Book Review: The Cows by Dawn O’Porter

The Cows by Dawn O’Porter

Release Date: 6th April 2017

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 464

Genre: Women’s fiction, humour

Buy: Hardback  Kindle

Rating:

 

 

What’s the Story?

COW [n.]
/kaʊ/

A piece of meat; born to breed; past its sell-by-date; one of the herd.

Women don’t have to fall into a stereotype.

Tara, Cam and Stella are strangers living their own lives as best they can – though when society’s screaming you should live life one way, it can be hard to like what you see in the mirror.

When an extraordinary event ties invisible bonds of friendship between them, one woman’s catastrophe becomes another’s inspiration, and a life lesson to all.

Sometimes it’s ok not to follow the herd.

My Thoughts

The Cows brings us into the lives of three very different women. Cam is a hugely successful blogger who is unafraid to speak her mind, Stella is working as a PA whilst struggling to come to terms with her past, and Tara, a single mum who works within the male-dominated media industry.
It quickly becomes apparent that these women have more in common than you might think…They are each trying to find their way in the world, trying to find their own ‘voice’ and live up to the pressures that modern-day women are forced to face in such a challenging society.
When Cam’s blog changes direction, Stella’s personal life begins to unravel, and Tara finds herself at the centre of a viral-internet storm the three women’s stories become intertwined in a compelling and unforgettable way…

I am a massive fan of Dawn O’ Porter. I love her writing (I adore her column in Glamour magazine) and I also loved her YA novels. She is one of those women who I see as an inspiration, she talks a lot of sense and I love pretty much everything about her.

Naturally I was MEGA excited when I learnt she had dipped her toe into the world of adult fiction – and what a cracker of a story The Cows turned out to be. Relevant, bang-on-the-money and a huge power-house of a novel; this was one book that I simply could not get enough of. I gobbled my way through this story faster than I plan on demolishing a king-size bag of mini-eggs this weekend. It was smart, frightening, kick-ass, realistic, moving, funny and surprising. Perhaps a weird range of words to use when describing one book but those were the first ones that came to mind…and perhaps another reason as to why this book is so very special.

It’s a bold statement to make but The Cows is completely unlike any other book out there at the moment. It has that something special, as cheesy as it would be to say it has the ‘X-Factor’ I’m going to put it out there and say it, regardless…) There’s no denying that this book is pretty damn unique.

Dawn is such a superb storyteller. She has crafted these three brave, bold and relatable females and turned them into characters that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading the book. They are complex and they felt so very real. Their stories felt real, their problems felt real and the issues they faced felt frighteningly real. You might not always agree with the decisions they make, but you will undoubtedly grow to care about these three women.
The issues tackled in this book are incredible and really couldn’t be more relevant. One of the main topics that Dawn tackled which stood out for me was the power of the internet, especially as a blogger myself. With the rise of YouTube and social media, it’s frightening how 140 characters can literally make or break a person. The way this is incorporated into the story is hugely thought-provoking and unsettling.
The other overriding theme is the problems faced by everyday women in todays modern world. Friendship, motherhood, trolling, relationships and most predominantly, will we, as women, ever be enough?

I predict really big things for this novel, and rightly so. It is definitely deserving of all the praise it’s been receiving and I cannot recommend it enough. It should be required reading for females everywhere – not only does it convey a hugely important message, but it has a brilliantly executed story at its centre. A must-read.

A huge thank you to Emilie at HarperCollins.

 

 

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