Discover the fabulous new double volume hardback gifting edition containing two bestsellers by Hiro Arikawa: The Travelling Cat Chronicles and The Goodbye Cat.

This edition includes extra sparkle and elegance, with brand new front-cover illustrations, full-colour inside endpapers and sprayed edges

‘Bewitching… as self-possessed and comforting as – well, a cat’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
‘A book about kindness and love, and how the smallest things can provide happiness’ STYLIST
‘Quirky and life-enhancing’ THE TIMES
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Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and humour, The Travelling Cat Chronicles explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about the value of friendship and solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take.

In The Goodbye Cat, seven cats weave their way through their owners’ lives. Bursting with empathy and love, it explores the unstoppable cycle of life as we see how the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down.

Both huge bestsellers in Japan, at the heart of these books is a powerful message about the importance of kindness. Every page is a joyous celebration of cats and how we cannot resist sharing our lives with them.

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Readers adore THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES and THE GOODBYE CAT:

‘Delightful, insightful, full of warmth with plenty of humour’ 5 stars *****
‘Uplifting and heart wrenching in equal measure’ 5 stars *****
‘It had me in floods of tears yet filled me with hope too’ 5 stars *****
‘Wonderful! These cats are charming and truly come alive. The book is full of human – or rather, cat kindness’ *****
‘Irresistible. This is the first time since The Travelling Cat Chronicles that I cried my eyes out over a book’ *****
‘I’m glad I didn’t read it outside because I couldn’t stop crying. Truly life-enhancing‘ *****

Over 1.4 million copies sold in Japan

‘You will be wrapped in laughter and tears‘ Reader review*****
‘What I love about it is its Kindness‘ Reader review*****
‘I wanted to tap the shoulders of the characters’ Reader review*****
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The contents of each traveller’s heart is a mystery known only to themselves

Trundling through the scenic countryside of Kyoto and Osaka is the Hankyu line, a burgundy-coloured electric train that has been carrying its commuters to their destinations for decades.

Over the course of a single journey in springtime, and the return journey six months later just as the leaves begin to fall:

– a young man meets the woman who happens to take out the last copy of the library book he was about to borrow;
– an angry wedding guest dresses in a white gown to upstage the bride;
– a university student leaves home for the first time;
– a twenty-something finally grows the courage to walk away from an abusive partner
– a widow learns independence, as she and her granddaughter meet their new dog.

As the seasons and the landscapes change, passengers jostle and connect, as this gentle timeless train carries each one forward towards the person they intend to become.

‘Quirky and life-enhancing’ THE TIMES Biggest Books of the Autumn 2023
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Against changing seasons in Japan, seven cats weave their way through their owners’ lives.

– A needy kitten rescued from the recycling bin teaches a new father how to parent his own human baby
– An elderly cat hatches a plan to pass into the next world as a spirit so that he and his owner may be together for ever
– A colony of wild cats on a holiday island shows a young boy not to stand in nature’s way
– A family is perplexed by their cat’s devotion to their charismatic but uncaring father
– A woman curses how her cat constantly visits her at night

Bursting with empathy and love, THE GOODBYE CAT explores the unstoppable cycle of life as we see how the steadiness and devotion of a well-loved cat never lets us down.

A huge bestseller in Japan, every page is a joyous celebration of cats and how we cannot resist sharing our lives with them.

‘A book for every cat lover. An enchanting insight into the mysterious world of cats and their humans’ CELIA HADDON, author of Being Your Cat

**Includes seven beautiful cat drawings**
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READERS ADORE THE GOODBYE CAT

– ‘Wonderful! These cats are charming and truly come alive. The book is full of human – or rather, cat kindness’ *****
– ‘Irresistible. This is the first time since The Travelling Cat Chronicles that I cried my eyes out over a book’ *****
– ‘I’m glad I didn’t read it outside because I couldn’t stop crying. Truly life-enhancing’ *****

*** Includes a sneak preview from the author’s new bestseller, The Goodbye Cat ***

‘Bewitching… as self-possessed and comforting as – well, a cat’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘A book about kindness and love, and how the smallest things can provide happiness’ STYLIST
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It’s not the journey that counts, but who’s at your side.

Nana is on a road trip, but he is not sure where he is going. All that matters is that he can sit beside his beloved owner Satoru in the front seat of his silver van.

Satoru is keen to visit three old friends from his youth, though Nana doesn’t know why and Satoru won’t say.

Set against the backdrop of Japan’s changing seasons and narrated with a rare gentleness and humour, Nana’s story explores the wonder and thrill of life’s unexpected detours. It is about the value of friendship and solitude, and knowing when to give and when to take.

At the heart of this book is a powerful message about the importance of kindness. It shows, above all, how acts of love, both great and small, can transform our lives.
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Readers love THE TRAVELLING CAT CHRONICLES:

‘Delightful, insightful, full of warmth with plenty of humour’ 5 stars *****
‘Uplifting and heart wrenching in equal measure’ 5 stars *****
‘It had me in floods of tears but filled me with hope too’ 5 stars *****