Book Review Tuesday - Bart the Mysterious - #BRT

“A lesson in acceptance.” This line runs through Connie Ciampanelli’s story of her 10+-year relationship with Bartholemew Thomas Katt, affectionately known as “Bart,” “Black Bart,” and, as the cover indicates, “Bart the Mysterious.”

A stray cat who mysteriously appeared on the author’s doorstep one day, Bart was indeed a warrior, a cat that was slow to trust but one that won over the author’s heart. Ciampanelli points out at the beginning of the book that she wasn't ‘a cat person.’ Ah, but don’t animals have a way of making us realize we really are? Cat people, dog people - either way, animals can demonstrate to us what unconditional acceptance and love can be.

Ciampanelli has created a book from her own reflections, and added email correspondence she had with the late Dr. Ernest Finocchio, then director of the RI SPCA. Their mutual admiration is evident in these exchanges, as Ciampanelli sought advice and Finocchio recognized how much she cared about Bart. Added to the book are Facebook posts, where the author kept her followers apprised of Bart's appearances, as well as his sometimes long and worrisome absences.

Through it all, Ciampanelli's deep love for this fiercely independent feline is apparent. She and her husband owned two "indoor" cats, but always made room for Bart. She worried about him when he was gone and rejoiced when he'd reappear. The "lesson in acceptance," which is a lesson for us all, is that she allowed him to be the independent cat he was destined to be. After a ten-plus year relationship, Bart, perhaps knowing his own end was near, was euthanized at the RISCPA in the early days of the Covid pandemic. But he didn't die alone, as Ciampanelli had always feared. He received the tender care that all living things deserve.

This book is a gem, especially for cat lovers, and includes a truly beautiful poem at the end by the author's friend Deborah Halliday, a very talented poet.

You can get a copy of Bart the Mysterious online at Amazon (https://tinyurl.com/ycxeceuu) or, if you're local, please stop by Stillwater Books in Pawtucket (https://www.stillwaterbooksri.com/) for a copy.