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Comments (53)

What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 53 items
Dec 08, 2018JohnHy rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Extraordinary writing, details, character development, and an ending that allows you to imagine how it should end. Like eating a rich dessert without the bloat.
Nov 14, 2018julia_sedai rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I read this for book club and it's another example of a book I probably wouldn't have read if I didn't have to. I quite liked it and no one else did. He's got a great writing style and it kept me captivated and also smiling at his…
Jun 19, 2018RogerDeBlanck rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Ondaatje’s powerful novel The Cat’s Table unfolds in concise, fascinating anecdotes and with multiple storylines that are woven seamlessly together to reveal self-discoveries, both past and present. The prose is vintage Ondaatje:…
Feb 14, 2018ArapahoeAnnaL rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Exuberant 11 year old boys on board a ship sailing from Sri Lanka to London in the 1950's. Beautifully written and completely absorbing!
Apr 26, 2017
I read this book because I'm leading a book club discussion. I selected it for the reputation of the author and was sorely disappointed. The story swung from the inconsequential to the preposterous. The narrator recounted facts he could…
Jul 05, 2016Aisling_1 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Always a fan of Canadian author Michael Ondaatje. "The Cat's Table" was my second favourite of Ondaatje's works after "In the Skin of a Lion". "The Cat's Table," like his other works, is a story of storytelling at its best.
Feb 12, 2015rodraglin rated this title 2 out of 5 stars
Three young boys bond on a on a three week sea journey that is taking them to new lives in England. What can happen in these confined quarters over a short period of time? Not much, actually, but Michael Ondaatje would have you believe…
Feb 11, 2014PatrickLongworth1969 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Didn't read much of it - perhaps I'll try again another time? A very interesting book.
Jun 09, 2013WVMLBookClubTitles rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
In the early 1950s, an eleven-year-old boy boards a huge liner bound for England. At mealtimes, he is placed at the lowly "Cat's Table" with an eccentric and unforgettable group of grownups and two other boys. The boys find themselves…
Apr 13, 2013valliereads rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Fascinating. Unlike anything else I've read.
Mar 28, 2013bkilfoy rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A fascinating collection of characters and truly delectable prose make this novel a delight. For those familiar with Ondaatje's works, this novel is a beautiful addition to his body of work. With a plot that fluxes in and out of the time…
Jan 18, 2013mombrarian rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A rich and captivating tale that demonstrates just why Ondaatje is one of our finest storytellers. Cat’s Table centers on a mystery that is somehow both intricate and simple in its unraveling. Beautifully told.
Dec 14, 2012sharon711 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
The story takes place mainly on a ocean liner traveling from Ceylon to Britain in the 1950s. Even the physical nature of the book conveyed the times, with its heavy paper feathered on the edges and its sepia photo on the cover The biggest…
Dec 14, 2012zipread rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
The Cat’s Table --- by Michael Ondatje --- What does it mean when one says “that is an interesting book?” Is that what one says when you must read a book for fifty pages and still the book does not compel you to read it further? I…
Nov 07, 2012howardpoole rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A very interesting account of the voyage of 3 friends with the people they meet on board. Sometimes a bit hard to follow, but a good journey non-the-less.
Oct 10, 2012jmikesmith rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This novel starts out as the narrator's tale of his ocean journey from his native Ceylon to England when he was 11 years old. He was sent abroad to join his mother, who'd left for England several years before. The narrator tells us how he…
Sep 27, 2012sharon711 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Boys of eleven in the 1950s were considered old enough to look after themselves. Often sent to boarding school at this age, they were expected to get along in the world. Finding himself alone on board a ship to England for 21 days after a…
Sep 25, 2012magic2101 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
The story was beautifully written with well-chosen words providing vivid images of the various events occurred.
jaelle
Sep 18, 2012
Recommended by the Maple Leaf Book Club - GVPL
Sep 16, 2012Liber_vermis rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
This hodgepodge of short vignettes failed the "50 page test" (I persevered to page 91 before finally giving up). The main character, Michael, took a traced map of the world on his voyage from Ceylon to England. Unfortunately the map was…
Aug 20, 2012dorotheam rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book. Started out slow but captivating by the end.
Aug 07, 2012ambic05 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very enjoyable read.
Jul 30, 2012Superman_Wu rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Took me awhile to get use to Ondaatje's evocative writing style. The book is a good read but it's not a book that you can read fast - you have to allow the words to mediate and sink in throughout the story. Not much dialogue and awfully…
Jul 20, 2012Liselara rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
Usually I find an interesting message in novels but this one was a struggle. Who sends an 11 year old kid on a 21 day voyage all by himself? All of a sudden, he sees his cousin on board? There were no characters that held my interest…
Jul 16, 2012okbookgirl rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Had to wait a while to get this book...but well worth the wait. One of Ondaatje's very best - written beautifully and believably from the viewpoint of a child. Evocative and enthralling.