It was with sadness that I heard that The Cat Who Smelled Smoke would not be coming out—it was supposed to have been published a year ago this month and I and a lot of other readers have been waiting for it. It’s funny with series books. You get interested in the characters and then you have to keep on reading the books to find out what’s been happening in their little corner of the world. They become like family and you’ll put up with a lot before you turn your back and say ‘enough, already.’
Quite a few of my friends gave up on this series long ago–many of them after reading The Cat Who Moved a Mountain. The Potato Mountains and the folks who lived there (Taters) were just too much. I usually give a series at least one farfetched, silly episode and then if things don’t get better, I consider abandoning it. Ms. Braun’s next few books improved and I kept reading even though other readers got sick of Qwilleran’s obsession with his moustache and his other peccadillos. Nothing any of the characters did made me want to slap them (admit it–this must have happened to you and you don’t need to spend your leisure, ‘escape’ time being aggravated–that’s what everyday life is for) until the last book, The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers.
Spoiler Alert
In this last book Polly left for Paris and told one of her friends to pack up her belongings and see to it that her cats got homes, Qwilleran’s barn burned down, but he didn’t seem terribly upset about it or the fact that Polly had abandoned him and Moose County. Yikes. Ms. Braun, or whoever wrote this book (there were rumors that she had become unable to finish her book and that someone else had been called in, rumors that she had actually died and someone else had written this book and was working on the next one) violated one of the cardinal rules of series writers–she was untrue to her characters and her story. I couldn’t imagine where she was going to go with this and I guess she came to the same conclusion. It’s too bad. I’ll miss everybody in Moose County. Maybe it is better to quit while you’re at the top of your game.
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I can’t believe the cat who series is over! Like everyone who loves the books i want to know what happens!I also heard rumors that Ms.Braun died and her husband was writing the books.It’s so sad,like losing a friend.
I have read the series several times and it takes me out of my many little problems that plague a person. I so wanted to get the final book and now I am so interested to find out what has happened to the author. I also would like to know about books which were rumored to have been written in the 1960’s by Braun. help me someone.
The books that were written in the 1960s were the first four in the series: “Could Read Backwards”, “Ate Danish Modern”, “Turned On and Off”, and “Saw Red”. The first three were published in the 60s and re-issued in the 80s, when “Saw Red” was published. Braun’s publisher at the time (Dutton) rejected “Saw Red” because the company had become more interested in publishing sex-and-violence novels than they were in publishing what they called “kitty cat stories”. After a career in journalism, Braun found a new publisher for “Saw Red” (Putnam), and the series continued.
It would have been nice if just one of the books had been made into a movie, perhaps by Disney.
I will miss all the antics of the cat(s). I will just have to be content with my three darlings as they take a daily walk with me and my little Shih Tzu, Cherry.
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[…] was fairly critical of this last book in a previous post (see Farewell to ‘The Cat Who…”) and I still stand by my opinion, but I think I better understand what was going on. I think that […]
Long before the last Cat Who book was written, the characters became one dimensional. We must pretend that everything is ok in Mooseville as I believe Lilian would have wanted it that way. I hope Polly stayed in Paris! Never figured out why they were really together! Quill was best suited to Celia Robinson. He needed a warm and funny person to liven him up! He could trust her! I will dearly miss the cats and the series but Ms. Braun couldn’t write forever. As bad as some of the books became, I still reread my collection every so often. The first six were the best. Glad she gave us this world for a little while. Prepare to crave food when you indulge in these stories! Thank you Lilian! They are all alive and well, till someone get’s murdered!!!
I still think someone re-did or finished the last book. It didn’t fit into the series at all and was totally different-and infuriating to me. I don’t feel any of her heart or soul was in it
I first started reading this series while having chemotherapy for Hodgkin disease. My only child said that I was too involved with the characters…. So I stopped reading these books. Not long after the Author died. At age, 66, I am back to reading this series of books and hope to finish reading them before my next round of chemo begins. I have survived three cancers so far.. and wonder if I can can survive these next two in 2024.
I miss my friend. I have all of her “the cat who”. I take them out in the winter months and reread them. Occasionally we emailed each other. I told her I wrote books and my friends read them. I didn’t ever have a desire to have them published. She encouraged me to keep writing. I got an email saying shad passed. I was very sad. I enjoyed her books and found them very entertaining. I buy her books at the thrift stores and give them to the nursing homes for others to read.