Requested a copy from the author to review.

3.5 stars for me on this one.

The read is comprised of several snap shots of the MC Jimmy's life. No sunshine and butterflies for Jimmy. I had a hard time finding anything to really like about Jimmy until the end and even then I just felt pity for him, but I had a greater understanding of what made him into the man he is. Elliot who is a partner of sorts for Jimmy is downright childish, crass, a bit bent (not in a good way) and completely manipulative to the point he actually enjoys the chaos he causes. I hated Elliot with a passion. I have to give Blake points in causing such a passionate response for a side character. The read is emotionally dark but managed to not be fundamentally angsty which was a pleasant surprise.

Looking for a light romance, go somewhere else.
Looking for a more real to life story where a man finds love only too late, this is the read for you.
( )

King of Cats: A Life in Five Novellas is a tough novel to review without giving away all the secrets that make it such a fascinating, challenging and engrossing trip through the world of rock `n' roll, a trip most of us can only dream about. What author Blake Fraina manages to do in 236 pages is to create a vivid world, to conjure up an almost fairytale mythology of a band on the rise. And then she does what any good writer would do: she shatters all of our fantasies, all our preconceptions about the rock and roll superstar we've just become smitten with, the impossibly beautiful star who, even though he's a bit of a bad boy, manages to make us weak in the knees. The author strips away all the intoxicating glamor and the pretty facades. Sometimes she does it gently. Sometime she just rips the band-aid off without any warning at all. But the tool that Fraina uses to do this is real life. She picks at her characters and shows you the real people behind the "stars." And then she even makes you question how real the "real" person is. As the publisher's summary states: What makes a person fascinating? Is it what they hide or what they reveal? It's a question that Fraina asks and then gives hints about, but she never quite answers it, waiting for the reader, ultimately, to make up their minds about the characters she has created.

Now, I have to say, this novel is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It can, at times, be a tough read. Let's just say that if you are looking for a typical romance -- boy-meets-boy, boy-gets-boy, boy-and-boy-move-to-California-to-get-married -- you will be sorely disappointed. If your tastes run more to the authentic version of life, perhaps something along the lines of messed-up-boy-meets-messed-up-boy, boy-gets-boy, boy-doesn't-want-boy-but-can't-break-away, then this may be the book for you. There is a strong sense of realism woven into this story and like real life, sometimes it just ain't pretty. For me, it was fascinating from beginning to end. ( )

What is probably the first impression left by this novel is the crafted but complex writing style and the lack of chronological order of the novellas. If you want to give it it’s 2002, 2001, 1995, 2003 and 1987; the two big step in the past allow the reader to know better Jim, who is the main character around which the other two men, Elliott and Adam, gravitate.

If you are thinking this is a ménages a trois, well, you are not completely wrong even if it doesn’t actually arrive to be such “formal” relationship. From what I could put together, Jim arrived from England to New York City in 1987, a shattered dream in the past (and actually “shattered” is a very right term from what happened) and the only valued possession for him, a 1959 Les Paul Sunburst. Sometime between 1987 and 2001, Jim first meets Adam, and they are together on a rock group The Mogs, and then he meets Elliott, a street hustler.

Where actually no one of the three men has a balanced self, and so I doubt any of the possible pairing could work, I have to say my favourite was Elliott, maybe since to me he was the more fragile of them. On a logical level, it’s clear the right pairing is Jim and Adam, but Elliott was so obviously in need of someone to love him that I really hoped Jim could overcome his fear of commitment to be able to give at least a sense of security, even if not real, to Elliott. Truth be told, some of the love scene between Jim and Adam are really good, I particularly liked the one in the bus, so where from one side I cheered for Elliott, on the other side I was aware that probably Adam was a better choice. Sometime I even had the feeling that, for how much a spoiled brat Adam is, he cared for Elliott. Now I’m not saying that Jim didn’t care for him, but as we will learn on the last novella, probably Jim had his own issue to overcome, and when Elliott needed him he was not yet ready.

