Get Your Free Audiobook
The Cows
Non-member price: $20.45
Publisher's Summary
Shortlisted for best audiobook in the Specsavers National Book Awards 2018.
The Sunday Times best seller.
Fearlessly frank and funny, the debut adult novel from Dawn O’Porter needs to be talked about.
This audiobook contains an audio exclusive Q&A with author Dawn O’Porter.
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.
The Cows is a powerful novel about three women. In all the noise of modern life, each needs to find their own voice.
It’s about friendship and being female.
It’s bold and brilliant.
It’s searingly perceptive.
It's about never following the herd.
And everyone is going to be talking about it.
Critic Reviews
"A funny, smart, kind, incredibly truthful book about women...all the shame, judgement, envy and love that being alive and female entails." (Polly Vernon)
"Smart and insightful." (RED)
"Dawn's writing is addictive - fearless, beyond feisty and seriously funny." (Mel Giedroyc)
"Funny and excruciating. You'll think about it for weeks!" (Kristen Wiig)
"I loved it. Funny, moving, twisty.... Wow! I couldn't stop reading it." (Jill Mansell)
More from the same
Author
What members say
Average Customer Ratings
Overall
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars155
-
4 Stars45
-
3 Stars16
-
2 Stars5
-
1 Stars4
Performance
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars157
-
4 Stars38
-
3 Stars7
-
2 Stars2
-
1 Stars3
Story
-
4.5 out of 5 stars
-
5 Stars136
-
4 Stars40
-
3 Stars15
-
2 Stars8
-
1 Stars4
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Cate M
- 14-08-2019
I Don't Think I'm the Target Market for This
Like I said, I don't think I'm the Target Market for this book. In fact, I'd rather give it two stars ; but I thought I'd be generous. I wanted to like this more, but simply didn't.
Although I'm a middle aged woman, I simply did not relate to these characters. The plot devices started with implausible (a "shameful" incident on the train), which I was willing to accept as a way to access the story. But then they quickly became ridiculous (i.e., Stella's behaviour). The ending with the almost tied-up-in-a-bow, but not completely, was simply bland. It was as if the author wanted to avoid the happily ever after trope, so some tragedy was thrown in.
All in all, it felt like it was trying to be feminist chic lit and ended up failing on both levels. Although the commentary on social media and public shaming, trolling, etc. was pertinent (and I shuddered at the horror of having one's actions misattributed and being so publicly judged), the book left me cold.
The reading was reasonable. It's not the worst I've heard, but could be better. I would prefer it if the reader (who is also the author) either used quite distinctive voices for each character or did not do so at all. The voices/accents seemed to merge for me and further detracted from the story.
Finally, was the book sponsored by a particular cosmetics company? It felt like the set up for a drinking game: take a shot everytime Brand X is mentioned.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 30-10-2019
Loved it
It's a book of amazing women that find their own way and their one truth and wasn't afraid to be themselves, regardless of all the difficulties that came their way.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Annabelle
- 21-08-2018
Brilliant - loved it
Love love love .... worth reading - love Dawn O’porter - very enjoyable and great narration - great hearing Dawns voice
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 28-06-2018
First review after reading 100s of books
I just had to review this!! I listened to this as an audio book and I’m so glad I did. Absolutely fantastic, did not want it to end. First book I have genuinely laughed out loud. Feel good book that makes you realise how amazing women really are without being too feministic.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kate Black
- 28-01-2020
Hilariously brilliant!
This was my first ever audiobook and boy was it a cracker! It had me in stitches on my normally mundane commute to work. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a light-hearted, funny read.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 27-11-2019
interesting lovely read
Really interesting read with various perspectives explored and taken into account properly. Definitely recommend this book, the audio version was so easy to listen to!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michelle
- 26-11-2019
Brilliant
This is honest, funny and so true. It is an insight into the reality of how women are judged for being women.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 19-11-2019
loved it!
