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wordsofclover 's review for:
The Cows
by Dawn O'Porter
I received a free digital copy from the author/publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Cows follows three different women, in their late 20s, 30s and early 40s, as they navigate their way through life while facing off against public opinion on what women should be and what they should do, health scares, sexuality, misogyny in the workplace and much more.
This book was absolutely brilliant and I loved all of it. It's been a long time since a book was able to make laugh out loud while reading (including when in public) and make me want to yell 'WTF!' five minutes later. This book is a laugh out loud funny, unapologetic take on feminist literature and I really feel it's a must-read. This book covers working in a male-focused environment, pressures of being a single and/or working mum, childlessness - both intentional and unintentional, abortion, public opinion, sex, orgasms, masturbation. It really has a bit of everything!All the nice bits about being a woman but all the crappy ones too!
I really loved that the women were all of varying ages and they were all at different points in their lives. Tara was a working mom, who came to work two hours early every day so she could pick up her daughter from school but was still made feel guilty by her male colleagues. She is professional but also a red-blooded woman with sexual needs and desires, as well as a desire to find love, all of which lead her to make a mistake that destroys her life.
Cam is a no-nonsense feminist blogger who enjoys a fantastic sex life with younger men, talks openly about masturbation and orgasms and her desire to remain childless. She struggles with her own anxieties of course, and often struggles to connect with her sisters and mothers - all of whom are mothers and presume she's gay because she wants to remain unattached (which doesn't even make sense cause gay people get married and have kids too). We also see her deal with online trolls.
Stella is a bit of a mess. She's still dealing with the loss of her identical twin sister and her mother to cancer while also struggling to accept that she has the BRCA gene meaning she has an 85% chance of getting the cancer that killed her family. She's desperate to have a baby and through her loss, comes up with a crazy plan to get one.
This book was just so honest and refreshing and I really loved a lot of what was discussed in it. From simple pizza farts (yes, women fart too!) to open discussion about why a woman might not want a baby, I appreciated it all. Tara's story was particularly engrossing due to how it spirals but more so because, for me, how the media treats her and the ever-changing face and mood of the internet's opinion. I loved Cam's blog and her posts which we get to read. I feel like if her blog was a real thing, I'd definitely be a fan. We need more women like Cam int he world for sure. Those who aren't afraid of saying don't use your gender as an excuse, just go and do it and demand what you want until you get it. Stella, while not my favourite character, was an intriguing one to follow as her story showed what it can take for someone to become an online troll. As a celebrity, I'm certain Dawn O' Porter has had to deal with many, many trolls herself and I like how she kind of 'unveiled' the face and mindset of a troll to show they are something to be pitied and not to be scared of. Stella went completely crazy for me and I found myself reeling at times from her decisions but she was certainly entertaining!
The ending definitely shocked me, I did not see it coming at all. But I loved how the conclusion came about and how things got better for all our girls (well, most of them but if you've read the book you know what I mean). I can't recommend this enough for people who love honest, feminist fiction.
The Cows follows three different women, in their late 20s, 30s and early 40s, as they navigate their way through life while facing off against public opinion on what women should be and what they should do, health scares, sexuality, misogyny in the workplace and much more.
This book was absolutely brilliant and I loved all of it. It's been a long time since a book was able to make laugh out loud while reading (including when in public) and make me want to yell 'WTF!' five minutes later. This book is a laugh out loud funny, unapologetic take on feminist literature and I really feel it's a must-read. This book covers working in a male-focused environment, pressures of being a single and/or working mum, childlessness - both intentional and unintentional, abortion, public opinion, sex, orgasms, masturbation. It really has a bit of everything!All the nice bits about being a woman but all the crappy ones too!
I really loved that the women were all of varying ages and they were all at different points in their lives. Tara was a working mom, who came to work two hours early every day so she could pick up her daughter from school but was still made feel guilty by her male colleagues. She is professional but also a red-blooded woman with sexual needs and desires, as well as a desire to find love, all of which lead her to make a mistake that destroys her life.
Cam is a no-nonsense feminist blogger who enjoys a fantastic sex life with younger men, talks openly about masturbation and orgasms and her desire to remain childless. She struggles with her own anxieties of course, and often struggles to connect with her sisters and mothers - all of whom are mothers and presume she's gay because she wants to remain unattached (which doesn't even make sense cause gay people get married and have kids too). We also see her deal with online trolls.
Stella is a bit of a mess. She's still dealing with the loss of her identical twin sister and her mother to cancer while also struggling to accept that she has the BRCA gene meaning she has an 85% chance of getting the cancer that killed her family. She's desperate to have a baby and through her loss, comes up with a crazy plan to get one.
This book was just so honest and refreshing and I really loved a lot of what was discussed in it. From simple pizza farts (yes, women fart too!) to open discussion about why a woman might not want a baby, I appreciated it all. Tara's story was particularly engrossing due to how it spirals but more so because, for me, how the media treats her and the ever-changing face and mood of the internet's opinion. I loved Cam's blog and her posts which we get to read. I feel like if her blog was a real thing, I'd definitely be a fan. We need more women like Cam int he world for sure. Those who aren't afraid of saying don't use your gender as an excuse, just go and do it and demand what you want until you get it. Stella, while not my favourite character, was an intriguing one to follow as her story showed what it can take for someone to become an online troll. As a celebrity, I'm certain Dawn O' Porter has had to deal with many, many trolls herself and I like how she kind of 'unveiled' the face and mindset of a troll to show they are something to be pitied and not to be scared of. Stella went completely crazy for me and I found myself reeling at times from her decisions but she was certainly entertaining!
The ending definitely shocked me, I did not see it coming at all. But I loved how the conclusion came about and how things got better for all our girls (well, most of them but if you've read the book you know what I mean). I can't recommend this enough for people who love honest, feminist fiction.