My rating: 5 Stars
New York Times bestselling author Helen Brown writes a touching, often humorous, tale of a time in her life when she is quite unsettled. Although happily married, she has recently dealt with a bout with breast cancer, despite having a good prognosis. Sadly, she doesn't feel as if her everyday life offers much excitement. Having recently published a book, she goes to New York in order to publicize the book. It is during this trip that Helen agrees to the daunting task to foster a homeless cat. Not only is Bono homeless, he is seriously ill.
Helen will be visiting from Australia, and to her delight, her eldest daughter Lydia agrees to accompany her for part of that time. Helen has her doubts early on about taking on a cat, but Lydia is very excited about it, much to Helen's surprise. Once Helen has warmed up to the idea, she is quite touched at everyone's response to it. This turns into a self-healing time for both Helen and Lydia, even if the healing that she will undoubtedly receive from Bono doesn't happen for quite some time.
I have to be honest and say that I've not read a biographical memoir before, but I am very pleased that the publisher forwarded this book to me. My emotions went from laughing, to bawling, whether from genuine sadness or complete joy. I absolutely fell in love with Bono. Oh, there was one particular moment when his sensitivity as a cat shone through. As a woman owned by several cats, this is an emotion that I am quite familiar with. I loved that Bono's story was shared to the world. It will be in my heart for all time. I also enjoyed the personal growth that Helen achieved in this story.
Most honorable mentions go to Helen's own cat, Jonah, and her past beloved feline, Cleo. I also do not feel that my review would be complete without also mentioning two very special people that brought Bono into Helen's life, Michaela Hamilton and Vida Engstrand, both of Kensington Books, for without whom she never would have never met Bono. A truly inspirational tale for for anyone who has a love for these furry, four-legged creatures. I have already placed Ms. Brown's backlist into my Amazon cart.
Many thanks to Helen Brown and Kensington Books for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.
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