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A Street Cat Named Bob: How one man and his cat found hope on the streets (Bob, 1) Paperback – 13 Sept. 2012

by James Bowen (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 24,838 ratings
on any 4 Qualifying items | Terms
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From the author of A Christmas Gift from Bob, the original bestseller and heartwarming story of the life-saving friendship between a man and his streetwise cat



'[Bob] has entranced London like no feline since the days of Dick Whittington.' (Evening Standard)

'A heartwarming tale with a message of hope' (Daily Mail)

'Reminded me how amazing having a cat can be' (Glamour)

* * * * * * * *

The uplifting true story of an unlikely friendship between a man on the streets of Covent Garden and the ginger cat who adopts him and helps him heal his life. Now a major motion picture starring Luke Treadaway.

When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet.

Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.

Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts.

A Street Cat Named Bob is a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it.

IF you love A Street Cat Named Bob, don't miss The Little Book of Bob, the new book from James and Bob.

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Bob The Cat Series
  2. Print length
    288 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Hodder Paperbacks
  5. Publication date
    13 Sept. 2012
  6. Dimensions
    19.9 x 1.8 x 13 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    9781444737110
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1444737110
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Bob The Cat Series Books 1 - 5 Collection Set by James Bowen (A Street Cat Named Bob, The World According to Bob, A Gift From
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Product description

Review

An instantly bestselling memoir that, beside its heart-warming tale of their friendship, offers an insight into the injustice of life on the streets that's by turns frustrating and life-affirming. ― The Times

A heartwarming tale with a message of hope. ― Daily Mail

A true story and ideal for anyone like me who's a bit mad when it comes to felines. ― Glamour

Book Description

From the author of A Christmas Gift from Bob, the original bestseller and uplifting true story of an unlikely friendship between a man on the streets of Covent Garden and the ginger cat who adopts him and helps him heal his life.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1444737112
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hodder Paperbacks; 1st edition (13 Sept. 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781444737110
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1444737110
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 19.9 x 1.8 x 13 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 24,838 ratings

About the author

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James Bowen

James Bowen

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James Bowen (born 15 March 1979, Surrey) is an author and busker based in London. His books A Street Cat Named Bob ,The World According to Bob and A Gift From Bob, written with the help of author Garry Jenkins were international best-sellers, He now dedicates his time to help Numerous Charities that involve Homelessness, Literacy & Animal Welfare.

Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo by Jamesandbobltd (it is my image) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
24,838 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find this book a joy to read, describing it as a wonderfully life-affirming story that provides insight into life on the streets. Moreover, the writing is simple and accessible, making it suitable for readers aged 7 and up, while the character development of Bob the cat is excellent. Additionally, the book evokes both laughter and tears, and customers appreciate its honest, first-person narrative style.

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3,694 customers mention ‘Story quality’3,664 positive30 negative

Customers find the book's story quality excellent, describing it as a complete joy to read and an enlightening tale.

"...FIVE STAR BOOK - A 100% UTTERLY - TOUCHY - REAL - FABULOUS LOVABLE BOOK! Well done James Bowen for writing this great book, wish you all the best...." Read more

"Does this lovely book need any more recommendations than the universal praise already heaped upon it by the truckload?..." Read more

"...A Street Cat Named Bob is a easy and enjoyable read, made so by Bowen’s warm and friendly tone. It’s a relatively short book at just 279 pages...." Read more

"...But! If the book is as good as the film it’s going to make a good holiday read! It’s a Great Story" Read more

1,547 customers mention ‘Heartwarming story’1,547 positive0 negative

Customers find this book heart-warming and life-affirming, with one customer noting how it made them look at life in a more positive light.

"...This is a true life story for the 21st century. Bob is so cute, lovingly, softly and adorable, a true every best friend...." Read more

"...Bob and James, thank you SO VERY MUCH for sharing your incredibly inspirational story with the rest of us...." Read more

"A Street Cat Named Bob is the uplifting and inspirational story about James, a man who is vulnerably housed and a recovering drug addict who..." Read more

"...It’s a heartfelt, well meaning read, where the central character can tell a decent story...." Read more

888 customers mention ‘Readability’767 positive121 negative

Customers find the book easy to read, appreciating its honest and simple language, with one customer noting it's suitable for 7-year-olds and another mentioning it captivates readers from the first pages.

