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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.” But the kitten nobody believed in quickly grew into a three-pound dynamo with a giant heart who eagerly made friends with every human who crossed his path. Homer scaled seven-foot bookcases with ease, 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 transformed Gwen’s life. And by the time she met the man she would marry, she realized that Homer had taught her the most valuable lesson of all: Love isn’t something you see with your eyes. ... Read more

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) This nonfiction account of the life of Homer the cat is truly heartwarming. Gwen Cooper's writing is superb; it's so warm and personal, I felt like I was reading a story written by a close friend. (For this reason, I'm inclined to refer to her simply as "Gwen" in the rest of my review!) So engaging is this book that I could not put it down and eagerly finished all 300 pages within 24 hours. There's action, adventure, laughter, tears, danger, romance, suspense -- all the "essential" elements of bestselling fiction, but this is not fiction: every part of it is true. That's what makes this story so captivating.

Spoiler-free plot summary: A Miami native in her mid-20s, Gwen adopts her third cat, Homer, a very young, blind kitten that no one wanted. From day one, Homer is a spunky, nimble, demonstrative, fearless little cat. The feats he accomplishes are nothing short of amazing. Gwen decides she wants a better life for herself and her cats than her nonprofit job can provide; she works tirelessly and is eventually able to move to New York. Everyone in her life who meets Homer loves him, and vice versa (with very few exceptions, which you will read about). Gwen ties her own story of love and self-discovery to the life lessons that Homer teaches her.

For those who are extremely sensitive to animal suffering (as I am), you don't need to worry about any abuse, graphic details, or death in this book. When it comes to Homer's blindness, Gwen dispassionately states only the facts that are essential to the story and to the reader's sense of Homer's personality and agility. However, you will probably need a tissue at a few points, as people's sheer kindness, love, and generosity towards Gwen, and particularly Homer, are powerfully touching (these are tears of joy and gratitude, not sadness or grief).

The chapter where Gwen is living in Manhattan's Financial District during 9/11 -- her apartment was on John Street (!) -- was an emotional one for me. With both the reader and Gwen herself acutely aware of the massive human suffering experienced that day, it's deeply moving to read her account of the unimaginable horrors she witnessed and her subsequent efforts to get back into Manhattan to reach her cats. They are her family. It's important to note, though, that this chapter is not sappy or self-pitying in the least. Gwen stays strongly focused -- a technique that some people take on after experiencing a catastrophic event for reasons of pure human survival -- on the logical steps to reach her cats.

The only part of this book I found tiresome was near the end, where Gwen takes 10 long pages to describe the personality of her love interest in exacting detail. This could have easily been condensed into 2-3 pages while still getting the point across. Although this part has nothing to do with Homer, it will probably appeal to readers who like some romance in their literature.

I loved this book! Although it was poignant at times (not necessarily a bad thing), I laughed often and was filled with immense joy while reading it. This is an uplifting, satisfying tale that any cat lover would enjoy.

HOMER'S ODYSSEY EXCELLENT READ
Well, if the truth be known, Homer IS a special cat. I laughed out loud through most of this heartwarming book. And I even shed a few tender tears. The book is hilarious and unlike one reviewer, I found nothing preachy about it at all. I was on the edge of my seat while reading of her efforts to get back to the apartment after the World Trade Center tragedy. If you liked "Marley and Me", and "Dewey The Library Cat", you will totally love this book and you will shed no sad tears. I had difficulty putting the book down. I have a 3-legged cat and I think she is special. But Homer surpasses everything. This blind cat can really see his way right into one's heart.

How Fearlessly Leaping into the Unknown Can Change Everything

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) Gwen Cooper writes with heart. And that's really all you need to know to dive into her tale of love and growth. For whether you love cats or not (and I do), Gwen's tale is a story that will reach into your heart and stretch your soul.

There's no doubt that Homer, Gwen's eyeless cat, is extraordinary. Life in the dark would have appeared to predestined him to a life lived in quiet corners, but such was not to be. He jumped from heights into the unknown, and, as he did, taught Gwen to act freely and fearlessly in the face of the unknown. How could a tiny, blind cat terrorize a burglar/rapist? And yet, he did. How could he understand human emotions and react to human commands? And yet, he did.

Homer's Odyssey is a tale of an extraordinary cat, but it is so much more than that. It is a tale of growth, of learning to see what's inside (and it's not always beautiful) rather than being blinded by the illusory outside. It is a tale of becoming truly human through contact with a non-human species. It is a tale of acting on "blind" faith, and profiting through those actions. It is a tale of learning to see through the eyes of love.

I have seldom read a book I found so touching and so meaningful. Especially in these turbulent times, you'll find strength through the odyssey of a tiny cat and his mistress.

