Susan Finden

Susan Finden was a British author known for writing about her cat Casper, who gained fame as the "bus-riding cat" of Plymouth, England in the late 2000s. Her books documented Casper's unusual habit of regularly boarding the local number 3 bus service and riding an 11-mile route through the city. Her first book, "Casper the Commuting Cat" (2010), became a bestseller and was followed by "Casper the Commuting Cat: The True Story of the Cat Who Rode the Bus and Stole Our Hearts" (2012). Both works combined personal memoir with the story of her adopted cat's adventures and interactions with bus drivers and passengers. Finden worked as a care home worker in Plymouth while writing about Casper's exploits, which attracted international media attention. After Casper was fatally struck by a vehicle in 2010, Finden's books served as both a tribute to her pet and a documentation of an extraordinary human-animal relationship that captured public interest. The author's intimate portrayal of daily life with Casper helped establish her work within the popular genre of animal-focused memoirs. Finden passed away in 2017 at the age of 73.

Readers connected with Finden's warm, personal account of her relationship with Casper. Amazon and Goodreads reviews highlight the simple, authentic storytelling style that made Casper's bus adventures relatable. What readers liked: - Personal photographs and local news clippings added authenticity - Direct, unpretentious writing style - Focus on small, everyday moments between pet and owner - Bus drivers' firsthand accounts of Casper's journeys What readers disliked: - Some found the writing repetitive - Limited scope beyond the central bus-riding narrative - Several reviewers noted editing issues in the Kindle version Ratings: Amazon: 4.5/5 (342 reviews) Goodreads: 3.8/5 (486 reviews) "A heartwarming true story told without unnecessary embellishment," wrote one Amazon reviewer. Another noted: "The author lets Casper's personality shine through without anthropomorphizing him."

Casper the Commuting Cat (2010) A memoir chronicling the true story of a Plymouth cat who regularly took solo bus journeys around the city, documenting his interactions with drivers and passengers over an 11-mile route.

Casper the Commuting Cat: The True Story of the Cat Who Rode the Bus and Stole Our Hearts (2012) An expanded edition of the original book, providing additional details about Casper's life, his daily adventures on Plymouth's number 3 bus service, and his impact on the local community.

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