"...This book is FOR KEEPS! SO GOOD and EASY TO READ - SO AMAZING! I REALLY WISH THEM BOTH THE BEST!..." Read more

"...The book is written in a way that makes it very easy to read, I felt that I began to know James and Bob the cat very well, and really felt sympathy..." Read more

"...Easy to read , enjoyed it. Gave me some useful information about the Big Issue. Good read." Read more

"...is a wonderful book to read, in medium-sized print and therefore easy to read, and reasonably priced...." Read more

481 customers mention ‘Cat lovers’476 positive5 negative

Customers love the cat in this book, describing it as wonderful, special, and unique, noting how it opened their minds about feline companionship.

"...helps in every way of your life, when you are ill and sad, a cat is very good, gentle, helpful animal...." Read more

"...It shows you can find hope in the darkest places. What a wonderful furry tail!" Read more

"...It provides the reader with a mental picture of their lives together on the streets so that e.g. when they both return to the flat on a cold rainy..." Read more

"...I can relate to the fact that a pet can change one’s life, as I have my dog to keep me happy and content...." Read more

317 customers mention ‘Insight’308 positive9 negative

Customers find the book insightful, particularly about life on the streets and The Big Issue.

"...I'll pray for your future, happiness, health, love, well-being and prosperity. I really hope everything will go well. This book is FOR KEEPS!..." Read more

"...But Bob often prefers to travel on James’ shoulder. Bob is smart, inquisitive and a good judge of people...." Read more

"...Complex issues are explained so well and honestly; I had to smile when he acknowledged just what a pain he had become to others at his low..." Read more

"...Easy to read , enjoyed it. Gave me some useful information about the Big Issue. Good read." Read more

276 customers mention ‘Character development’260 positive16 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, particularly the portrayal of Bob the cat, describing him as remarkable and intelligent, with one customer noting how it draws readers into James and Bob's world.

"...It’s a heartfelt, well meaning read, where the central character can tell a decent story...." Read more

"Bob is the best. He knows what he wants and gets it.Both the book and movie were awesome . Great work and the best way to recover from any addiction" Read more

"...This is where CCTV becomes a benefit and source of protection for the vulnerable...." Read more

"...OK I agree that it is a lovely story and yes Bob is an exceptional cat and yes the chance meeting was a huge turning-point in both their lives...." Read more

182 customers mention ‘Humor’174 positive8 negative

Customers enjoy the book's humor, finding it will make them laugh and cry, with one customer noting it's not offensive.

"...There were some amusing parts, especially the ones that occurred at Christmas where Bob is pampered by his many acquaintances with everything from..." Read more

"...is a quick and easy read, as the book is written in a simple, almost chatty style...." Read more

"...It made me laugh out loud, cry, chuckle and then blub like a baby at the end - even the acknowledgments made me cry...." Read more

"...The Author sounds such a kind person - it made me feel so cross to read how some people treated him, particularly those in Covent Garden Tube..." Read more

179 customers mention ‘Honesty’177 positive2 negative

Customers appreciate the book's honesty, noting that it is completely sincere and told in the first person.

"...It is so real and true! EXXXXXXXXCELLLLLLLENT FIVE STAR BOOK - A 100% UTTERLY - TOUCHY - REAL - FABULOUS LOVABLE BOOK!..." Read more

"...Bob is smart, inquisitive and a good judge of people. Many people take a liking to Bob and that helps to humanise James to them...." Read more

"...Complex issues are explained so well and honestly; I had to smile when he acknowledged just what a pain he had become to others at his low..." Read more

"...guy who'd taken some wrong turns in his life, and is very open and honest about this...." Read more

Amazing condition!
5 out of 5 stars
Amazing condition!
Came in very good condition and arrived 5 days before was expected!
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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Tim
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent breathtaking cat book - love it!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 April 2012
    Verified Purchase
    This is an excellent book! Amazing so touchy! This is a true life story for the 21st century. Bob is so cute, lovingly, softly and adorable, a true every best friend. Cats do really helps in every way of your life, when you are ill and sad, a cat is very good, gentle, helpful animal. They are very clever, very independent, calm and they sense if there is something wrong. They help us through thick and thin and if you are stress and depress they come and guide you, they relax you and keep you calm. Having cats you don't feel alone and lonely, they listen to you, they are there when you need them most. They help you in many ways not only physically, socially, emotionally and mentally. If you are so much in stress and depress and have a high blood pressure, just stroke a cat and will helps you to remove the tension and makes you calm down. As well as if you are worried and down just stroke or talk to the cat or just watch the cat playing or sleeping, they are so calm and peaceful companionship.

