RALPH, ALBERT & SYDNEY
Jenny's Books
At a Concert in Swansea in 2004 I met Jenny Melmoth, who is a bit of a Ralph
McTell fan and also a writer. Jenny sent me a copy of her book, A
Cat In My Lap. A terrific read particularly if like me you own a cat and end up having cat
visitors from down the road, who help themselves to food and an armchair. You will no doubt find one
of Jenny's cats resembling one of yours!!
Jenny was also involved in the release of Dear Dear Mary.
Jenny has just published a new book, Of Dogs and Cats and Bear.
You'll find some information on all three books on this page.
If you would like signed copies of any of the books, please email Jenny.
Andy Langran
Of Dogs and Cats and Bear
by Jenny Melmoth
Published by Alfresco Books in March 2013.
This is a memoir highlighted with anecdotes, poems and beautiful illustrations by France Bauduin. It is for anyone who enjoys the interaction of animals and people within the family setting. Opening in the pulpit of her high chair, it travels through Jenny's life, meeting some eccentric relations and many dogs and cats along the way, to a perch - with husband and grandchildren - on a huge granite bear.
Dear Dear Mary DEAR DEAR MARY Adoption after infancy is never easy and for a cat who is blissfully happy in
a caring environment it may come as a cruel shock to be transported to new
surroundings. A Cat In My Lap A Cat In My Lap
Letters Home From Amber
edited by Jenny Melmoth
Letters home from Amber
Edited by Jenny Melmoth Illustrated by Jo Berriman
When Amber's elderly owner can no longer look after her, this gentle little cat
is given a loving new home. But for Amber, her real home is still with her Dear
Mary and so it takes her a long time to settle in. Her trials and tribulations
along the way, her adventures and her interaction with the rest of the household
are recorded in these delightful letters, written by Amber to her beloved Mary,
with a little help along the way from Jenny Melmoth.
Because the book is based on Amber's original letters, inevitably they only
reflect events from a cat's perspective. To help clarify the wider picture some
linking passages have been added and these additions by Jenny include news of
her other cats, immortalised in her previous book, A Cat in My Lap.
Silvester and Bernard are still very much on the scene and their responses to
Amber (and her own reaction to them) make lively reading.
An unusual empathy with her feline'friends means that Jenny is able to see the
world through the eyes of a cat, making her the perfect literary interpreter for
Amber and her Dear Mary. Readers of A Cat in My Lap will be pleased to know that
Dear Dear Mary features a further selection of Jo Berriman's charming
illustrations which bring the cats, and their individual personalities, so
convincingly to life.
Funny, sad and thought-provoking. Dear Dear Mary is a perfect companion volume
to the ever popular^! Cat in My Lap and will make an ideal gift for the many
people who feel that a house is not a home without the purr of at least one cat.
Published by Alfresco Books.
by Jenny Melmoth
by Jenny Melmoth
illustrated by Jo Berriman
This beautifully written book could be described as an autobiography punctuated
by cats. Jenny Melmoth began her married life in rural Kent, later moving to
Cheshire, and her elegant prose and wry observations make this account of her
life in both places a joy to read. The author is not just ‘a cat
person’ - Jenny’s dogs, children, husband and many other characters
play a part in her story - but it is her cats that bring the book to life.
Beginning with Sam, and forming a long and overlapping procession of feline
companions, Jenny’s cats are as different in personality and attitudes as any
cast of characters. Some were chosen as kittens, but several came to her as
strays or survivors - all making their distinct contribution to her life and
home.
This first paperback edition has retained the interweaving of narrative
and pictures which was much admired in the original. Jo Berriman’s
illustrations are a delight, bringing to life the cats who feature in the book:
Sam, Moses, Aaron, Daisy May, Nelle and the rest are all here, embellishing the
pages with their individual elegance and demeanour.
Also included throughout the book are Jenny Melmoth’s own poems inspired by
her cats, ranging from the three-line Haiku ‘On Being Called’ to the flowing
magical imagery of ‘The Cats Ride Out’.
This book makes the perfect gift not just for people who love cats, but for
anyone who appreciates the countryside and the gentler things in life. But
a word of advice - buy two copies, because you’ll end up keeping one yourself!
A Cat in My Lap should be available from all bookshops or direct from the
publisher Alfresco Books.