The author itself warned me about this novel, telling me knowing I like happily ever after, I would probably not like this one. All right, this is for sure not an HEA, but if we read carefully between the line, and an almost last sentence “He never stopped blaming me”, to never stopping blaming someone you need to be together, right? And so this means that at least one of the couple managed to be together, and even if there were regrets between them, maybe sometime they were able to put them aside to enjoy the fact they were together. Yes, the romantic in me want at any price to find a possible positive ending to this story, even if, be ready, one of this man will suffer for the sins of all of them.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0595307566/?tag=elimyrevandra-20

What Fraina paints for us is a multi-faceted portrait of not only the enigmatic main character, but the other players are presented as credible likenesses of people as well, often on the same quest as the reader.

What better way to draw us into this quest than inviting us to an exhibition and showing us a painting; a self-portrait by arguably the most secretive artist of the 20th century, Balthus. Yes, and there is also a cat in the painting, which not only lends its title to the book but gives us an early clue in the first of five vignettes, that, not always in chronological order, one by one add ever more attributes to the overall portrait of Jimmy Lyons, a royally cool cat. Or is he?

In order to find out, you are invited to look at many images, painted in loving detail, up to the pattern on a cherished tea pot. Not talking about the almost analytical manner in which the characters are sketched most colorfully. The only thing I miss is a soundtrack, preferably by Jimmy & The Mogs, because I am left on the guessing side of what kind of music they play.

However, it is the love of detail that makes Fraina's portrait a fascinating and engaging read that starts at MOMA , heads out onto the streets of New York City, and into the world of the King of Cats. ( )

King of Cats: A Life in Five Novellas by Blake Fraina is the first book that I have received through LibraryThing's recently established Member Giveaway program--a compliment to their Early Reviewers program. LibraryThing members browse the current listing of available books and select which random drawings to enter. King of Cats caught my attention for several reasons. Probably foremost--copies were being offered by an author who actually uses and participates on LibraryThing. But what really interested me in the book were the musical and gay elements.

King of Cats is made up of five novellas, each connected somehow to Jimmy Lyons--aspiring rock guitarist and mostly closeted gay man, he is a British citizen illegally living in the United States. The first novella, "King of the Cats," takes place in the fall of 2002. Stylistically different from the following stories, it is also the least directly related to Jimmy, although his presence is certainly felt. The novellas provide glimpses into the lives and personalities of Jimmy, his fellow band members, and those connected to them. In "The Bargain," taking place in the spring of 2001, the band is finally starting to make a real name for itself. Jimmy and Adam first meet and struggle for control of the group in "Kissing the Gunner's Daughter" early in 1995, while in the summer of 2003 they are dealing with the bands rise to fame and the following fallout in "My Father's House." Finally, Fraina takes the readers back to the beginning in "Hidden History," starting in 1987 and following Jimmy as he grows up and establishes who he really is.

It was an interesting technique to present the interconnected stories out of chronological order. I found it to be very effective as bits and pieces fell into place and motivations were revealed, though I think some people would find it confusing and disjointed. King of Cats was not an easy book to read in that everyone was so horrifyingly treated. The characters are great characters, but they are generally not very nice people at all. Compelling, interesting, and intense, yes, but they are so often heartbreakingly horrible to one another. I felt very much like a voyeur as I was reading the book--watching tragedies unfold, peering into very personal lives, and finding it very hard to look away.

King of Cats is a difficult book for me to recommend to a wide audience, but it is actually quite good. My favorite story was probably the first one in the book, "King of the Cats." In it, the character that intrigued me the most, Elliott Carpenter (a pathological liar and manipulator), was introduced. He remains the most mysterious person throughout the book, though by the end some of his true self begins to be revealed. The relationships between characters, while fraught with turmoil, can be at times quite touching. Explicit sex scenes are included and are always intense and often violent, but are integral to the stories. I found King of Cats to be compelling and gut-wrenching. The characters, while not particularly likeable, were fascinating. Emotionally, it is not an easy book, but it is a good one.

Experiments in Reading ( )