A Snowflake in My Hand

By Samantha Mooney

A miracle of a book--a joyous celebration of the unspoken but deeply felt bond between animals and people and, in Roger Caras's words, "a celebration of life in the face of death".

Each day holds the promise of a few new faces, a hundred possibilities, and perhaps one miracle.
 
In a book that reflects her years of work at New York City’s famous Animal Medical Center, Samantha Mooney creates a miracle of her own—the unforgettable story of dedicated professionals who, faced with sometimes incurable illness among the animals they care for, nevertheless find companionships and laughter in that caring. But above all, this is a story of cats: Clancy, a tiger-suited Irish rogue who refuses to be caged; gentle Oliver Cromwell, who summers in Maine and makes friends with his own personal sea gull; and one tiny black cat, Fledermaus, who breaks through Samantha’s own wall of frozen grief after her father’s death and shows her the rewards, and the risks, of loving again.
 
Praise for A Snowflake in My Hand

“This book is not only for cat lovers, it is for lovers of life.”—The Washington Post
 
“She displays an empathy with animals akin to that evident in the works of James Herriot.”—The New York Times Book Review
 
“Heartrending for cat lovers.”—Kirkus Reviews

“An affair of the heart and a celebration of life in the face of death . . . a very special story.”—Roger Caras
 
“In telling the story of the cats she has served far beyond the call of duty, Samantha Mooney is really telling us how to face the ordeal of serious, sometimes terminal illnesses with humor, patience, and courage. . . . This large-spirited little book reaches out to us all.”—Budd Schulberg
 
“A very compelling book that’s difficult to put down.”—The Seattle Times
 
“Beautifully written . . . one of the outstanding books of the year. Don’t miss it.”—The Chattanooga Times
 
“The Inside story of the most famous clinics in the world, beautifully told, with warmth and compassion.”—Cleveland Amory

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Apr 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9780307833686

Reviews for A Snowflake in My Hand

[dubaireader · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A book for cat lovers.I enjoyed this book, a memoir by a veterinary nurse who was working in the oncology section of New York City's Animal Medical Center. She obviously has a passion for cats; she seems to love those in the treatment centre as much as her growing population at home.Sometimes I thought she seemed to relate to cats better than people and the sorrow at the loss of a couple of her most loved patients was possibly even greater than at the death of her father.The book was published in 1983, so I'd expect that some of the treatments are now dated. Similarly, I wonder if cats would be allowed to wander around the facility with such ease, particularly Clancy, who had left his own household of cats because he might pass on his form of feline leukemia. In spite of being potentially contagious, he was given free reign of the offices and waiting area.I was also most surprised to find that Ms Mooney took certain cats (never her own) on holiday with her. When we moved house our cats were petrified for days, I cannot imagine a 'holiday' being a pleasant experience for them.There were quite a few cats throughout the book and I struggled to remember all their names and ailments, but they were all adorable and it was so sad when any of them died. There was an overall positive feel however, as the doctors and staff lovingly treated each animal, hoping to increase its life span and quality of life.This is definitely a book for cat lovers, and if that's you, then snap this one up.

[corduroy7-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautifully written book that describes the joys and sorrows of sharing one's life with cats. In the first pages, no description was more poignant to me than ~ "The song that Clancy purred to me the first night he entered my life became a vital part of my days for the next two years." I was instantly taken back to the first night with each of the cats that have shared my life ~Russian Blue, Lovely Sunshine (L.S. for short) and tabby, Jolie ~ and our shared time like a quick video playing highlights of all the special memories of spontaneous moments that transpire into a litany of unconditional love.Samantha Mooney captures part of her life journey devoting her working hours and much of her spare time to the often terminally ill cats in the Cancer Therapy Unit of N.Y.'s Animal Medical Center. It a precious memoir by an insightful woman of sharing life with cats ~ each unique, each precious.

[fernemysteryreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautifully written book that describes the joys and sorrows of sharing one's life with cats. In the first pages, no description was more poignant to me than ~ "The song that Clancy purred to me the first night he entered my life became a vital part of my days for the next two years." I was instantly taken back to the first night with each of the cats that have shared my life ~Russian Blue, Lovely Sunshine (L.S. for short) and tabby, Jolie ~ and our shared time like a quick video playing highlights of all the special memories of spontaneous moments that transpire into a litany of unconditional love.Samantha Mooney captures part of her life journey devoting her working hours and much of her spare time to the often terminally ill cats in the Cancer Therapy Unit of N.Y.'s Animal Medical Center. It a precious memoir by an insightful woman of sharing life with cats ~ each unique, each precious.