Book #3: Love Saves the Day by Gwen Cooper

When I heard that Homer the Blind Cat's mom, Gwen Cooper, was writing another book I was very excited. Homer's biography was a favorite of mine, so I knew I would love Gwen's new novel.

Love Saves the Day is a work of fiction, but the two cats in the book, Prudence and Honey, are based on Homer's real-life sisters, Scarlett and Vashti, both now at the Rainbow Bridge.

Prudence lives a happy life with Sarah, her Most Important Person, until one day, Sarah doesn't come home. Prudence then goes to live with Laura, Sarah's daughter, but is sad and confused about all of the changes. Laura is going through her own confusion and sadness. Through the hard times, Prudence and Laura start to bond.

Prudence is a very proper cat. She is dismayed when humans show bad manners toward her. She also doesn't understand when humans don't pick up on her very clear signals. Sarah was always polite and knew how things were supposed to be done. Laura and her husband Josh need training in these aspects. It's a task Prudence takes on, all while trying not to lose her Sarah-memories.

Love Saves the Day is very moving. All of the love between the characters is beautiful. You will most certainly need tissues. I cried a lot!

Harvey gives it two paws up.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Sarah and Laura have a very strained relationship. Chapter 13 finally explains the reason for this distance. I cried a lot during this chapter. It took me back to last February, watching our apartment building burn down. We, along with all of our neighbors, lost our home. One neighbor in particular was not allowed to go back in to get his cat.

It was almost as if Gwen had been there that night and fictionalized the scene. In the book, Sarah and Laura watch their apartment building get torn down while their upstairs neighbor begs to go back in for his cat. At one point, I was sure Gwen was trying to kill me. I sobbed trying to get through chapter 13. Gwen did a beautiful job describing a horrific moment in people's lives.





A Blind Kitty Won My Heart

I just finished "Homer's Odyssey: A Fearless Feline Tale, Or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wonder Cat" by Gwen Cooper. This selection was something I had been interested in reading and it happened to come up as one of the selections for a book club I participate in on Twitter, so it became my 19th read of the year.

The title pretty well describes the premise of the book. Ms. Cooper is (for most of the book) a single gal living with three cats. As she moves through life, the cats play a huge role for her. She is able to rely on them to boost her up and keep her moving when times are difficult. They are able to show her things about loving that she wasn't previously aware of. As she is caring for them, they are caring for her too.

There are tons of great anecdotes throughout the book, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed. However, the chapters that moved me the most were the two that centered on her experiences on September 11, 12, and 13, 2001. As I sat reading and crying through these chapters, I felt so connected to the author. I could understand her emotions and her fight to get through those days. It was heart-wrenching. It was also healing for my soul to know this woman existed in the world. A woman who would do anything possible to protect her pets.

Gwen Cooper, I think I love you!