Joann Sfar's beloved, humorous, and wise talking cat is back for more beautifully illustrated adventures in Algiers and across Africa in the 1930s. While the rabbi is away, his cat tags along with Malka of the Lions (the rabbi's enigmatic cousin), who roams the desert with his ferocious-on-demand lion. Some believe Malka to be a pious Jew, others think he's a shrewd womanizer, but the cat will be the one to discover the surprising truth.
Back in Algiers, the rabbi's daughter, Zlabya, and her new husband fill the house with their fighting, while the city around them fills with a rising tide of anti-Semitism. On a whim, the rabbi's cat, the rabbi, a sheikh (also a cousin of the rabbi), and a very misplaced Russian painter set out on a fantastic journey (even encountering a young reporter named Tintin in the Congo) in search of an African Jerusalem. It turns out to be very fortuitous that the rabbi's cat is not just a talking cat, but a multilingual talking cat.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Narrating cats? What's next! Comment: This adult-themed graphics novel is set in 1930's Algeria, however most of the issues such as religion and race are still current and unsettled.
The Rabbi's Cat 2 is the second book featuring the Rabbi and his nameless cat that narrators, and not only talks to certain persons and most animals but is multilingual.
Initially I had mixed reactions to this my first graphic novel. However, after reading through the first story entitled "Heaven on Earth," a second time, I discovered its biting charm and cryptic humor. The cat, along with an old lion and a snake, have an ongoing conversation as they follow Malka, a cousin of the rabbis, around the desert. The animals'comments about the humans around them come out as little gems of wisdoms that remind you of Aesop's Fables.
Malka the wandering storyteller and his lion are getting old, and he longs to become a legend and a man of mystery so that people will forever search the desert for his grave. When Malka returns to town and the cat returns to his rabbi, the story shifts the action to the religious and cultural differences in Algiers.
"Africa's Jerusalem" was longer and a little difficult story to follow in places. The rabbi's daughter is unhappy with her husband, and a Russian painter is found as a stowaway in a box of books. All these events cause the entire town to become involved. With the help of the cat that can speak Russian, and another Russian living in Algiers, we learn that the painter is on a quest to find the black Jews and their city of Jerusalem in Africa. The expedition is launched with the painter, the Russian, the rabbi and his cat in an old truck. Much happens to this unlikely group on their pilgrimage â" some good, some not so good.
Loved the art and the quirky faces of his characters. Their expressions often told the story without any conversations. You could just tell what they were thinking. My favorite character was the cat. He was such a sage and so Shakespearian-like in his assessment of human behaviors.
Would I read another graphic novel about the Rabbi and his cat? Absolutely! With pleasure!
Armchair Interviews says: Check out the new genre of graphic novels, stories with a comic book look. Customer Rating: Summary: Rabbi's Cat (the Best Pajamas) Comment:
Joann Sfar has created a narrative tapestry as rich as the culture and time frame his characters inhabit. The journeys of the 'pious' rabbi, the enigmatic cat, the pragmatic traveller, and the phony lion through Algiers and Afrrica of the 1930's are amazing.
Where else can you mingle with a sheikh, dogmatic Jews, a lost 'tribe' in Africa, and still emerge joyous and filled with wonder? It's only through the creative eyes of Sfar that we are drawn into this exploration of life and knowledge. Things are not what they seem. Is the rabbi pious? Is the cat (and his curiosity) their avatar? Who are the true Jews?
To call this book splendid is an understatement. It is a remarkable synergy of words and art such as only Sfar could present. Experience literary wonderment at its' best.
