his cats Koko and Yum Yum, as well as all the usual characters populating "north of everywhere" Moose County, make their appearance once more in this twenty-fifth book of Lilian Jackson Brown's lighthearted series. This is an ideal book to wile away some gray hours of late autumn.

Thelma Thackeray, a Moose County native, has returned after many years in spent in the Industry in Hollywood. She's the daughter of a "potato farmer"/bootlegger who made a fortune in those long-ago Prohibition years. Thelma is a lively octogenarian with plans for setting up a film club at the old Opera House. Thelma's twin brother, a beloved local veternarian, has died recently under mysterious circumstances. As usual, Koko and Yum Yum help Qwill uncover relevant details and solve a crime.

Jackson's deft, light touch brings all the eccentric characters of this community to life and provide her readers with frothy pleasure. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Ready to put it to rest
Review: Jim Qwilleran (Qwill to his friends) is a wealthy bachelor who writes a newspaper column for the local paper. He and his two cats, are stars of a long running series of very mild 'cozy' mysteries. This one, #25, beginnings with the announced pending return to Moose county (located 400 miles north of everywhere) of Thelma Thackeray who had spent the last 55 years in California. Qwill's initial reaction is a suspicion that this is an April Fool's prank but after a little invesitgation discovers it is not.

Thelma brings an interesting group with her when she arrives, a companion/assistant, a nephew, a group of parrots...a few mysteries. Was her twin brother's accidental death really so accidental? How can her very expensive Film Club do so well so quickly? How did someone manage to kidnap a group of very vocal parrots so quietly? Qwill and his cats manage to find all the answers despite the complications of some thefts, two murders and a local fund raiser.

For those who are fans of this series there are many bits of Moose County life, Polly, Qwill's lady friend, is beginning a new career, we learn more about Burgess Campbell and hear more from other old friends. If you are new to the series it would be better to begin with either THE CAT WHO READ BACKWARDS or THE CAT WHO PLAYED BRAHMS.

Rating:
Summary: Not a very good book
Review: THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE by Lilian Jackson Braun

I would like to preface this review by saying that anyone who has not read these books before should avoid reading THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE as their first book in the series. Published in 2003, this is the very last book in the series, and it's a big disappointment.

This was my introduction to Lilian Jackson Braun's famous cat series, known for being very cozy mysteries with more emphasis on the "cozy" than "mysteries". Jim Qwilleran is a very wealthy citizen of the small town of Pickax, "located 400 miles north of everywhere", and is owned by two Siamese cats Yum Yum and Koko.

The big news in this story is that a famous citizen of Pickax, Thelma Thackeray, who left town decades ago to make her living amongst the movie stars of Southern California, has returned to live out her remaining years. She has a nephew that still lives in Pickax, but he's not exactly her favorite person. Nevertheless, she had loved her dear departed brother and had come home to set things right.

While the town goes into a dither over the return of their famous Thelma, Qwilleran notices that Koko, his male Siamese, is acting strangely. He seems to be trying to tell his owner something, but Qwilleran can't quite make out what it is. It takes a while, but soon Qwilleran puts the clues together. There is trouble in town, and it's connected to Thelma and her nephew.

My overall feeling towards this book is very negative, although I ended with the book knowing I will try a few of the other books in the series. The book seemed to be written on a 1st grade level, and I was highly embarrassed to think this was supposed to be geared towards an adult reader. I felt cheated, and also thought that the author was simply churning out anything to please her publisher. There are also rumors of this book being ghostwritten, which would hardly surprise me. Based on the many negative reviews of this book, I am glad to know that I am not alone with my assessment. Frankly, this series has run its course. But that shouldn't deter anyone from reading the earlier books in the series. I am certainly going to be reading them, as I already own a few! Unfortunately, THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE will go down as one of my bottom 10 for 2003.

Rating:
Summary: Time to wrap it all up...
Review: When the editor misses two entire pages where the writing lapses completely into first person and then reverts back (and it was not within Qwill's journal entry) and with so many meaninless forays that seem to be gratuitous for sentimentality's sake, I hate to think of where this series is heading. IMHO, this series reached its peak with "The Cat Who Moved A Mountain" and "The Cat Who Wasn't There" and has seriously declined in plot and writing quality over the last four books or so. I was a major fan of Qwill and his world, but I have to say, sad as it is, that I just don't care much anymore. The fire has gone out and this book has helped douse those flames. I am not even finished with it yet...I have about 1/4 of it yet to go, but I already see where this is going. It's not quite as meaningless as the last book, but it is quite close. The substance in this story seems superficial, and I am going to have to fight to finish this off.

Rating:
Summary: An era has ended
Review: While I deeply respect Ms. Braun and have so greatly enjoyed the wonderful characters she brought to life in the Cat Who series, it now seems painfully obvious that she now has little if anything to do with the actual story developments in the newest entries in this series. And what is worse is that apparently no editors are available to clean up the writing, punctuation, and grammar in what is being published. Even when past plot lines were easily deciphered, the dialog among the many characters and the antics of Koko and Yum Yum were more than sufficient to make the read very enjoyable. Alas that is not true in this entry and the rapid attempt to close out the last chapter is the most disappointing of all. Perhaps it is time to allow the era of entertaining mysteries in Moose County to end and not drag the memory down with inferior editions.