A Street Cat Named Bob

April 1, 2013
Bowen isn’t exaggerating; when he met a stray ginger tomcat (whom he named Bob after the creepy character on Twin Peaks), he was estranged from his family and recovering from heroin addiction, supporting himself as a street musician in London, and depending on the kindness of strangers. His chance encounter with Bob in 2007 changed everything. The injured animal attached himself to Bowen, and quickly proved more than just an emotional asset; in the competitive world of busking, passersby began donating more money after Bob took up position next to Bowen’s open guitar case. With Bob’s friendship bolstering his spirits, and after a warning from the police, Bowen shifts to real work, selling the charity magazine Big Issue and getting off methadone. Despite the grimmer passages in the book—a run-in with a vicious dog, tension with fellow Big Issue vendors that lead to serious consequences—the book is positive on the whole. Bob becomes an Internet celebrity via YouTube videos taken by passerby, and Bowen reconciles with his mother and returns home to Australia for a cathartic visit. Given Bowen’s inherent decency, he might well have turned things around even without his feline friend, but he convincingly makes the case that Bob was the cat-alyst. Agent: Mary Pachnos, Aitken Alexander Associates.

June 15, 2013
How a cat helped one man on the road to recovery from drugs. "I was a failed musician and recovering drug addict living a hand-to-mouth existence in sheltered accommodation," writes London street musician Bowen. "Taking responsibility for myself was hard enough." So when a mangy, unneutered tomcat with a festering sore on his leg hung around his apartment building several days in a row, it was with some trepidation that the author invited the cat, whom he named Bob, into his home. Little did Bowen know that this simple act of kindness would create such a bond between them. Earning his living as a street musician in London's Covent Garden, Bowen had to busk on a daily basis to survive. The added responsibility of an injured cat prompted the author to play more frequently and for longer hours; it was only when Bob came with him to Covent Garden that Bowen realized their relationship had deepened into a true friendship. The oddity of seeing a handsome ginger cat curled into a guitar case caused people to stop and chat, take pictures and give more generously than they had in the past. Bowen moved from being a street bum to someone people recognized and wanted to talk to, and Bob was given all sorts of handmade clothes, treats and toys. The author describes delightful moments spent with Bob as well as a harrowing instance when the cat streaked off into the city streets after being threatened by a dog. With confidence gained through his ability to earn money and to tend to Bob's needs, Bowen was finally able to kick his drug dependency and make amends with his estranged mother. A rich, moving story of the link between a street-wise cat and a man who earns his living on the streets--perfect for cat lovers.

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Starred review from April 15, 2013
Books abound on the subject of how a dog or a cat can rehabilitate a person's life, but this account of such an event is stellar. Only a heart of stone will not be movedeven to tearsin bearing witness to the love of a London street musician for the gorgeous ginger tomcat he found one day in his apartment building hallway. The cat, soon called Bob, was injured, so Bowen took him in but planned to nurse him only for a short while. After all, so Bowen's reasoning went, he had very little surplus money to feed another mouth, and Bob, a man of the streets, would undoubtedly soon tire of domesticity and one day run away to hit the streets again. But that never happened. Bowen was a recovering addict and was himself recently just off the streets, and he soon established an intensely simpatico relationship with Bob. He fixed Bob upand fixed Boband took him with him every day as he played guitar at the usual corner spots he'd claimed for himself. Bob became an instant attraction, and the result was increased income for Bowen as more money was tossed into his guitar case. This is a beautiful, never maudlin story of second chances for both man and beast and a poignant testimony to how much caring for someoneor some felinecan give you renewed direction when you're down and out. Understandably, this was a best-seller when first published in Great Britain.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

February 15, 2013

Yes, you'll love Bob the Cat, the way you loved Marley, Oogy, and Dewey. London street musician Bowen was barely scraping by when he found the very sick, marmalade-striped feline in the hallway of his apartment building and nursed him back to health. Bob stuck it out, bonding with Bowen, and their artlessly told story was a No. 1 London Times best seller. There's even a film version planned, so buy up.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2013

When recovering heroin addict and London street musician Bowen discovered an orange tomcat shivering in a dark hallway, he did what any animal lover would do. He took in the injured cat, nursed him back to health, and gave him a name--Bob. But what started as a kind gesture and a temporary arrangement became the seed of an unbreakable bond between human and feline. With stark honesty, Bowen tells the story of how Bob became his family, allowing the struggling busker to open his heart in ways he hadn't before. Bowen never expected to find his best friend--and, as it turns out, his salvation--in a street cat. VERDICT A heartwarming, insightful read about two lost souls who find each other, this book, a No. 1 London Times best seller, is not to be missed for fans of Lisa J. Edwards's A Dog Named Boo and Gwen Cooper's Homer's Odyssey. An inspiring story of healing, redemption, and, perhaps most important, the transformative powers of friendship. [See Prepub Alert, 1/25/13.]--Melissa Culbertson, Homewood, IL

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2013

When recovering heroin addict and London street musician Bowen discovered an orange tomcat shivering in a dark hallway, he did what any animal lover would do. He took in the injured cat, nursed him back to health, and gave him a name--Bob. But what started as a kind gesture and a temporary arrangement became the seed of an unbreakable bond between human and feline. With stark honesty, Bowen tells the story of how Bob became his family, allowing the struggling busker to open his heart in ways he hadn't before. Bowen never expected to find his best friend--and, as it turns out, his salvation--in a street cat. VERDICT A heartwarming, insightful read about two lost souls who find each other, this book, a No. 1 London Times best seller, is not to be missed for fans of Lisa J. Edwards's A Dog Named Boo and Gwen Cooper's Homer's Odyssey. An inspiring story of healing, redemption, and, perhaps most important, the transformative powers of friendship. [See Prepub Alert, 1/25/13.]--Melissa Culbertson, Homewood, IL

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.