Let the Purring Begin: Sapphire's Tale - Sallie Cochren - ★★★★

AUTHOR: Sallie Cochren

GENRE: Animal Fiction

PUBLICATION DATE: August 3, 2024

RATING: 4 stars.

In a Nutshell: A sweet story from a rescue cat’s point of view. A bit slow and repetitive at the start, but once it gets going, it is an entertaining read. A heartwarming book for all pet lovers, especially for ailurophiles.

Plot Preview:

When a little cat called Ashley is abandoned by her owner in an unknown part of town, she realises that she can’t trust humans anymore and she has to learn to fend for herself. Frightened of the uncertain future, Ashley tackles each day one at a time, trying her best to survive. But just as she becomes resigned to her fate, another human named Summer takes her home and gives her a new name: Sapphire. Summer seems to be a kind woman, but Ashley/Sapphire knows that humans go back on their word. The situation changes yet again, when Sapphire learns that she is soon to have her own kittens. Can she trust Summer to take care of her babies, or will they be given away the way she once was?

The story comes to us in the cat’s first-person perspective.

While I am primarily a dog lover, cats come a close second on my favourite pets list. Through my grandparents and various other relatives, I have interacted with cats and dogs since my childhood. Reading this story through a cat’s perspective brought back some nice memories, and even some hilarious ones.

The start of the book was somewhat shaky for me. The narrative was a little slow, as the writing went more into telling mode than showing. Ashley’s thoughts felt somewhat repetitive, partly thanks to her circumstances that were also stuck in a rut of despair and survival. However, once Summer came into the picture and Ashley got rechristened as Sapphire, the adventure quotient of the story amped up amazingly.

I loved Sapphire’s character. She is an interesting combination of many contrasting qualities. She wants to be loved yet she needs her space. She is emotionally vulnerable yet she has no qualms about manipulating her owner’s vulnerability to get what she wants. Her sense of entitlement, especially when there are dogs around, is hilarious to read. I also loved the depiction of her parenting skills, and how she is open in her communication with her kittens. As Sapphire is a typical cat, we also get to read plenty of funny cat exploits. The scenes with the mouse and the lizard were especially rib-tickling! 😂

I didn’t expect Sapphire’s pregnancy reveal to come so early in the story, but there’s no denying that her kittens enhance the fun factor of this novel. Their arrival means that every page is an adventurous riot of antics and mishaps, just as life with a cat is.

The main humans in the story are also loveable, thought not all characters are goody-goody. Summer is an amazing cat mom, and it is clear that she has a lot of patience with her little feline charges, but she isn’t hesitant to scold them when they take advantage of her. I love this true-to-life depiction of a pet parent as books often focus only on the positives. While there is a potential romantic relationship in the offing, I appreciate how the author kept the focus on the cats and not on Summer’s personal life.

The ending was perfect, a subtle indicator of how life sometimes comes a full circle and how all that happens, happens for the best.

The book could have done somewhat better in finetuning the writing. There are some inconsistencies and contradictions in Sapphire’s knowledge. For instance, she knows the meaning of ‘stress’ and ‘conference’ but she doesn’t know what ‘address’ means. There is also a repetition in her manner of explaining her knowledge, saying “I know what is called because..." The initial few pages, when ‘Ashley’ is giving us her background’ feel a bit telling-intensive. These are relatively minor issues, and can be overlooked in the grand scheme of things as the book is quite enjoyable otherwise.

Sapphire’s story makes it evident that the person who penned it loves cats, and understands cats, and has cats! This is confirmed by the author’s note, which provided a touching backstory of how this book came to be and of her own rescued cat named Ebony.

All in all, this is a sweet book, with the cat’s first-person narrative, the variety of emotions, and the funny scenes making this a charming read.

Definitely recommend this indie offering to cat and animal lovers. It is not tagged as a children’s book, but the story is such that it will work for every reader aged 8+, no upper limit.

My thanks to author Sallie Cochren for providing me with a complimentary copy of “Let the Purring Begin: Sapphire’s Tale”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.