I really enjoyed this. Lots of laughs during the story. It had a great narrator and it was an interesting and thought provoking story to listen to and get involved with the characters.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nina
- 17-11-2019
Absolutely loved the story!
Initially, I was a bit skeptical as I thought the book title is a bit weird, but reviews convinced me to listen to it. I loved the story. It was sad, funny, thought-provoking, sexy and everything in between. Highly recommended!
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance3 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 09-11-2019
great story with poor ending
mostly entertaining but I lost interest on the unbelievable plot that pulled the characters together.
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mark
- 05-11-2017
Smart, funny, feminist
I learned about this one after the author was on The Guilty Feminist podcast. Like that show, the book is smart and funny and examines the hypocrisies and insecurities that undermine efforts to be feminist. The writing operates in the vicinity of “Bridget Jones” and Liane Moriarty. The book revolves mostly around the idea of whether society allows 42-year-old moms to be sexual beings, after a main character’s private moment is caught on video and becomes a viral sensation. I’d read some reviews that things went too far, and I'll admit I was yelling “no, no, no!” when one of the characters did something seemingly unforgivable. But the power-of-sisterhood ending was perfect. Grade: A-
P.S. The audio version has three different narrators, including the author, and all are great.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- ROBIN
- 20-04-2017
I listened to it anyway...
One of the reviews I read for this book said "cringe-worthy", and shortly into the story I realized it absolutely IS cringe-worthy... but I am SO glad I listened to it anyway! This book is unlike any I have ever read or listened to, and I am so glad that I didn't miss out. I cringed, I laughed out loud more than once, I found myself almost in tears at one point, and now I'm sad that it's over, but happy that I read it. Easily 5 stars
2 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Michael
- 06-08-2018
Don't judge a book by the title!
This book is enlightening and interesting. The characters are incredibly deep and their intersectionality is subtle and well done. This is a story of feminism thru and thru. The title is explained in the beginning, but not necessarily does the theme come to fruition. I highly recommend you get it despite the title. Oh, and I usually don't like authors narrating, but in this case I couldn't tell you which character was hers -- they were all of high caliber and talented!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Stefanie
- 13-03-2018
So much love and resonance I have goose flesh!
Such a wonderfully current reflection on feminism, media, judgement, life.. I am a big fan of surprises, so I won't say anything about the plot because it's full of little twists and turns that kept me gasping, laughing, and crying "no!" The narrators are all fantastic. I can't believe I had never heard of this book before. I will be sure to make sure my loved ones aren't left in the dark - this is a must read! I feel entertained, uplifted, and empowered.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- PollyAnna2
- 12-01-2018
Absolutely Loved it!!!
Really fantastic writing! Witty, relatable and totally engaging.
The narration was stellar by all three characters as well.
Will definitely be looking forward to more from this author!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- lisa
- 15-11-2019
haha some really funny parts
A cute and funny book! Loved the characters, the storyline, and the ending! So glad I got it!!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jennifer H. Ditman
- 11-09-2019
Brilliant
Dawn O Porter manages to entertain while not alienating the many different types of women.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- K80
- 27-07-2017
Fabulous
This is the most riveting book I've read in ages! Well done! Thought it was wonderful.
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ruth F. Greenberg
- 21-04-2017
Light yet poignant and completely engaging
A really good read that is well written and well-narrated. I highly recommend this very contemporary, funny, a little bit outrageous, engaging read that seems like a light "chick-flick" in book form but is actually an edgy feminist tale.
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon34678
- 31-05-2017
Highly recommend, one of my favorites
Fantastic plot and character development, important messages in the content. Really loved this book! Go for it!
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Hippynat
- 24-05-2017
Awesome
Feminism how it should be, honest and gory in its detail ( but not in a horrid way!) it was really well written and (key) really well read by different actors and Dawn - I haven't been able to stop listening! I've enjoyed it immensely and cannot wait for more by Dawn. I loved her other books (though I'm definitely not a teenager) but this was more realistic and I felt really connected to the characters.Such a gem of a book I'd recommend it to women and men such a breathe a fresh air from chick lit. Go read it 😊
28 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Isobel
- 15-08-2018
Surprised I enjoyed this book!
