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REILLY - A DREADFUL, ADORABLE CAT
Amber Jo Illsley
Illustrated Cartoons by Christopher Lee Webster

About the book: Seamus O’Reilly was not the first. A dreadful little cat, sent down from above, landed on all fours. He - she - it???? might possibly be the answer to the prayer of a lonely woman in New Zealand. Call her Mum.

The first answer to Mum’s prayer, a ginger female called “Honeybelle;" “Honeybelle of Mandalay,” was a bad cat, too destructive, mean to Muffy and sundry visitors.

But this little new comer - answer #2 - might have possibilities, Mum thought. It was fluffy black til a good cleaning changed that to: dark grey kitty on white paws, sex: uncertain at this time.

Anyway, Mum carried it home, took a chance and named it “O’Reilly.” For a while Reilly was a pain you learned to avoid. He - it thought nothing of clawing his way up your leg leaving the incisions for you to staunch. He got a reputation. No one escaped his wounds which ranged over people’s entire bodies. And he became egotistical, and more independent. And before long, a Tomcat. “It” became a “he” and “he” was no way all warm fur and fuzzy. But Reilly had a flip-side.

Mum began to find Reilly increasingly personable. In time he became absolutely adorable. Sometimes . . . Mum was hooked. Tho she continued to muse, “Be careful of what you pray for.”

This charming story is driven by an infectious soliloquy and a moving verbal counterpoint engaging the young Tomcat and his devoted owner.

Time and again the reader is prone to slip into misconceived notions he is witness to ordinary husband-wife talk; only to pause and remember it’s O’Reilly saying those things to Mum! The playful cliches and sophisticated banter frolic in fantasy about the loving soul of this author, in sync with a living world.

To enjoy this perky tale, you don’t have to love a cat.

Selected Reviews

Reilly the cat is obviously adored by the writer, and knowing the setting of the stories made it easier to get into the imagination involved with this talking cat. The West Coast lends itself to many tales told in the book, some imagined, and others seeming just as improbable, are quite real. The stories involved in Reilly - A Dreadful, Adorable Cat were able to lift the spirit as the tales progressed.by
the end there was no doubt that Reilly was (and is) a great conversationalist with a high tendency towards seeing humour in the many and varied situations.

Overall a good, light-hearted read, one I would recommend to most age groups.

Lachan Jeffery - Biologist & author.

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Reilly is a character of a cat, whom I have personally met and found to be just as the author portrayed him…dreadful, bossy, cunning, naughty…but also a lot of fun. The author's love of animals is very evident in the writing. As bad a cat as he is, Reilly is loyal (in his own way) to the author and is a very special companion to her.

This book is a marvellous bedtime read, being light and humorous, although there were occasions when the author's vulnerability over animals came through. I did not read the book just once, but have gone back over several occasions to re-read various chapters. This is the kind of light-hearted and amusing book that you can comfortably do that with.

Being an animal lover myself, I was easily able to relate to Reilly and his amazing antics, some not so cat-like!

Reilly- A dreadful, Adorable Cat is the first book in a trilogy, and I look forward to reading about the further exploits of this rascally feline.

S A Jenkins - Business Administrator

About the author:

Amber Jo Illsley was born in the Tasman District, northern South Island of New Zealand and spent much of her early life in various places around the district. She later moved to the wild West Coast of the South Island where the setting for her book "Reilly - A Dreadful, Adorable Cat" was established.
Amber Jo's love of animals is shared with a love of books and writing. She has already had three books of poetry published as well as several historical works and is currently working alternately on several novels.
A freelance journalist for 12 years, the author has spent much of her time in traveling, in her own country and overseas in the course of her work. She now lives in Christchurch on the East Coast of the South Island.

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