Homers Odyssey, Gwen Cooper
Homers Odyssey, Gwen Cooper
6 Rating(s)
List: $17.50 | Sale: $12.25
Club: $8.75

Homer's Odyssey
A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind WonderCat

Author: Gwen Cooper

Narrator: Renée Raudman

Unabridged: 9 hr 33 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/25/2009


Synopsis

Once in nine lives,
something extraordinary happens...

The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen’s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who’d been abandoned. It was love at first sight.

Everyone warned that Homer would always be an “underachiever,” never as playful or independent as other cats. But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo, a tiny daredevil with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease and leapt five feet into the air to catch flies in mid-buzz. He survived being trapped alone for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center, and even saved Gwen’s life when he chased off an intruder who broke into their home in the middle of the night.

But it was Homer’s unswerving loyalty, his infinite capacity for love, and his joy in the face of all obstacles that inspired Gwen daily and transformed her life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized Homer had taught her the most important lesson of all: Love isn’t something you see with your eyes.

Homer’s Odyssey is the once-in-a-lifetime story of an extraordinary cat and his human companion. It celebrates the refusal to accept limits—on love, ability, or hope against overwhelming odds. By turns jubilant and moving, it’s a memoir for anybody who’s ever fallen completely and helplessly in love with a pet.

About The Author

Gwen Cooper is the author of the novel Diary of a South Beach Party Girl. A Miami native, she spent five years working in nonprofit administration, marketing, and fundraising. She coordinated volunteer activities on behalf of organizations including Pet Rescue, the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind, the Miami Rescue Mission, and His House Children’s Home, and initiated Reading Pen Pals, an elementary school-based literacy program in Miami’s Little Haiti. Gwen currently lives in Manhattan with her husband, Laurence. She also lives with her three perfect cats–Scarlett, Vashti, and Homer--who aren’t impressed with any of it.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Barbara on June 15, 2024

Gwen Cooper with Homer At 24-years-old Gwen Cooper was already "mommy" to two cats, Vashti and Scarlett. So when a veterinarian friend asked Gwen to consider adopting a blind black two-week old kitten, Gwen was hesitant....this seemed like a lot to take on. But the sweet loving kittie immediately won......more

Goodreads review by Melissa (Semi-hiatus for Work) on March 07, 2023

Book club choice for March--memoir by Gwen Cooper I adored this story about Homer, the blind cat. So many life lessons. We can all do with a bit more of Homer's outlook on life--his bravery, his fearlessness, his curiosity. The chapter about 9/11 had me in tears, it brought back memories. I cannot eve......more

Goodreads review by Christine on November 17, 2020

Oh my! I love this book! Homer’s Odyssey is a memoir of sorts about a tiny black cat who loses both his eyes at 2 weeks old. The people who brought him to a kind veterinarian do not want him so she treats him the best she can and then reaches out to numerous people trying to find him a home. It look......more


Quotes

“Touching . . . one not to miss.”USA Today

“Homer's Odyssey will make you jump for joy!”—Rita Mae Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Cat of the Century

“A wonderful book for animal lovers.”—Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation

“Entertaining, heart-warming, and sometimes heart-wrenching. . . . Throughout, Homer entertains with his insatiable curiosity and joie de vivre . . . I couldn’t put the book down and I read half the passages aloud to my husband. I guarantee you’ll find the book as engaging as I did.”Catster

“This memoir about adopting a special-needs kitten teaches that sometimes in life, you have to take a blind leap.”People

“Cooper is a genial writer with both a sense of humor and a gift for conveying the inner essence of an animal. . . . The indefatigable feline should be an inspiration to us all.”The Christian Science Monitor

“A marvelous book! Moving, insightful and often hilarious, Homer’s Odyssey is about a blind cat with a spirit of epic proportions. Read and rejoice!”—Sy Montgomery, author of The Good Good Pig

“Delightful . . . this lovely human-feline memoir, following in the footsteps of Vicki Myron's best-selling Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, is sure to warm the hearts of all pet lovers.”Library Journal, starred review

“A wonderful story celebrating the profound bond that can form between feline and human, Homer’s Odyssey is an inspiring read, and a perfect holiday gift for any cat lovers on your list.”Feline Wellness

“A guaranteed hit with any cat lover.”Booklist

“Tender and affecting.”Publishers Weekly

“Gwen Cooper writes with humor, with wit, with candor and most of all with irresistible warmth for this astonishing little feline who will steal your heart.”—Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, New York Times bestselling author of The Nine Emotional Lives of Cats and When Elephants Weep

“An inspiring story of two souls, one human and one feline, who face significant obstacles on their quest for love. A charming and sometimes humorous tale of what everyday courage and perseverance can look like.”—Susan Richards, author of Chosen By a Horse and Chosen Forever

“Homer’s Odyssey will capture your heart and enrich your soul. Homer’s courageous spirit and triumphant optimism are an inspiration to all who share his story.”—Dr. Louise Murray, Director of Medicine, ASPCA Bergh Memorial Animal Hospital, and author of Vet Confidential

"Homer's Odyssey eloquently demonstrates that the bond between felines and their humans is requisite for our enlightenment.”—Jim Edgar, author of My Cat Hates You and Bad Cat