Linney was Knisley's cat for over ten years, and was amusing and frustrating in turn, as many pets are. Knisley posted cartoons detailing Linney's foibles on Instagram as a way of remembering her, knowing that as her pet aged, there would eventually come a time when she would have to say goodbye. We see Linney be picky about food, shed strategically, monopolize spaces, demand to be petted but then require being left alone, have visits from a dog, and interact with Knisley's small child. Eventually, we see Linney loose weight, have to go on special kidney food (this is never a good sign), and eventually pass away.

This isn't quite a graphic novel; it's got a squarer format (like a social media post) and less dialog, but tells a story just the same. It is beautifully done, like all of Knisley's work, but is also very sad, since Linney's last moments are with the vet. Having just lost my dog, this was definitely heart wrenching.

Middle school and high school libraries with lots of cat fans or fans of Knisley's work will definitely want to purchase this, and I see a lot of copies being sold as as consolation gifts when a beloved pet passes away. I just wish that Knisley was a dog person, but I guess dog people have Matt Nelson's Thoughts of Dog, which has some similarities, although Woe is mainly from Knisley's perspective.

4.5 Stars
One Liner: Adorable!
Linney the House Cat started as a series of webcomics. This graphic novel is a collection of several illustrations that detail the life of a housecat from the cat’s POV.
I enjoy reading about cats and their antics. When a friend (Rosh) rated it 5 stars, I knew I had to read this one. After all, how can I resist a book that showcases a cat’s personality?
The author/ illustration adopted Linney when Her Highness was older (around four years). This meant Linney came with her exclusive attitude and took every opportunity to remind her silly hoomans about it.
The author’s love and understanding are evident in every illustration. She knows her cat even if Linney would never admit it.
This isn’t a story as such. It is a series of scenes arranged in a sequence to make sense. Linney’s voice is purrfect! She knows hoomans are mere slaves, hooman kittens are ewww, and dogs are even more ewww. Linney loves to take revenge and plots various ways to get even when hoomans don’t do what she wants.
The tone is light, funny, quirky, and super cute. The illustrations are rough sketches (I love the explanation for why Linney has such a vague visual representation) which seamlessly suit the narrative style. The dialogues and thoughts are in speech bubbles with ‘feelings’ and other stuff mentioned as plain text. The layout is simple and uncluttered.
While there is sad news, the reader is prepared for it in advance. The whole thing is handled with care. After all, the author’s pain would have been so much more than what we feel when reading it! But don’t worry. The book makes you smile with its ending.
To summarize, Woe: A Housecat's Story is a beautiful, hilarious, and bittersweet graphic novel about a fluffy orange cat with a huge personality. Though this is marked YA, it can pretty much be read by anyone (kiddos included).
My thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's, and Random House Graphic, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Reading about the experiences and feelings of Linney the cat was so entertaining. We all know that cats feel elitist, but the author's take on it was hilarious. Her writing about how Linney being so dramatic just added to its hilarity. It was a quick read. Well worth your time.

Linney the cat’s personality really comes through the text and illustrations. I found myself quoting parts of the witty dialogue out loud to my husband. My favorite was “extremely no” referring to a big dog seeking to be friends.

I dare any catlover to read this book and not fall in love with Linney, Lucy Knisley's beloved and former cat. The many panels inside are so true to life. Some of my favorites were the nighttime antics of Linney and her attempts to keep a visiting dog from being her friend. The dog is not deterred in the least. So determined! While some might be critical of the lack of detail in Linney's form, no one can deny that the personality is all there. Happy Publication Day to this loving tribute to Linney.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review. And an extra shout out to my GR friend Rosh for bringing this pawsome and purr-fect read to my attention.

THIS was just what I needed [its been a heavy week for a Monday]!

A hilarious look at what life is like with a cat [I swear at times I thought I was reading about our own cat, who was snooty and aloof, yet snuggly, and loved water from a glass; she's been gone 4 years now and I swear I still see her in the house ], and if you've EVER owned a cat, this graphic novel will 100% resonate with you.

Hilarious, honest, heartbreaking, and full of love, this was an excellent way to start both the day and summer!!

