Cat O' Nine Tales: And Other Stories by Jeffrey ArcherMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The characters are the first thing you will notice in Cat O' Nine Tales. It is hard to describe what makes them stand out. They have personalities that feel semi-authentic, almost believable and always rustic and charming in ways you cannot pin down. You will want to know what's happening to them, you will want to know what their stories are. So, you keep reading.
The stories themselves are driven by these characters, making them really good stories. The prose is effortless to read, but does not shirk from some poignant observations. It is that which is rarely seen, easy to understand but also quite tasteful. A sign of masterful authoring (it is Jeffrey Archer).
Beyond that, there isn't much more to say. There are some good stories and some that miss the mark, but I think a lot of it will depend on which characters you relate to and what kinds of stories you like. Overall, there is nothing too exciting about any of them. Nothing that pulls you to the edge of your seat, nothing that stays with you long after you've finished reading. (There is the sole exception of the footnote to It Can't Be October Already which has stayed with me. Is the book worth picking up just for that? No.)
All in all, a comforting book, something to curl up with. It'll serve the purpose of being a pretty decent collection, but there are better collections out there that you might want to exhaust first. Enjoyable, but only just, and without the additional oomph that would make it excellent.
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