Fascinating. Unlike anything else I've read.

A fascinating collection of characters and truly delectable prose make this novel a delight. For those familiar with Ondaatje's works, this novel is a beautiful addition to his body of work. With a plot that fluxes in and out of the time aboard the ship, following first one character and then another, resolving both large and small mysteries. Yet the novel is always tracking towards the ultimate conclusion that briefly shines a metaphor on the human experience which is utterly worth encountering.

Ondaatje is especially good at portraying the wonder a young person experiences when he first discovers the magic and sorrow of the adult world. A great and memorable book.

A rich and captivating tale that demonstrates just why Ondaatje is one of our finest storytellers. Cat’s Table centers on a mystery that is somehow both intricate and simple in its unraveling. Beautifully told.

The Cat’s Table --- by Michael Ondatje --- What does it mean when one says “that is an interesting book?” Is that what one says when you must read a book for fifty pages and still the book does not compel you to read it further? I have read books like these --- and felt deceived. I came to reading Ondatje feeling intimidated. After all, he doesn’t write fiction, he writes literature. Fiction is like Coca Cola. Literature is like Elderberry Presse. So. How was The Cat’s Table? Elegant. Thoughtful. A book that took me in and, in spite of the fact that it was not an “adventure novel”. It made me look forward to what happened next. And just by coincidence the three protagonists were three young boys on an ocean voyage to a new land. That was something with which I could identity. And in September 1954 no less. Do read this book. You will find it gently enjoyable.

The story takes place mainly on a ocean liner traveling from Ceylon to Britain in the 1950s. Even the physical nature of the book conveyed the times, with its heavy paper feathered on the edges and its sepia photo on the cover The biggest weakness in this tale was the lack of an over-riding plot line that united the characters. I found it difficult to place such a large cast of people as the story progressed. The small vignettes were evocative in themselves, but much of the story had no bearing on the plot - if it was the prisoner’s tale, or perhaps on a deeper level Michael’s awakening to the ethics behind good and bad behavior? From the opening quote I get the impression the author wants to comment upon the vagaries of youth and how our early experiences direct our entire lives. Ondaatje dedicates this book to Cassius, the other friend from Michael's youth whom he never meets again as an adult

A very interesting account of the voyage of 3 friends with the people they meet on board. Sometimes a bit hard to follow, but a good journey non-the-less.

This novel starts out as the narrator's tale of his ocean journey from his native Ceylon to England when he was 11 years old. He was sent abroad to join his mother, who'd left for England several years before. The narrator tells us how he was seated with other social misfits and outcasts at the "Cat's Table", the table in the ship's dining room that was farthest from the Captain's table. He recounts the friendships he formed with two other boys and their experiences mingling with the large cast of adult characters aboard the ship. Later in the story, the narrator examines how that journey affected the adult he became and how his life continued to intersect with the lives of fellow passengers. This is a finely-crafted novel that is easy to read and yet displays a literary voice that takes it above a typical mass-market best-seller (the narrator becomes a writer in later life; it is worth noting that author Michael Ondaatje also sailed from Ceylon to England at age 11, although he says the book is not autobiographical). Told in an unhurried, almost languid voice, the story draws you into its unique time and place. The themes reminded me of Julian Barnes's "The Sense of an Ending", in that it touches upon the importance of childhood events even though childhood memories may not be reliable, how we define ourselves to others through our stories, and how we can never fully understand other people's stories because we didn't live them. Despite misunderstandings and missed opportunities, most of us manage to craft identities for ourselves that carry us through life. We may lose the innocence (and ignorance) of childhood, but we don't have to forget what it was like.

Boys of eleven in the 1950s were considered old enough to look after themselves. Often sent to boarding school at this age, they were expected to get along in the world. Finding himself alone on board a ship to England for 21 days after a family breakup launches Michael on his life-long journey as an author. His notebook and memories reflect a disparate series of observations that connect only tentatively in his mind much later as an adult. For this reader, the connections are so obscure I still haven't figured out what happened. Would a little dog really jump up on the bed of a sleeping person and without provocation bite him to death in the neck? Could this incident have been imagined? Such is the clarity of this story. It's full of vivid images, many of which make not much sense.

This hodgepodge of short vignettes failed the "50 page test" (I persevered to page 91 before finally giving up). The main character, Michael, took a traced map of the world on his voyage from Ceylon to England. Unfortunately the map was unhelpful as he had omitted the names of countries, major ports, and oceans. The same loss of direction and detail seems to infuse this book. The tale is so full of inconsistencies, redundancies, and factual errors that this reader failed to gain a feeling that the story was believable. McClelland & Stewart should have assigned a forceful copy editor to fact check and organize this collage into a coherent story.