Very well done!!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lucy Knisley, and Random House Childrens/Random House Graphic for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Linney reminds me so much of my cats and their personalities.
Wanting attention but not wanting attention.
Wondering why their food dish is empty and staring at it.
Getting into mischief throughout the story.
There is a sad part in the book. But it's all a part of life.
I enjoyed this read. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read it.

Full disclosure: I'm not a cat person. (Mostly by force--I'm horribly allergic.)

So I probably don't relate to many of these comics like cat-owners would--I think I'm missing some of the nudge-nudge-wink-wink moments that cat lovers share. There are lots of cute moments, many laugh-inducing situations, and lots of tear-jerker frames, as well. I particularly liked seeing how each family member interacted with Linney in a different way.

I was able to relate to much of the fear and grief of having an aging pet as someone who has been through the same thing with a dog--so that was one section I definitely felt a connection to.

Woe: A Housecat’s Story of Despair is the collection in a single book of Lucy Knisley’s comics about her beloved family cat, Linney. In the advance reading copy, the drawing styles randomly vary from more simplistic to more refined, which implies that this compilation arranged the comics in an order that facilitates Linney’s story in a narrative arc. There are many depictions of Linney’s daily cat-ish behavior that will make other cat owners smile in recognition. Ms. Knisley’s love for Linney shines through and the comics do convey the unique relationship Linney has with each family member. This book would likely be most enjoyed by fans of Lucy Knisley who have been following Linney over the years. Independent of that prior relationship with the author’s work and when viewed as a stand-alone graphic novel about a cat, the book does not particularly stand-out.

An adorable and touching ode to the love we have for our pets, Woe is a wonderful but heart-wrenching look at how much of an impact they have on our lives, even though theirs are much too short. Woe does not flinch away from hard feelings, instead inviting us to understand and embrace them.

I love this author and this one did not disappoint. It was funny and touching and sad. Linney is a great cat.

Will be a huge hit with veteran Lucy Knisley fans as well as any cat-lovers. Knisley always infuses her slice-of-life comics with deeper philosophical and emotional themes, and WOE is no exception.

This collection of comics is so sweet, though it's not my favorite from Lucy Knisley. There are definitely a couple of people who will receive this book as a gift when it comes out in July, though, and it did absolutely make me cry (not in a bad way). Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the digital ARC.

In a Nutshell: A purr-fect book for all cat lovers, though the ending is somewhat bittersweet. Much recommended!

I grabbed this graphic comic book for the title (Love the use of “Woe!” as a substitute meow!), the cat on the cover (I adore dogs, but cats come a close second), and the author (loved her graphic memoir: “Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos”) In other words, I didn’t read the blurb and totally judged the potential of the book based on these superficial factors. And guess what?! This time, it worked!

I have not had the pleasure of reading Knisley’s online Linney comics as I am rarely aware of web-based comics. But apparently, this is a hardcover edition containing all Linney comics, collected in a single book for the very first time.

Linney was adopted by the family at an older age, so she came preloaded with catty attitude. She knows that her requirements are foremost, and the humans exist merely to service her demands. I love how Linney is given a somewhat royal tone, so every time a speech bubble comes in her first-person perspective, she sounds just as condescending and snooty as cats would if they could talk.

You don’t need to be an ailurophile to enjoy this book, though being one would certainly help you understand Linney’s behaviour even more. The author’s fondness for Linney is very clear, as is her understanding of the cat’s personality. Be it Linney’s thoughts or emotions or actions, the author seems to have captured everything with perfection.

The author's preschooler son also makes a regular appearance in the book, raising the cuteness factor exponentially. There is also a friendly dog whose enthusiasm for Linney is as hilarious as Linney’s repugnance for him.

Most of the story is cute and funny, but the ending is somewhat bittersweet. This doesn’t reduce the impact of the book as there is a foreshadowing of what’s to come in the introductory note as well as repeated references to Linney’s being an older cat. But it is still sad to read. I can’t imagine how the author dug up the mental fortitude to pen that section; it must have been so painful. I hope she found healing by sketching it.

As the above might lead to some tears while reading, I am glad the book doesn’t end at that point, but proceeds to a finish with a happier memory.

