2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas by Marie-Helene Bertino is a great holiday book. The entire novel takes place on December 23rd (the eve of Christmas Eve) and focuses on three characters searching for love and life fulfillment in the wintry, snow-covered streets of Philadelphia.
Madeleine
The novel opens with 9-year-old Madeleine Altimari holed up in her room smoking a cigarette and shimmying to jazz music at 7 A.M. Madeleine’s dream is to sing onstage like her deceased mother, but at least year’s school Christmas concert, her performance caused a ruckus and now her hopes are dashed. On Christmas Eve Eve, Madeleine faces a series of unfortunate events that eventually land her at the Cat’s Pajamas jazz club at 2 A.M.
Sarina
Sarina is a teacher at Madeleine’s school. She’s newly divorced and pines over a man she knew in high school named Ben. On the morning of Christmas Eve Eve, Sarina is invited to a holiday dinner party by a high school friend who informs her Ben will also be attending. Taking great care with her appearance and composure, Sarina attends the party with hopes of rekindling lost love with Ben.
Jack Lorca
The Cat’s Pajamas has been in Lorca’s family for close to a century. Unfortunately, jazz music is not as popular or appreciated by newer generations and Lorca’s club faces permanent closure due to a number of violations. On Chrismas Eve Eve, Lorca makes plans to save his club, but little does he know that the impending night ahead could be one of the jazz club’s most memorable nights ever.
My Thoughts
I wasn’t quite sure what to think about 2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas while reading the first chapter. I initially thought the story might be too quirky and nonsensical to follow, but changed my mind when I got to the second chapter. That’s when I fell in love with this novel.
Each chapter is labeled with the time of day, and begins at 7 A.M. on the morning of Christmas Eve Eve. The novel focuses mostly on Madeleine, Sarina, and Lorca, but there are brief chapters thrown in here and there about other characters, including a dog named Pedro. Each character in the novel is linked to another in some form, which makes the story come together perfectly in a unique, satisfying way.
All the characters in this novel are very relatable. You can’t help but yearn for Madeleine to showcase her singing talents onstage. You’ll be rooting for Sarina and Ben to have a happy ending. You’ll also want Lorca to accept his musically talented son and either maintain his jazz club or move on.
This novel is perfect and I loved it.
Its structure reminds me of those holiday movies of the Garry Marshall variety that typically feature a large cast of stars, such as Valentine’s Day (2010) and New Year’s Eve (2011). If you’re looking for a fun and light holiday read, please consider 2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas! It was great.
Other books by Marie-Helene Bertino include:
- Parakeet (2020)
- Beautyland (2024)
Last Updated on November 15, 2025 by Sarah Ann
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