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1 Burnside Literature- A to Z

Waltzing the Cat

by

Waltzing the Cat Cover

 

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Relationships and extreme adventures collide with deadpan humor and female wisdom in Pam Houston's transcendent follow-up to her bestselling Cowboys Are My Weakness. Through eleven interlinked stories, we follow roving photographer Lucy O'Rourke as she survives a home life where her parents engage in rather peculiar feeding rites for the family cat in a "title story that deserves to be anthologized into eternity" (The Washington Post Book World), a near-drowning on a white water rafting trip, and a grand cayman attack in the Amazon. All the while her search for love continues with a string of rugged, exciting, and usually, it seems, inappropriate men. While it's not always easy for Lucy to find success in either the great outdoors or love, she rolls with the punches, never losing her sassy wit. When a surprise encounter with Carlos Castaneda at an airport boarding gate sets off a series of synchronistic events that lead Lucy to Hope, Colorado, and the life she has been searching for, we know that "Houston's triumph is that she has come to know the quieter adventures of the heart" (Arizona Republic).

Review:

"Fat with meaning...tastes oh so sinfully good." The Washington Post Book World

Review:

"Pam Houston's beautifully constructed sentences are peppered with observations that reveal us to ourselves in an unexpected, occasionally shocking light. And she writes with a sharp, subtle wit. Waltzing the Cat is a delight to read." Jon Krakauer

Review:

"Consider Waltzing the Cat an homage to the Equinox: equal dark, equal light; a book of truce. I love these fictions. I love Pam Houston. I love the inherent growth and confidence in this new work." Terry Tempest Williams

Review:

"Houston proceeds to dazzle you... [with] action stories — rough rivers and hang gliding come into play — and they are harrowing and fun to read." Arizona Republic

Review:

"Houston is a master of the deadpan sentence... this book is an impressive and creative marriage of two literary genres that couldn't be more at odds: the intimate self-exposure of traditionally female confessional writing with the laconic stoicism of the traditional male western." The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

Review:

"Waltzing the Cat is far from perfect, but Houston's vigorous voice and lively take on what it's like to be a woman both physically bold and hopelessly romantic are to be cherished nonetheless. After all, who says something's got to be perfect for you to love it?" Karen Karbo, The New York Times Book Review

Review:

"This is a vigorous, often lyrical rendition of a young woman's quiet but intense search for herself. It's an old story, but Houston twists the telling by sending the fearless but terrified Lucy on an untraditional path, one that is typically masculine — a journey set against the dramatically rugged and unpredictable landscapes of rivers, canyons, mountains, furious oceans and even Manhattan." Paige Williams, Salon.com

Review:

"Houston's stories are so full of useable wisdom that she makes it seem like that's the least we should expect from the books we buy....If you had fun laughing at the woman in Cowboys Are My Weakness who keeps entering the ring, falling in love again and again with the same man in different bodies, you are really going to enjoy the company of the woman who actually wins a few rounds." Susan Salter Reynolds, Los Angeles Times Book Review

Review:

"As beautifully written as one would expect, shot through with Houston's irresistible blend of tough lyricism and wry humour." Times (London)

Review:

"This book reflects Houston's strength: clean, insightful, and down-to-earth storytelling that brings the wilderness of our world onto intimate footing." Laura Rose, USA Today
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About the Author

Pam Houston's collection of short stories, Cowboys Are My Weakness, was the 1993 winner of the Western States Book Award, and now appears in eight languages. "How to Talk to a Hunter" was selected for Best American Short Stories (Richard Ford, guest editor). Houston is the editor of the anthology Women on Hunting, and has written the text for a book of photographs called Men Before Ten A.M. She has been a contributing editor to Elle and Ski, writes regularly for Condé Nast Sports for Women, and has been a guest on CBS-TV Sunday Morning, with "Postcards from Colorado." She lives at an altitude of 9,000 feet in southwestern Colorado.
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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Michelle, January 11, 2007 (view all comments by Michelle)
I'm going to spend the rest of my life looking for a house with hardwood floors. This is one of the top books I've ever read, and I want to invite Lucy to be a part of my life forever. Pam Houston is a master of writing stories that capture true emotion, humorous situations, and human weakness.
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780671026370
Author:
Houston, Pam
Publisher:
Washington Square Press
Location:
New York :
Subject:
Fiction
Subject:
Interpersonal Relations
Subject:
Short Stories (single author)
Subject:
Westerns
Subject:
Short stories, American
Subject:
Outdoor life
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Westerns - General
Subject:
General Fiction
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Copyright:
1999
Edition Description:
B102
Series Volume:
1
Publication Date:
September 1999
Binding:
TRADE PAPER
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
288
Dimensions:
8.25 x 5.31 in 8.82 oz
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Related Subjects

Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Westerns » General

Waltzing the Cat Used Trade Paper
0 stars - 0 reviews
$5.50 In Stock
Product details 288 pages Washington Square Press - English 9780671026370 Reviews:
"Review" by , "Fat with meaning...tastes oh so sinfully good."
"Review" by , "Pam Houston's beautifully constructed sentences are peppered with observations that reveal us to ourselves in an unexpected, occasionally shocking light. And she writes with a sharp, subtle wit. Waltzing the Cat is a delight to read."
"Review" by , "Consider Waltzing the Cat an homage to the Equinox: equal dark, equal light; a book of truce. I love these fictions. I love Pam Houston. I love the inherent growth and confidence in this new work."
"Review" by , "Houston proceeds to dazzle you... [with] action stories — rough rivers and hang gliding come into play — and they are harrowing and fun to read."
"Review" by , "Houston is a master of the deadpan sentence... this book is an impressive and creative marriage of two literary genres that couldn't be more at odds: the intimate self-exposure of traditionally female confessional writing with the laconic stoicism of the traditional male western."
"Review" by , "Waltzing the Cat is far from perfect, but Houston's vigorous voice and lively take on what it's like to be a woman both physically bold and hopelessly romantic are to be cherished nonetheless. After all, who says something's got to be perfect for you to love it?"
"Review" by , "This is a vigorous, often lyrical rendition of a young woman's quiet but intense search for herself. It's an old story, but Houston twists the telling by sending the fearless but terrified Lucy on an untraditional path, one that is typically masculine — a journey set against the dramatically rugged and unpredictable landscapes of rivers, canyons, mountains, furious oceans and even Manhattan."
"Review" by , "Houston's stories are so full of useable wisdom that she makes it seem like that's the least we should expect from the books we buy....If you had fun laughing at the woman in Cowboys Are My Weakness who keeps entering the ring, falling in love again and again with the same man in different bodies, you are really going to enjoy the company of the woman who actually wins a few rounds."
"Review" by , "As beautifully written as one would expect, shot through with Houston's irresistible blend of tough lyricism and wry humour."
"Review" by , "This book reflects Houston's strength: clean, insightful, and down-to-earth storytelling that brings the wilderness of our world onto intimate footing."
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