This was not a promising book for me, as there is not a lot of modern fiction that impresses me, I do not like swearing, and probably due to my advanced age I do not particularly revel in discussing sexual matters. Having said all of which, I think this book was enjoyable, very well-written and communicated the dilemmas, feelings and lives of its main characters very well indeed. I forgave it the liberal use of bad language as I do appreciate that it has its place and the context carried it off. There were one or two elements that were a bit difficult to accept such as the public revelation of Camilla's condition, the use by Stella of her "public" work email address for her nefarious purposes and the forwarding of Stella's fatal email by Camilla - I found these slightly irritating as none of them is likely to have occurred, but then these things were all needed to knit the plot together and the story was otherwise beautifully constructed. Let's face it - the ending was what we all hoped which may be a bit cheesy but after you have suffered so much with these characters through the development of the plot you really do deserve the gift of a satisfying ending! I did not always admire the feminist outpourings as they were sometimes a little trite and less than fully thought out but since they fitted the character who was responsible for them I tried not to examine the quality of the philosophy too closely. The book did deal with some very genuine women's issues and some very human ones. I found the examination of female friendships particularly fascinating, touching and well done.
23 people found this helpful
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mrs Hannah
- 07-06-2017
Good all round.
Good book but a little long in places. I would recommend this book how ever it's a little to far fetched in places. But worth a read.
15 people found this helpful
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars
-
Story3 out of 5 stars
- Kaggy
- 17-09-2018
Interesting but flawed
This book is really a long musing about women's issues and I can't criticise it for that. Some of the points are interesting and well made, but as a story I found it flawed. Overall I thought it struggled with trying to deliver some important and serious points but utilising Brigit Jones style characters in farcical situations. For example one of the main sub-plots involves preventing a male character seeing something on the internet. The whole idea was that his PA had complete control over his life. This was frankly unbelievable and silly. Another character is supposed to be shocked and surprised at seeing an embarrassing event on the internet even though the event happened the night before and she knew it had been filmed. Stella was a particularly good and intriguing character but her plot turns into an absurd comedy caused by her stupid and unnecessary lies. In short I think this story should either have been a drama or a comedy and it didn't really work as both.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Sue Two
- 09-07-2017
Fantastic book well done Dawn
Gripping and full of amazing insight , absolutely loved it and the honesty she writes with. Great female characters bring the story to life and tackle some very real issues facing all modern women today.
9 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- MISS
- 03-05-2017
Best book I've listened to for years!
This book had me gripped right from the start. The characters are all likeable and have their own very different stories which end up cleverly interwoven. Every woman should read this book - can't wait for her to write another!
12 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mel Chambers
- 02-06-2017
Totally fab, listen now!
Great, you'll love it. Readers/voices are excellent. Unexpected twists, very funny too. Definitely worth it.
3 people found this helpful
-
Overall1 out of 5 stars
-
Performance2 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Sara Mitchell
- 22-09-2017
Unintelligent
I found this book quite an interesting read, not least as its content and lack of any intelligent input completely were not in accordance with the descriptions of it as a best seller.
I think I wrote something on an equally intellectual scale at the appx age of 14 for my English homework which my mother promptly tore up when she read it.
I think pizza smelling farts and masturbation just about sums it up!
I feel sad for the women this is supposed to appeal to as makes them look totally stupid!
Maybe I'm just getting old.
51 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- N
- 19-05-2017
Brilliant book, I couldn't turn it off
This is a great, funny intimate companion of a book. I'm recommending it to all my femal friends.
5 people found this helpful
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story5 out of 5 stars
- Beth Jones
- 07-07-2017
My favourite Audible listen so far! By a mile!
And there have been loads, trust me! Truly excellent and delivered on every level. A must listen for anyone.
7 people found this helpful