The illustrations are quite simple, but funny and totally apt for the book. As the author rightly says, cats have no predefined shape, so you don’t draw a cat, but you draw the personality of a cat. Goes without saying that the author has nailed Linney’s royal personality in every sketch.

The only thing I am not sure about is why this is labelled a teen book. While there is nothing age-inappropriate in the story, the content is universal and will appeal to every cat lover. At the same time, the ending might be a little upsetting to some sensitive kids. I would rather label this a generic/adult graphic novel than as a children’s or teen’s title.

A teeny complaint: I wish a photo of the actual Linney had been included at the end of the book.

This book was read jointly with the two not-so-little readers at home and the three of us loved it equally. We laughed heartily at Linney’s pompous dialogues and her antics, and had a sad smile on our faces at the end.

Definitely recommended to all cat parents, pet parents, and animal lovers and to those who enjoy funny animal books.

4.5 stars, gladly rounding up.

My thanks to Random House Graphic and NetGalley for the DRC of “Woe: A Housecat's Story of Despair”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Before I get into the bulk of my review, a quick thank you to NetGalley and the publishers over at Random House Graphic for allowing me access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Woe: A Housecat’s Story of Despair is a graphic novel that follows an orange cat named Linney who is just like your own cat. Linney has very specific needs and wants which gives her servants (“owners”) a lot of fun stories about her. Any cat owner will find similarities between their own cats and Linney in fun comic form. Woe: A Housecat’s Story of Despair comes out on July 2nd and is available for preorder now.

Linney is just hilarious. She also speaks in a very specific way that all cat owners can understand. What cat doesn’t sound like a Victorian child in desperate need of aid? I found this so relatable as someone with a 9 year old cat who is just very specific in what she likes and dislikes. I DO wish that there had been a running theme or something to tie all of these comics together throughout the graphic novel. There were some harsh breaks between different situations which I didn’t love.

Otherwise, this was so cute and so sweet (and so sad at the end) and I definitely recommend it for fans of cats, for cat servants, and people who enjoy a good graphic novel/comic.

Lucy Kinsley always delivers an amazing, funny and heartbreaking story through her illustrations. Woe is funny and heartwarming to read. Anyone who has ever loved and lost a pet will find the story relatable. Highly recommended.

Sometimes I am confused about which category books are placed in. I was poking through to see what books are coming out for the library collection, and stumbled across this little gem. And...was confused. What was this doing here? WAS it a teen book? So I decided to check it out.. I do collection development for ages 0-18, and this just didn't seem to fit from the description.

After reading it, I haven't changed my mind. Not that there is anything inappropriate in this book, and I did truly enjoy it. It's a sweet, loving, funny book that as a cat mom, definitely wrenched my heart there towards the end. I felt like the intended audience-which is why I am still confused it's in teen. If I was still a bookstore manager, I would shelve it either with humor or the little gift area near the register. As a librarian, I'd shelve it in NF graphic novels for adults. A graphic (if exaggerated for humor) cat and cat companion memoir. Would a teen who likes cats enjoy it? Yes. But to me, the primary audience is adults. That being said, if you like cats, read it. It was great.

A perfect cat book does exist! I absolutely loved getting to know Linney and laughing at her antics, her tales of woe, and her big personality. The art wonderfully captures expressions, body language, and emotions. I have never met Linney but I feel like I have. I also loved the humans in the story, and the very friendly dog, Flora. This book made me laugh AND cry. I was crying at one in the morning with my cats nestled close to me. If you've ever loved a cat, this book is for you.

I read an ARC. This book left me in tears and had me giving my cat extra snuggles. I'd seen many of these comics on social media before and knew that Linney the cat was no longer alive, but it still hit. This book will do well with animal lovers who know the joys and frustrations of living with a cat. The art is so lively and full of personality. I can't wait to share this with others!

I received an electronic ARC from Random House Graphic through NetGalley.
Linney will capture your heart. Knisley shares cartoons she has created to share their cat's life. Readers will feel they are there also as they see the world from Linney's perspective. The humor comes through clearly for readers of all ages. Sadly, Linney is an older cat so readers see the end of her life as well. I appreciate the last few pages sharing about getting her from the shelter as a cat not a kitten. There are certainly sad moments but that makes the book more real as it lets readers see all of the emotions involved when owning pets.