'Well, don't let them see you. Really, Rosemary, you have no ingenuity.'A number of rather angry replies came into Rosemary's mind at this, but she remembered Napoleon and Charles the Second and swallowed the retorts that came to her lips.The king of the cats was stolen from his great inheritance by a vain and greedy witch. Enslaved to her petty treacheries great and small until he is freed at long last by the fulfillment of a prophecy. I loved the simplicity of their magic. The foretold three queens are three Queen Victoria farthings. It's quirky enough to impress anyone who desperately wants something good to happen but isn't greedy. Rosemary was a cool little kid in that way. She would have been good to hang out with when you didn't know what to do. I always dreaded other kids coming over and invariably put out when my ideas weren't to their taste. You wouldn't have to entertain her because she'd see the possibility in the thing. She takes to Carbonel's plight of freedom to return to his rightful place in that way. I loved reading about how she (and her new friend, John) go about discovering the right steps and tools to get the job done . Going to the market and hunting down who bought the witch's hat. Inventing clumsy and charming verse for the tattered twig broom. It's increasingly sadder when she knows the specialness is coming to an end. Maybe going to school and plain old stuff isn't that great. It's elusive, staying happy. It's damn hard work. Rosemary has those moments I know too well of a lucky good mood disappearing (and you get mad at yourself for letting it happen) when some bitchy girls remind you of how tedious it can be. It's going to be sad when John goes home, when school is back on and most of all when they aren't working for something that matters like setting Carbonel free. I liked that wistful feeling of it being over before it was all over. I liked best of all that acknowledging that kind of feeling was a way of feeling more alive about the good thing while it was happening. It wouldn't be fair to the cat who takes his place very seriously, either. The sky tops of London become star scrapers of if you look the right way, the side of your eye when a tree branch is sinister and a cloud more than. A kingdom of alley cats. I must say that I appreciated the hearth rug cats weren't turned away by noses in the air. It made me happy that the creature comforted beasties got some respect, anyway. They've got to find their own friends amongst themselves and two legged animals. The only thing I have a tough time in believing is that more cats aren't kings or queens. In their own minds, at least. Only ONE cat will fight Carbonel for his kingdom upon his return? Only one cat wouldn't take that bullshit of paying taxes to the fat ginger cat who did fancy feast himself the king of the forest of smoke stacks. The real world that existed within the every day world of going to work and post office, etc. People with noses to grindstones below. I feel sometimes like I slip out of worlds when in my head thinking about what I want to think about, and when I'm amongst coworkers babbling about their 401ks and divorce settlements of famous athletes. Anyway, turning the real = useful turned another way is great. The cat world slips into doing cat things. What do they do when they aren't doing useful cat things like keeping their coats clean, procreating and eating? Something wild, probably. I can't picture Carbonel wild, though. He's one of those cats you wonder what do they get up to....I loved that Rosemary's hardworking mother wasn't overlooked. It made me quite upset at first when Rosemary asks her to do some emergency seamstress working for the theatre troupe (they wouldn't get the important witch's hat for the freedom spell without it). Oh no, her one real day off! She admits that she was disappointed to lose that. I loved that. I can see that she was probably a lot like Rosemary when she was young. Her daughter would be trying to live the lost longed for treat in her mind before having to give it up to do the right thing. But it all works out because she gets to have the rare job that you like doing. Wardrobe mistress for the theatre company. Anyway, I thought it was great this relationship between mother and daughter. They really did have a cozy life despite being poor. Sleigh (and reminded me a lot of C.S. Lewis in this way) goes "Oh, you know what it's like" sometimes in lieu of describing the fancy fair foods or dinners. It's a tradition between them for mother to tell daughter about how the other half live. I kind of wished she would have kept in mind future generations who didn't know what it was all about. It's a sweet version of the urchin with their nose to the glass when Rosemary and Mrs. Brown do it. I have watched many travel videos for places I'll never be able to afford to visit. I get it. I liked reading about the cozy poor food that they do eat, anyway. When I was a kid I'd love to read that kind of stuff like Matilda finally getting to eat real butter on her toast (a fellow margarine consumer). It's all in the spirit of liking the street urchin window feeling. You don't get to be Carbonel and it feels good wishing you could be (like when it's time to go to work).The ending claims that the witch is a reformed dishwasher. Well, I know from the plot description of the second book (Carbonel and friends have three in all) that this isn't true. There are more ways to stick it to the cat who wouldn't break to her will. She probably works her sneaking kind of ill meaning mischief in the tea shop, too. I can see her requesting any day off that she knew a coworker had their heart set on. That would be the sort of thing the old woman would do.
This was a raving good time. I loved all of the characters, and it is consistently funny, well-written, and action packed. I love the way she phrases things, and I also love the way she writes dialog. Every character has a unique voice, and most have a funny way of saying things. I'm so glad this is only the first in a series of 3 novels, because I want to read more about Carbonel, Rosemarie and John.I realize I can't read all the NYRB Classics, so I've a mind to read all the NYRB Children's books instead, since there are considerably less of them. This was only my second in this series, hopefully I'll reach my goal one day!
Do You like book Carbonel: The King Of Cats (2004)?
Another book from the 'discard' pile - but one which has now gone straight back onto my shelves. I never read it as a child but I wish I had - this is a magical book in every sense of the word. I actually shed a tear right at the end (always the sign of a good read) but mostly the book is gently humorous, as we share the unexpected adventures of Rosemary and John, two ordinary children who find themselves doing extraordinary things. Sometimes things go wrong, sometimes they go right, and Rosemary and John deal with it all as any child would - they must be two of the most true-to-life characters in children's literature.This is one of the very best sorts of 'magic' books because all you have to do is go along with the possibility that there is such a thing as magic, and then everything else in the book is completely believable.This is a light, quick read for an adult, and an enjoyable one for a child, and a truly delightful book. The only downside is that now I need to track down the sequels. I'm supposed to be pruning the contents of my bookshelves, not adding to them ...
—Deborah
Carbonel, a witch's cat with the airs of a prince, is saved from a life of servitude by a young girl. The girl, Rosemary, continues to perform more favors for the cat when she enlists the help of John and the two of them endeavor to free Carbonel from his bonds once and for all.This is a pleasant and old-fashioned book that I quite enjoyed. The young heroes encounter very few problems in the story, but the nostalgic charm is what really makes the book worth reading. I'm not sure any kids today (yikes, I sound old) would like this book, but an old soul would probably find it quite endearing.
—Kristin
It's ok, we've seen it all before: Aristocratic cat, a curse, a prophecy, kids without dads on an adventure to get magic items before the clock runs out. In 1955 perhaps it was fresh. Decent quick read. I like that there is a strong female lead. The biggest problem with the book though is that the barely tolerable Carbonel is royalty by birth. He expect things done for him (though will occasionally help). There is a pervasive cloying and nostalgic sympathy toward monarchies. The king was gone and the lowly rabble took over the administration and everything went became terrible. They became authoritarian as if not having pure blood would not allow you to properly govern. It is too antiplebian for my taste.
—Morgan