Five stars!

Homer, Life Personified

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) Sometimes it takes a tiny, fragile little kitten to remind us that life is a series of infinite possibilities, and that making the most of what we have is not just an often repeated cliche, but something to live by! This is a great inspirational story about the little engine that could and did!

The book is an easy read, you could finish the 280 or so pages in a single day, if not in a single session if you like. However, it may be more fun if you read the book over a period of a few days instead. Because once you finish it, you will want to have more of Homer's adventures waiting for you! That way, by extending the reading over a few days, you will have more Homer in your life :)

Homer and the other two cats (Vashti and Scarlett) are the stars of the show, but running parallel and obviously intertwined is the story of adulthood of the author, Gwen Cooper.

This is a highly recommended book!

Heart-warming Story of an Amazing Cat!

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) People who own cats (or are owned by them) know that cats have personalities. Homer, the cat in this book, has the biggest and most wonderful personality and his presence lights up this touching and beautifully written book.

Homer begins the story as a two-week old abandoned kitten with a severe eye infection. To save his life a vet removes his eyes and tries to find him a home. No one wants him until Gwen Cooper sees in this little guy his unsinkable, adventurous, and brave soul. Thus begins the love story between cat and young woman. Homer is there, right next to her through job loss, moving, relocating, a burglar in her apartment, 9/11 happening blocks from her home, and, finally, love and happiness with the man who becomes her husband at the end of the book.

Through it all Homer charms and fascinates everyone who meets or even hears about him. It seems to me that his blindness is such an essential part of his personality making him braver, smarter and more playful than other cats.

I was so enchanted by this book, I couldn't put it down and reading it I thought of the wonderful cats I have had and wished they all had been, as great as they were, as wonderful as Homer.

I can't recommend this book enough. The story is fantastic, written by a writer with a real gift for storytelling, and the cat is marvelous.

Hurray for Homer!

A Gem of a Book
Gwen's Cooper's book chronicles the life experiences of her adopted blind cat, Homer, in such a way that reading her words is both heart-warming and soothing. Homer's tale is unique and inspirational. So is Gwen's, and as the story unfolds both their lives become intertwined in the narrative, and we see them both grow and develop together. For anyone who has a love of animals, especially cats, this book is for you. The prose is witty, and I found myself laughing out loud many times as Gwen's voice shines through with wonderful humor. This is a great read, upbeat and enriching, that will leave you smiling and wanting more when the last page is turned. This one's a home run. Read it, and you'll love life a little more, and hold your own critters a little closer.

John R. Bruning

Love and Adventure, with Cats
There are a lot of stories about animals, both fact and fiction, and their immense popularity is consistent: they are mostly heartwarming and sentimental, and remind us of what our "best selves" can accomplish. Gwen Cooper's story, of the 12 year journey shared with Homer, an abandoned kitten rendered blind by life-saving surgery, stands out, for approach and style. Cooper is a born storyteller with a deep appreciation for the whole history of storytelling and a keen sense of detail, so that Homer is named for the blind poet of the Odyssey, the great epic story of adventure and homecoming, and passages from that epic introduce each chapter. And Homer's tale is vividly, broadly referential: he is also Daredevil, the blind Marvel superhero and the Man Without Fear. The pathos of his situation quickly gives way to consistent emphasis on his strengths: his courage (he foils a burglar, and leaps tall bookcases in a single bound), his keen senses (he detects tuna and turkey even from great distances, and through firm packaging), his consistent friendliness and "good attitude" (most people would envy Homer's ability to make friends and influence people), and his consistent fierce devotion to Gwen. And yet the story is really as much Gwen's odyssey, and this is a witty, strikingly observant tale of becoming an adult at the turn of the 21st century; as the old certainty about rites of passage breaks down, and education doesn't guarantee a job for life, and numerous failed relationships precede finding the right one, maybe being an adult doesn't mean finding a job or buying a house or getting married and having children but more, as Gwen concludes, taking on responsibility for someone other than yourself. The story follows Gwen, Homer, and the two cats she already had, Scarlett and Vashti, from Miami on a "leap of faith" excursion to New York to look for work; in fact, this story shatters so many of the cliches about single ladies who have multiple cats (though its author does express her fears about becoming those cliches): Gwen Cooper is outgoing, ambitious, well connected to the world around her. She is unafraid to enlist a little help from her friends (even to transport three cats via air in the cabin); she is a generous, shrewd, smart "people person" as much as she is a "cat lady", and her dissection of the dating scene is something many readers will wish they'd read a long time ago. By the time she meets Laurence and eventually marries him, you feel not so much that she's been swept off her feet as that she's found someone whose standards are hers. Years ago, I asked an advanced composition course if there were any universal qualities of "good writing": my students identified clarity and wit. Homer's Odyssey has both. The precision of detail brings everything to vivid life: cats and people, all are real. You're right there with them, on the Pussy Galore Tour through frustratingly designed highways and airport terminals. You follow Gwen through the ashen streets of Manhattan after 9/11, and hear both the silence and the sound of a thousand fire truck sirens. And at the very beginning, as impossibly tiny Homer puts his paws between the cables of Gwen's sweater, you realize that each has imprinted on the other, that the journey is beginning, and by the end, you realize it is ongoing, that there are still adventures to be pursued.

