Synopses & Reviews
Clare de Vries fulfills her dream of traveling the States when she decides to quit London with her ailing, beloved cat, Claudius, for a final fling (he wouldn't be allowed back into the UK without a six-month quarantine, so they decide to spend his final months on the road...)
It was a bumpy, unpredictable ride from the dubious glamours of Manhattan down to the Appalachians, from the Smoky Mountains to Nashville. Graceland led to New Orleans where Voodoo did more for Claudius's kidneys than the vet could. Claude (to his friends) enjoyed Cajun music, Texas rodeo and trekked the Grand Canyon, indulging in Kentucky Fried Chicken along the way (hell, his days were numbered--might as well make the best of them...) At last, the Pacific wind in his whiskers, Claude wrapped up his five-month sojourn with Clare on a boat outside San Francisco. The characters along the way were a startling crew, from brown bear to astronaut, from psychic to porn star. And, as crazy as the idea may have seemed to start with, and crazier still to have followed through, at the story's center lay something deep and real about our dreams and loyalties and about going away to find out who we really are.
Review
"[A] very enjoyable and unpredictable memoir...Anyone who has ever loved a cat will enjoy this engaging narrative." Booklist
Review
"The bond between the writer and her cat seems truly genuine, but do we really need to know all the details of de Vries's angst about her wardrobe, her lack of a boyfriend, and her self-indulgent lifestyle?" Library Journal
Review
"[H]onestly recounts the emotional toll that slowly losing a pet can take." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Journalist Clare de Vries fulfills her dream of traveling the United States when she decides to quit London with her ailing, beloved cat, Claudius, for a final fling.
Synopsis
Clare de Vries dreamed of chucking in her job and Thelma and Louise-ing it around the United States. Which is exactly what she did. Except that Louise was her nineteen-year-old chocolate-brown cat Claudius.
It was an unpredictable road trip. From celebrity pet hair stylists in New York to brown bears in the Appalachians, from astronauts in Nashville to Elvis's shag ceiling in Graceland to voodoo snakes in New Orleans, the unlikely couple just about kept the Guccis intact and even learnt to read a map. That was before riding with psychic cowboys in Texas, losing vital body parts in the Grand Canyon, gambling with hoods in Vegas and spilling drinks over film stars in Hollywood.
A cat trapped in a human body, Clare learned to let go of the past and of the future. A human trapped in a cat's body, Cladius learned to love Kentucky Fried Chicken and snore at speeds of 90mph.
This is a book about an intrepid young woman in pursuit of a dream and the insane love she feels for her remarkable cat. It is a bold and hilarious adventure guaranteed to enchant.
Synopsis
A woman and her cat set off on a bold and hilarious adventure across the USA.
Clare de Vries dreamed of quitting her job and Thelma and Louise-ing it across the United States. Then one day, she did. Except that Louise was her 19 year old Burmese cat Claudius.
An unpredictable road trip, and an unlikely travelogue, I and Claudius takes the reader from celebrity pet hair stylists in New York to brown bears in the Appalachians, from astronauts in Nashville to voodoo snakes in New Orleans to psychic cowboys in Texas. It is a hilarious book about an intrepid young woman in pursuit of a dream, and the quirky love she has for her cat.
About the Author
Clare de Vries worked as a journalist before she set off across the highways of America. She lives in London.