    This book is for real and an excellent book for every one, people who hates cat should read this. It is an amazing story for day to day life. Bob and James are meant together, I hope they will stay together forever. A cat is for life. It is so cruel where we live at this moment, some people are heartless and rude, people should help and give them a chance. This book is so real, some people are like that not only in the streets, also at work, near your home, everywhere. I hope that James and Bob cat will live happily every after and they will have enough food everyday, nice warm home. I hope Bob will be famous and I hope James will get a break for his music talent. I would love to know more after what happens. So hopefully James Bowen can write more about what happens after that, if they are still busking or selling big issues magazines or if James found a contract for his music and for Bob if he is now insured.I can't wait to see the future film about True story of Bob the street cat with James Bowen. This is a MUST TO READ BOOK! It is so fascinating and interesting what is happening around you.

    EXCELLENT BOOK - LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT - Can't wait for the next future book or movie! Good luck both of you! I'll pray for your future, happiness, health, love, well-being and prosperity. I really hope everything will go well. This book is FOR KEEPS! SO GOOD and EASY TO READ - SO AMAZING! I REALLY WISH THEM BOTH THE BEST! I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO EVERYBODY - IT IS A MUST HAVE! You can see what is happening near you! It is so real and true! EXXXXXXXXCELLLLLLLENT FIVE STAR BOOK - A 100% UTTERLY - TOUCHY - REAL - FABULOUS LOVABLE BOOK! Well done James Bowen for writing this great book, wish you all the best. I will read it again!
    7 people found this helpful
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  • platterseacatshome
    5.0 out of 5 stars For a story that's touched the hearts of the whole world, 5 stars are only enough if they're supernovae!!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 March 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Does this lovely book need any more recommendations than the universal praise already heaped upon it by the truckload? What more can I add to what's already been said by, seemingly, the entire world that won't just be endless repetition?
    Bob, the dear creature, was rescued from an uncertain future on the streets by James Bowen, a recovering heroin addict whose own future was itself far from rosy. In return, Bob bonded and allied himself to James as if heaven sent to ensure that he never let James slip back into his destructive habits. Neither of them can ever have suspected how their alliance was going to pan out into such an astonishing success story for the pair of them, guaranteeing a more comfortable existence (I would imagine) than James could ever have hoped for in his wildest dreams - and a regular supply of good, clean food and water and scarves for Bob! The love and respect that has arisen between them is palpable.
    But it goes further, as their reputation has grown into helping to raise funds for the Blue Cross, which can only be a very good thing. I am myself deeply indebted to the Blue Cross for their tireless efforts to keep my own cats in the best of health through decades of unemployment (now on pension credit), as a result of a greedy and insensitive property company who wrecked my home and my life in order to try and remove me and my cats from the house they wanted to empty, do a cheap renovation job on it, and sell it off for a fat profit.
    But for the cats, and one in particular named Tina, who I'm sure Bob would have adored, I may not have survived the hard times; they gave my ruined life direction, purpose and meaning where there was otherwise none.
    Tina departed this dimension in September 1997, after almost 18 years of the same kind of bond that exists between James and Bob, and I was inconsolably heartbroken. Since then, I've had several more cats, none of which has been as close to me as Tina, although a lovely tortoiseshell street cat which I named Missi became very much a doppelganger of Tina in many respects. Sadly, she also passed away in January 2010.
    Times have since then become harder and darker for various reasons which I won't go into, and although I still accept without reservation my responsibilities for the 3 that I have now, I can't claim that they are any more than ordinary moggies with no great affection for me, despite all my efforts to engage their deeper empathies.
    Now here's the point, and the reason why A Street Cat Named Bob has meant so much to me: increasing depression after the death of Missi has led to increasing alcohol intake. When you're getting through 5 bottles of a 21% spirit and a further 5 or 6 bottles of wine every week, you know something has gone badly wrong, and that things are getting bad, and getting worse. I'd promised myself that, having been aware of the book for some time, I would eventually pick up a copy. Most books I've bought for the last 10-15 years have been left unfinished after a couple of chapters due to my inability to concentrate. But this one arrived on a Wednesday afternoon, I opened it and devoured the first 2 chapters in a heartbeat, and over the next few days I kept sitting down to continue reading - I just had to know how both Bob and James had fared under almost impossible conditions and in hopeless circumstances - and by the Sunday morning, I'd finished the book. Less than 4 days for me to read an entire book! That's not happened for me since... I don't know when.