A soul-touching memoir
Some books about animals warm your heart. Others touch your soul. Homer's Odyssey, subtitled A Fearless Feline Tale, or How I Learned About Love and Life with a Blind Wondercat falls into the second category. This moving, inspirational and often funny story about a blind cat with a huge spirit and an endless capacity for love, joy and a determination to persevere no matter what the obstacles is a wonderful celebration of the bond between a cat and his human and the transformational power of loving an animal.

Homer's story begins when the stray kitten is brought to Miami veterinarian Dr. Patty Khuly (who wrote the foreword to the book), host of the popular veterinary blog Dolittler, at only three weeks of age. Homer loses both eyes to a severe eye infection, and while nobody would have faulted Dr. Khuly for euthanizing this kitten, she saw something in him that made her determined to save him. When Gwen gets a call from Dr. Khuly asking whether she would come take a look at this kitten, the last thing the author wants is another cat. She already has two, and she's worried about crossing the line into crazy cat lady territory by adopting another one. But she agrees to take a look - and falls in love.

Homer, the blind kitten who doesn't know he's blind, has a giant heart and an indomitable spirit. He quickly adapts to new situations and environments, and turns into a feline daredevil who scales tall bookcases in a single bound and catches flies by jumping five feet into the air. Eventually, Gwen and the three cats move from Miami to New York City (and the story of their move is an adventure that will have you on the edge of your seat with worry and concern for this family of four). Adjusting to city living in a cold climate takes some time, but once again, Homer's adaptable spirit triumphs. He even survives being trapped with his two feline companion for days after 9/11 in an apartment near the World Trade Center.

But it wasn't Homer's physical feats and his ability to adapt to physical limitations that ultimately transformed the author's life. Homer's unending capacity for love and joy, no matter what life's challenges may be, were a daily inspiration for Gwen, and ultimately taught her the most important lesson of all: Love isn't something you see with your eyes.

It's rare that a pet memoir is the kind of book you can't put down - but this one is. Thankfully, I knew at the outset that Home is alive and well, so unlike what happens with so many books in this genre, I didn't expect to cry while reading this book. Little did I know how the gut-wrenching account of the author's experience in the days following 9/11 would affect me. Gwen Cooper lived through every cat owners' nightmare - fearing for the safety and survival of her cats, and being unable to get to them for several days. The moving narrative and emotional impact of this chapter will leave few cat lovers unaffected.

Homer's Odyssey is a must-read, to quote from the book's cover, "for anybody who's ever fallen completely and hopelessly in love with a pet."

You Don't Need Eyes to See Love

Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?) I'm a sucker for pet stories, and Homer's Odyssey by Gwen Cooper promised to be no exception. Abandoned, homeless animal? Check. Incredible odds against the animal's survival? Check. Animal teaches owner the meaning of life? Check. This book has it all, and more than that, it takes all the classic elements of a pet story and ends not with sadness but with triumph.

When we first meet Homer, he is a 4-week old kitten whose eyes have been surgically removed because of infection. Gwen Cooper, a twenty-something party girl in Miami, already has two cats and doesn't want another one, but when she meets Homer, the two of them bond instantly, and Homer joins the household.

I laughed out loud several times when reading about Homer's antics. Cooper does a masterful job of telling the story of her world, always in the context of what it means to her three cats. While Homer is, of course, the focus of the book, we also meet his sisters, Vashti and Scarlett. I loved the way Cooper was able to get inside the cats' heads and describe things from their point of view, and I loved the way she showed each cat's unique personality. I also loved the way that through everything she did, she put the well being of her cats first-- from paying for two friends to fly to New York so each cat could be accompanied by a person in the main cabin of the airplane per airline regulations, to her struggles to reach her cats when they were trapped in her apartment, which was in the restricted zone around Ground Zero after 9/11.

This book is a testament, not just to Homer, but to the transformational power of love. If you've ever cared about an animal, you will love this book. And if you aren't an animal lover, this book might make you into one.

Fabulous
This is one of the greatest books I've read in a LOONNNGG time! The writing and story are marvelous and extremely touching. Everyone is sure to love it; a definite purchase for a holiday gift! ... Read more