Waiting for Gertrude: A Graveyard Gothic

Rating:
Summary: Part romance, part fantasy, and part satire
Review: Alice B. Tolkas was born in San Francisco. She eventually left the States to live with her love Gertrude Stein in Paris. Over twenty years after Gertrude died, Alice, who mourned her loss all that time, finally joins her beloved. Both are buried in the renowned Paris Pere-Lachaise Cemetery.

However, Alice fails to catch up to Gertrude wherever she is. Instead she learns why the cemetery seems to be a haven for stray cats when she is reincarnated as a feline. She soon realizes that other famous souls buried here have been reborn as cats, but alas none are her beloved Gertrude, the only person to light her fire. All she does is pass time, eats the food brought by Ondine the Spay queen, and avoids the sorcery of some of her spookier peers. For Alice is WAITING FOR GERTRUDE to join feline heaven.

Fans who appreciate a novel that is extremely weird but humorous and satirical will enjoy the odd WAITING FOR GERTRUDE. The two paragraphs above concentrate on the title player for review convenience (moi that is). However, there are several other subplots involving famous deceased that readers will be Wilde about lighting a funeral pyre and pitying poor Abelard, etc. The story line never takes itself seriously yet paints a strong message about positive relationships are important while long term quarrels, spats and everything ugly in life is a waste of time. Part romance, part fantasy, and part satire, the Monty Python crowd will be perfect for this insane look at the afterlife.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Part romance, part fantasy, and part satire
Review: Alice B. Tolkas was born in San Francisco. She eventually left the States to live with her love Gertrude Stein in Paris. Over twenty years after Gertrude died, Alice, who mourned her loss all that time, finally joins her beloved. Both are buried in the renowned Paris Pere-Lachaise Cemetery.

However, Alice fails to catch up to Gertrude wherever she is. Instead she learns why the cemetery seems to be a haven for stray cats when she is reincarnated as a feline. She soon realizes that other famous souls buried here have been reborn as cats, but alas none are her beloved Gertrude, the only person to light her fire. All she does is pass time, eats the food brought by Ondine the Spay queen, and avoids the sorcery of some of her spookier peers. For Alice is WAITING FOR GERTRUDE to join feline heaven.

Fans who appreciate a novel that is extremely weird but humorous and satirical will enjoy the odd WAITING FOR GERTRUDE. The two paragraphs above concentrate on the title player for review convenience (moi that is). However, there are several other subplots involving famous deceased that readers will be Wilde about lighting a funeral pyre and pitying poor Abelard, etc. The story line never takes itself seriously yet paints a strong message about positive relationships are important while long term quarrels, spats and everything ugly in life is a waste of time. Part romance, part fantasy, and part satire, the Monty Python crowd will be perfect for this insane look at the afterlife.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: An Intelllectual Fantasy
Review: I picked up this book after having visited the graveyards of Paris and falling in love with the artful serenity they exude.

At times witty, charming and even historical this little story takes a visit to a French graveyard into a whole other world. Famous people who reside in death at the Pere-Lachaise Cimetiere in Paris are finding theselves reincarnated into stray cats. Bill Richardson is loyal to the original historical figures and allows all their known eccentricities to remain alive within the cats. Alice B. Tolkas pines away for the return of her beloved Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison is a swaggering sexy tomcat, Fontaine describes the cats with great poetic harmonies, Oscar Wilde falls in love with Morrison, Isadora Duncan still dances in the moonlight with ribbons, Colette still exudes desire, Maria Callas is still quite the diva, Sarah Bernhardt the consummate actress, and Proust becomes a reculsive private eye, just to name a few.

I rated this book with only 3 stars because it is a bit complex to read. The style is chaotic, bouncing around from letter, to narration, to poetry and more letters. The writing is littered with uncommon words that leave you feeling ignorant if you don't take the time to look them up. The characters are complex, of course they should be, and halfway through the book I stopped to refresh my memory on who was who before continuing on. I recommend a quickie refresher course on interesting French figures before beginning to read this story only because it allows you to grasp all the subtle nuances as you go along. All in all a GREAT idea had it been toned down to the masses but a superb book for literary snobs and the French aficionado. My favorite conversation in the book is between Oscar Wilde and Alice B. Tolkas (as cats), "Never disparage a surface. Nothing recommends beauty more than superficiality. Real beauty walks through the world uncluttered and unmasked. It dosen't hide in the earth like a truffle, attendant on the tender mercies of a passing pig." Bravo, Bill Richardson for awakening the dead!!

Rating:
Summary: Doesn't capture the famously dead
Review: The basic idea of this book is so intriguing, but the characters, famous people reincarnated as cats, don't capture the essence or even general flavor of those people (Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, etc.). I bought this book because I love cats, I love Pere Lachaise, and I thought it was an interesting and unusual premise to base a book on. Alas, nice idea, good elements, poor execution. I'm disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: A wordsmiths delight
Review: This book is absolutely delicious! It is full of puns and hidden references. The exercise in devouring this little gem is worth every second. I didn't want it to end. It is a writers read as well as a readers read I recommend it to everyone who enjoys words. Don't waste another minute buy it! Doesn't hurt if you have spent time in Paris either.

Rating:
Summary: A wordsmiths delight
Review: This book is absolutely delicious! It is full of puns and hidden references. The exercise in devouring this little gem is worth every second. I didn't want it to end. It is a writers read as well as a readers read I recommend it to everyone who enjoys words. Don't waste another minute buy it! Doesn't hurt if you have spent time in Paris either.