A CAT ABROAD

Further engaging tales from Gethers (The Cat Who Went to Paris, 1991, etc.) about travels and adventures with his worldly Scottish Fold cat, Norton. When Gethers (ex-publisher of Villard Books) decides to leave New York and the pressurized corporate world for life in a 300- year-old house in the south of France, his closest companions- -girlfriend Janis and feline Norton—waste no time in packing their bags. And so begins a yearlong odyssey abroad, where the threesome quickly become immersed in the French way of life. Gethers still has work commitments—writing this book, a screenplay, and a TV series. But he finds plenty of time for amusements (seeking out chateaus and cathedrals, etc.); eating fine food (enjoying the local cuisine becomes a favorite pastime for humans and feline alike); visiting Italy, Spain, and Holland; entertaining friends from the States; and bonding with other expatriates who ``all made the same choice we'd made—to leave one life behind and resettle in a French paradise.'' As always, Gethers and Janis are accompanied everywhere by their cat, who's welcomed with open arms by the cat- loving French (hotels provide Norton with complimentary room service; restaurants serve him delicacies, such as a marzipan mouse; and winemakers offer him his own bottles). Finally, the trio end their foreign idyll, returning to the US with a newfound joie de vivre. Witty and warmhearted—a delightful addition to the cat- fancier's bookshelf.