- Publisher: Kensington Books
- Publication Date: March 26, 2024
- Author: Helen Brown
- Genre: Biographies & Memoirs | Nonfiction (Adult) | Outdoors & Nature
- Page Count: 368
Blurb
The youngest daughter of an eccentric engineer and a musical theater fanatic, Helen Brown grew up in the New Zealand coastal town of New Plymouth in a crumbling castle overrun by nature, and overshadowed by nearby, beautiful Mount Taranaki. It’s 1966, the Pacific islands are being used for atomic bomb testing, and her parents and siblings are swept up in their own lives. Twelve years old, struggling in school, and facing eye surgery–for the second time–Helen feels lonely and lost. . . .
Until her father gives her a three-month-old, gray-and-brown tiger-striped tabby with extra toes on each paw. Noticing an M design on the cat’s forehead, Helen names her new companion Mickey. Inquisitive, rambunctious, clever, and skittish, Mickey disrupts the already quirky household with his mischief. But Helen finds love, joy–and herself–in learning what it means to care for a living creature who needs her as much as she needs him.
My Thoughts & Opinions
I’m such a sucker when it comes to books involving pets — cats and dogs especially. So when I was given the opportunity to read a book about a cat named Mickey, I was over the moon!
I was expecting a story similar to those pet books written by W. Bruce Cameron, Tatum Talks; Mica Stone or Marth Teacher. But Mickey was not even close to any of the books by the authors mentioned, which was a bit disappointing. Mickey was a very minimal cat story and more of the author’s journey growing up with a somewhat disfunctional mother and siblings.
I enjoyed the beginnings of the book. But after a while, it got a little tedious, especially when the focus turned to Helen’s mother, who I disliked from the get-go. Kudos to Helen for surviving all those years unscathed.
What I found puzzling was Helen’s eye surgeries. There appeared to be more than one and I didn’t quite get what prompted those surgeries (lazy eye?) A little more background information would have been nice since the book really didn’t focus on Mickey the cat, but on Helen’s life.
While I can’t say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book, Mickey was still a good read. Three stars.
I was invited to read a DRC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
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