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The Cows cover art

The Cows

By: Dawn O'Porter, Laura Kirman
Narrated by: Dawn O'Porter, Karen Cass
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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.

©2017 Dawn O'Porter (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

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) 

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What listeners say about The Cows

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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11 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved!

I really enjoyed the twist in this. Very funny, emotional, thought provoking. 10/10! Would recommend. Great narration as well.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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1 person found this helpful

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Brilliant - loved it

Love love love .... worth reading - love Dawn O’porter - very enjoyable and great narration - great hearing Dawns voice

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

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.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

The novel of my generation.

Every woman, whether she is single or couple, a mother or childless, should read - or listen to - this book. The intwined storyline draws you into the world of Camilla, Tara and Stella. The storyline is happy and sad, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. I laughed out loud, cringed uncomfortably and cried hysterically.

To me, this book is the novel of my generation - the way it tells the story of females in a modern world is worthy of all the praise I can conjure.

I loved it.

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Love the author found the book disappointing

Don't have a wank on a subway and try to spin it into a feminist issue...

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  • Overall
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Surprising

I am not usually a fan of chic-lit. I often find it shallow and cringey. However, maybe it was just the right moment in my life to listen to this, but I loved it. I found all the characters relatable, believable, and I interesting. I was interested in where the book was taking me, and I enjoyed the ride. I was genuinely sad when it ended, which was odd - I'm normally impatient. It could just mean I was in the mood for something light, but this book hit the target.

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  • Overall
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Thoroughly enjoyable book

Terrific story about three women finding their inner voices.. Feminism, motherhood and friendships are all intertwined into a thought-provoking, funny and fearless read.

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