    Bob, you fabulous little emissary from beyond our known plane of existence, your story - yours and James's - has now saved my life, too. I would undoubtedly have drunk myself to death sooner or later - but when I read of how you helped to bring James through his difficult recovery from the most destructive drug on this planet, and how James had been able to achieve a miracle with your assistance, not only simply in recovering, but in forging a great new life for both of you, I realised that your magic had also worked through those pages and those words on me, too. When I came to the end of the book, I suddenly saw things differently, and I realised that if James could do it, so could I. And since that moment, I've not let a drop of alcohol past my lips or through my door. I also sent a copy of the book each to a couple of friends (not that they needed saving from drugs or alcohol - I just wanted them to experience the powerful story, too).
    And just to fully concur with the comment by another reviewer that you don't 'own' a cat - yes, that's long been my viewpoint, too. I like to think of myself as their guardian above all else, with an instinctive sense that cats can, if protected and given love, respond with far more than they are given, in ways that the uninitiated can never quite comprehend.
    Thank you, Bob and James, thank you SO VERY MUCH for sharing your incredibly inspirational story with the rest of us. I wonder how many more lives you don't even know you've saved? May your rejuvenating light never grow dim.
    10 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • Véro
    5.0 out of 5 stars la plus belle histoire entre un jeune homme et son chat
    Reviewed in France on 19 September 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Qu'est ce qui n'a pas encore été dit à propos de ce livre ? C'est l'histoire de la parfaite complicité entre cet incroyable Bob et le maître qu'il s'est choisi. Touchant, attachant, attendrissant les qualificatifs finissent par manquer pour décrire ce chat. Je l'ai lu en anglais, mon niveau est B2 et il se lit sans problème et en un rien de temps. Bravo Bob, merci James :)
    Report
  • ANDRE RAICA SILVA
    5.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom
    Reviewed in Brazil on 11 November 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Muito interessante
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  • I
    5.0 out of 5 stars Bob is bijzonder
    Reviewed in the Netherlands on 30 December 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Leest snel, goed geschreven en bijzonder verhaal over een kat en zijn mens.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Commovente
    Reviewed in Italy on 7 September 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Storia commovente. Ho vissuto a Londra ed è stato bellissimo rivivere alcuni luoghi. Libro che emoziona e coinvolge, specialmente se ami gli animali.
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  • ULRIKE WIDNER
    5.0 out of 5 stars Kommentar zu "A Street Cat Named Bob" von James Bowen
    Reviewed in Germany on 28 September 2013
    Verified Purchase
    Eine Bekannte hat mich auf dieses Buch aufmerksam gemacht, und ich habe es sofort bestellt. Schon das Cover berührte mich sehr - meine rothaarige Katze Jenny erlag vor einigen Monaten einem Nierenleiden. Die fünf Sterne habe ich dem Buch zugesprochen, weil es eine entzückende Geschichte erzählt, welche all die liebenswerten Charaktereigenschaften von Bob in einzigartiger Weise darlegt. Ich hatte, seit meine Kinder klein waren, immer Haustiere und ich habe mit einer meiner Enkelinnen besprochen, dass wir all unsere Erlebnisse mit Tieren aufschreiben sollten. Wer nie mit Tieren gelebt hat, würde somanche Geschichte für unwahrscheinlich halten. Kennen Katzen Mitleid? Oh ja! Eines unserer beiden Meerschweinchen - ein Männchen - war verstorben, das Weibchen fraß nicht und trank nicht vor Kummer, und was tat unser Mohrle? Drei Tage putzte er das trauernde Tier fast ohne Pause, bis es wieder Lebensmut bekam! Vor diesem Ereignis hatte er es als mögliche Jause betrachtet ...

    Ich würde das Buch jedem empfehlen, der Tiere mag, aber vor allem Eltern drogen- und/oder alkoholabhängiger Kinder. Die Botschaft: Gib' nie auf, solange Leben ist, gibt es Hoffnung. Das Schicksal einer so zerstörerischen Abhängigkeit trifft immer die besonders Sensiblen, und niemand sollte sich ein abschätziges Urteil über Betroffene erlauben, auch wenn ihr Erscheinungsbild oft weit von der "gewünschten Norm" abweicht.

    Das Buch begeisterte mich so, dass ich es nicht mehr weglegen konnte. Ich las es in ein paar Nachtstunden fertig.
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