Caleb CarrMy Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me

I loved reading about the similarities between Masha the cat and the author. It was very wonderfully written and emotionally satisfying. It made me laugh and it made me cry. I highly recommend this book. Yes, I am a cat lover, but I have never read a story so beautifully written about a cats life and a human life and their love for each other.

I have only positive words for what I would call Mr. Carr’s autobiographical love story with his feline companion of 17 years, Masha, a Siberian Forest cat, and an incredibly moving story at that.Beautifully written, at times harrowing and heartbreaking, I was moved to tears during several junctures in the story of Mr. Carr’s life with Masha and was completely dissolved by the last page.Insightful, perceptive, enthralling, brilliantly engaging, riveting, and informative (I learned so much about cats that I didn’t know before, and about Mr. Carr’s life as well, past and present), it was quite the page-turner and impossible to put down.It is a wonderful, wonderful book and a true testament to two beautiful souls and their profound connection to one another… if you read only one book this year, please make it this one.

Beautifully written and insightful memoir of life with a remarkable sentient being. I sobbed at the end. A Lifelong Animal Lover and Companion

This is a beautifully written book about pain, love, and loss. You would think an angry little boy would be mean to animals. But, during the author’s physically and emotionally painful life (especially at the hands of what sounds like a sociopath) he dabbled with the things people usually reach for in times of pain, but ultimately the one source of comfort he always reached for was a paw. The path that took him to find a creature to share his life with was absolutely sweet and caring. And like most books about beloved animals, the ending will bring tears. (Warning: I don’t think this should be a spoiler alert though.) When animals pass, unlike humans, there aren’t any big arrangements to make, no large ceremonies, no family coming in, no large flower arrangements to order, but the pain is still there. And for the animals that you share almost their entire life with – the end comes quickly with a vet and a needle and a hole in the yard. The author said he wanted to make his magnificent cat a star by writing this book. I think it should go one step further and become a movie. There are so many movies about dogs, and this story would be a great way to represent the human bond with cats. The author has alluded that this book will be the last. Selfishly, I hope not. I have read a lot of what he has written – all the fiction, some of the non-fiction, and even the articles (the last one about tanks). He is the one author I have always learned interesting things from. Such as, with this book, being from the South, I’ve never heard of a fisher, and they sound freaky. And I learned a lot about cats. But this book is a little different in that I not only learned facts from it, but it made me want to be a better animal caretaker – pay attention to each little sound, each little movement and a bond can be established that will be unique and provide a total sense of trust. If this book is the end, I am sad. The buzz about the two additional Alienist books will probably live in What if… status. But I am happy for what I got. It was a lot. And this book gives us hope, that one day when we are sick and tired and ready to give up, a familiar little paw might reach out and pull us through to play again, snuggle, and rest, finally, in peace.

This was such beautiful book about the relationship between the author and the cat he rescued…or maybe it’s about the cat that rescued the author. This powerful book gave me all the feels that are usually included in a story about a loved animal that played such a huge role in a person’s life.

This is an amazing story of the author and his connection to his cat, as well as what had happened to him as a child, including how earlier cats had been so important to him. Anyone who loves animals, especially cats, will deeply appreciate this story, and will be able to relate. It is beautifully written!

It's the rare book that I want to read first thing in the morning AND that I don't want to end. This is one of those books. For true bibliophiles, it satisfies the hunger for superb writing and wide-ranging thinking. At the same time, it is allergic to platitudes and weaves in some awful truths about human beings and the saving grace animals can provide, particularly for children. The author's ideas about cats' ability to understand humans sometimes strain belief, but I'm willing to entertain the possibilities because the thinking in this book is otherwise so satisfying. I am recommending it to all of my friends who read--a wide-ranging bunch of folks who I trust will appreciate the author's sensibility as much as I do.

You cannot read this book without falling in love with the remarkable Masha, but also falling in love with the other cats that had previously befriended the author. This is a truly beautiful accounting of the extremely loving and devoted companionship between a very empathetic human and his bigger-than-life little soul mate. It's a touching story of their (relatively speaking) long life together.