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In Search Of Cleo: How I Found My Pussy And Lost My Mind (2012)

by Gina Gershon(Favorite Author)

3.39 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

1592407668 (ISBN13: 9781592407668)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Gotham

review 1: Crazy cat lady is a label many of us wear with pride. Gina Gershon, star of great cinematic fare like Bound and Showgirls is no exception. In The Search for Cleo: How I Found My Pussy and Lost My Mind, Gershon engagingly and humorously recounts returning from the Cannes Film Festival to discover that her assistant, Cassandra with a Star (because she always signed her first name with a superscripted star at the end) has lost Cleo, the author's domestic short-haired black cat, while transporting him to the groomer's in West Hollywood. Yes, Gershon's first question to her assistant was, "Why were you taking my cat to the groomer in the first place!" Cassandra with a Star has no legitimate answer. Thus begins the desperate search for Cleo.Gershon recounts how she spent two mon... moreths combing the alleys, bushes and streets of West Hollywood at 4:30 every morning looking for Cleo, armed with a can of tuna and a knife for her own protection, calling out to him in song. During these early morning sojourns she makes friends with a colorful cast of characters (because who else is out at 4:30 every morning in Hollywood). Looking for guidance she visits psychics, shamans and a Santeria priest; hangs flyers, sleeps with her door open, and begins to take strange comfort in television preachers. She is also "reunited" with several false Cleos and has to rehome them.Each journey Gershon undertakes to find her beloved feline triggers an event in her childhood or young adulthood, focusing on her relationship with past pets, ostensibly exploring the nature of the strong bonds we form with them and how animals can be our greatest teachers when it comes to human interaction. Past and present are reflected upon with equal doses of sweetness, wisdom and self-deprecation. There are many laugh-out-loud moments as she recognizes the insane measures she's undertaking to find Cleo (one involves urine and Tropicana bottles).And in a pleasantly surprising turn, In Search of Cleo also tackles tough metaphysical issues as the hunt for the elusive feline brings up issues of life, loss, death, and the realm of unexplainable phenomena. Does Mr. Cleo return home? You'll have to read this highly enjoyable book to find out.
review 2: I received this book in a First-Reads giveaway.Despite the risque-sounding title, this easy, funny read is actually quite sweet. I admit I did not have high hopes for this one, but I ended up enjoying it. Gina Gershon intersperses stories of her search for her lost cat, Cleo, with stories of past pets, past loves, her childhood, and "impostor" cats she finds along the way. References to her Valley Girl upbringing partially explain the wackiness she allows herself to get into - pet psychics and Santeria priests are just the beginning. Anyone who has ever lost their codependent cat will relate to the lengths she goes to to find her beloved kitty. She swears her stories are true, so I'll take that at face value. Some are laugh-out-loud funny, some are surprisingly touching. This book will not change your life, but it will entertain you for a couple hours. less

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