The Cat Who Went Bananas

Written by Lilian Jackson Braun

Narrated by George Guidall

The good people of Pickax are agog with anticipation. Not only is a new bookstore about to open, but the Theatre Club is set to perform The Importance of Being Earnest. The play does not continue past opening night, however, for a member of the cast is killed in a car accident... or was it an accident? Koko seems to suspect otherwise...

• Language: English
• Publisher: W. F. Howes Ltd Audio
• Release date: Aug 1, 2010
• ISBN: 9781407423258

Reviews for The Cat Who Went Bananas

[nx74defiant · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed listening to this book. But I was disappointed by the ending. Too many mysteries left unanswered. It was dissatisfying.

[merijenben · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Jim Qwilleran celebrates the opening of a new bookstore in Pickax, meets a charismatic but shady character from Lockmaster and begins a new book about a historic, but ugly house in Moose County.As the Pirate's Chest, the new bookstore in Pickax prepares to open, Qwill is pleased to meet Violet Hibbard, a professor of English lit, who now runs a boarding house in her ancestral home. Built four-generations ago, Hibbard house is unique for being made entirely of wood, and for being spectacularly ugly. Qwill also meets Alden Wade, a charming Lockmaster ex-pat, in charge of special events for the new bookstore. Qwill is charmed by Violet, seeing in her a new dinner/discussion partner, now that Polly is too caught up in the bookstore for his taste. He's also impressed by Alden, although Koko takes a sudden and inexplicable dislike to the man. The marriage between the two causes (very) minor shock waves in the community, especially given Alden's reputation as a fortune hunter and the surprising death of his first wife.O.K. -- Ostensibly, this is a mystery, so, where is it? What's the crime, or wrongdoing, or unanswered question here? Violet dies, big surprise, as she is a new character and a local. Are we supposed to question the circumstances of her death? If so, then Braun shouldn't have set up a sudden aliment that could strike her down at any moment. Really. Is Alden a bad guy? Or just opportunistic? Did he kill Violet? Are we supposed to care? I've complained about the Cat Who books as being formulaic. They still are, and it seems like Braun has completely given up trying. This book didn't have an ending, it just stopped. As in "I hit XXX words in my manuscript, I can stop."Also, I'd like to point out that Jim Qwillerian is really a selfish bastard. He creates a new job for Polly, then gets pissy when she takes it seriously. I read these books to get my overactive brain to calm down enough to sleep; all I'm looking for is a kind of mental tapioca. This one didn't even deliver that.

[benfulton · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The best that can be said is that the writing is polished. You might enjoy it if you're into soap operas, because the first couple of hundred pages involve nothing except setup; who all the characters are, where they came from, what they enjoy doing - rather like reading a history of a small town, except of course entirely fictional. Apparently at some point a murder happens, although I lost interest before that happened.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I thought I had read this already, but didn't seem to recall any of it. It didn't matter because I wanted to hear the audio version. Not having read any of the Jackson Braun books for some time I found this one to be a collection of thoughts and ideas not really pursued. The end left me puzzled and feeling as if a CD had been left out of the case. I didn't enjoy the narrator much because, although his voice is attractive and he reads well, I dislike the way he reads women's voices. I refuse to believe that we are all lisping and sound like effeminate men who are putting it on. Despite the annoying and incomplete bits, I still love KoKo and YumYum, which is why I ever read them in the first place.

[dukefan86 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed the varied cast of characters in this book a lot, more than most in this series, actually! I also enjoyed having Polly Duncan, a recurring character, develop a bit in her second career as a bookstore owner (a woman after my own heart!). Another easy listen in the car during my commute.

[catquilt-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Well, I like this series because I like cats but I wouldn't call these mystery novels. Murders and mayhem, etc are mentioned but never resolved...

[wendyk39 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I disliked the ending so it made me not like the book. I felt frustrated by the entire story. I usually love these books as an easy, enjoyable read. She missed the mark this time.

[catsandcherrypie · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyable characters but not the same mystery quality as the earlier books.

[booklover3258 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

This was my first Braun book. I was disappointed with the story line that jumped all over the plance and the mystery that was never solved. At the end, I was so sick of reading about Squunk water and Qwilleran. The only things I liked were Koko and Yum Yum.

[talon2claw · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Probably one of my least favorite of the series.