Book Review: Solmon's Tale by Sheila Jeffries

Title : Solomon’s Tale
Author : Sheila Jeffries
Publication date : 21 November 2013
Publisher : Avon
Purchase eBook: Kindle 99p!
Purchase paper book: Amazon
Rating : 5 out of 5 LeeLee’s!

The story of a little cat who saved a family in crisis.

Solomon’s story began one stormy night…

Found on the doorstep in the middle of a thunderstorm, Solomon enters the King family as a tiny, wet ball of fur. But as his new owner Ellen coaxes him back to life, it becomes clear that he is no ordinary cat.

Wise beyond his years, this little black and white kitten becomes the family’s protector. As Ellen and her young son deal with abuse, homelessness, and the loss of everything they hold dear, it is Solomon who brings light to the darkest times.

Inspiring, moving and heartbreaking, ‘Solomon’s Tale’ is the story of an extraordinary cat who is the most faithful of friends. The perfect read for fans of ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’.

My Thoughts

Solomon’s Tale is a story about a cat, not just any old cat but a healing cat. He is sent by way of an angel to look after Ellen who was Solomon’s best friend many years ago when she was just a little girl herself, now she is a married woman with a child of her own and a whole heap of troubles!

To reach Ellen, Solomon, had to be reborn. He came out as what he described as being nothing but a sausage and unable to open his eyes for six weeks. The entire story is told from Solomon’s point of view, this is not what I was expecting at all but it is something I really enjoyed. After his weeks as a helpless sausage kitten he sets out on a mission to find Ellen using his psi sensor (built in cat sat-nav! Pretty cool, right?)

Once Solomon is reunited with Ellen he begins to see just how much he is needed,
the family are in debt and on the verge of losing their home. Ellen is stressed with looking after little John and the worry of having nowhere for her family to go if they lost their home.

Her husband Joe can be very bad tempered and drinks a lot. At first I saw him as a bad person but then I saw that the stress of them being in debt and losing their home was weighing on him, as the bread winner  providing for his family and failing must be hard. I think these troubles have also driven him to drink more, once the family move house his temper only becomes worse and you’re left wondering why Ellen is still sticking around to have more abuse hurled at her on a daily basis. This also had me wondering why she would put so much pressure on him by choosing to be a stay-at-home mother, why wasn’t she also attempting to save their family?
My opinion of Joe changed all together when he became worse regardless of their situation and Ellen had no real support system other than their lovely neighbour.

Following Solomon on his journey to help Ellen and her family along with their misbehaving crazy cat Jessica was quiet an emotional roller coaster and the way the story comes to a close is also very surprising. Jessica is Solomon’s true love and they are the cutest cat couple ever, that may sound odd but yes this book does have a romance side to it and its not Ellen and Joe, its the cats!

Verdict

When I received my copy of Solomon’s Tale in the post I literally did a little excited squeal like a 12 year old at Christmas, it’s about a cat! It’s shiny! It’s also a HB, everyone loves a hard back book, especially one with glitter on. It was like cats and Christmas rolled into one. So yes this book had scored a few brownie points from me before I had even turned the first page. I did spend a while admiring the cover and taking pictures of it for Instagram  before adding it to my pile of books for review.

Solomon’s Tale isn’t just a story about a cat, its about life, death, and everything in between. One of Sheila’s aims was for families to be able to read this story together and help explain situations such as the loss of a pet or loved one to children and I can see how this story would be brilliant at helping people explain this. The story itself is very emotional and on more than one occasion had me thinking of my cat Milly who came to me when I was six, Milly went to catnip heaven two years ago at the grand age of 17. This story has confirmed for me that Milly left to be with my mum and she’s being spoilt on kitekat as I type this! The spiritual side of the book with the angels and shining cats is so interesting and I think Sheila hit the nail on the head with this one, I couldn’t think of better ending!
Of course as a cat lover myself this may have influenced my opinions of this particular book and its theme but I don’t feel that you need to be a cat or animal lover to enjoy it. You need to be open minded but overall the story is suitable for everyone and I personally would recommend it to others.

If  you are a lover of cats like myself,  find a cosy spot and curl up with your kitty and a cup of tea!
Prepare to lose yourself in this heart-wrenching story of love, courage and strength.  You’ll laugh, cry and never look at cat in the same way again.