The Cows - Dawn O'Porter

For serious though, did anyone expect me to just ignore the opportunity to read Dawn O'Porter's new book? I loved Paper Aeroplanes SO MUCH and just look at this, just look at the blurb and tell me you aren't excited? Honestly, the first paragraph was pretty much enough to have me flicking through pages joyously.

COW n.
/ka?/
A piece of meat; born to breed; past its sell-by-date; one of the herd.
Women don’t have to fall into a stereotypes
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.

Have you, like me, been endlessly searching for some good old women's fiction with feminist undertones? Yes? Well, hold on to your hats cos I think this might be it. I mean, there are moments in this that are a bit... Over the top, but overall this was a well written, topical novel that has feminist themes and enforces the idea that all women are worthy and equal, not just to men, but to each other, in a way that isn't hard going or text book like.

The Cows presents us with three very different women (one of whom is a blogger, like a super successful one, not someone needlessly shouting into the void like myself) all of whom are struggling with society's ideas of what their lives should be like based on their gender. We have Tara, the working single mum, who has to deal with being in a male dominated work environment constantly being made to feel guilty about the fact that she has a child to look after and then there's her daughter, who also makes her feel guilty about wanting to have and enjoying her career, who has an unconsensual video taking of her and how that affects her life. We have Cam, the aforementioned blogger, who has to deal with disdain from her sisters and her mother because her life dream isn't to settle down and have children but to have experiences and relationships with lots of different people on her own terms and then we have Stella mourning the loss of her sister, desperately wanting to retain her femininity and settle down with a child.

At its core, this is a story about women fighting for things they want and along the way our three main characters have to deal with viral videos, online trolls, relationships with friends, family and lovers and the need for people to be individual and accepting of everyone. It questions feminism and equality by showing deep rooted prejudices, Tara regularly finds herself being put down by the men she works with and then realises that she does this to other women, feeling herself above them without knowing anything about their lives. Cam similarly likes to talk a good game about being a feminist, but inadvertently offends those with different views to her.

The Cows is an addictive, fast paced read that doesn't hold back on its message. There are a lot of subjects people might find taboo, abortions, sex, periods, that sort of thing and if you are one of those people, probably one to avoid, but if not - you need to grab yourself a copy of this asap.

The Cows is out on 6th April, so get yourself to a book shop!

I find this book exciting amazing and completley hilarious, i loved this book and couldnt put it down.

Before spotting “The Cows” I was not familiar with Dawn O’Porter and her writing but right now, after reading this novel, I am really glad that I’ve come across this author. This book turned out to be a sharp, brutally honest, bitter – sweat and very insightful novel about women, the choices they make and how hard it still is to be a woman in this society, especially when you refuse to follow the rules being set by others, to follow the herd. A very modern and thought – provoking book dealing with the role of a woman in today’s society.

The story follows three women that at the beginning have nothing in common. You know how touchy I am about novels that tell us stories about different people which paths do not cross and I was really intrigued how this is going to work this time. However, at the end, the paths of Cam, Tara and Stella do cross and yes, I was absolutely happy with this outcome – it worked for me. I admit that at the beginning I had problems to get into the story and to warm to the characters – the latter didn’t happen with all of the women. I wasn’t sure if it is going to be a novel, a story or a feministic peon, a manifesto. But “The Cows” were slowly, with every page turned, turning into a proper story that in the end I didn’t want to put down. OK, I’ll admit, I spent the last night reading instead of sleeping.
Tara is a single mother with a stable career in making documentaries. The pregnancy was a result of a one – night fling and it was Tara’s conscious decision to bring her daughter up alone, which one day will turn against her – after she’s being filmed on a train in a very intimate and uncomfortable situation her world is being put upside down. I think I liked her most, maybe because I had a feeling that there was the most background given about her, that I know her most. I also fell for her totally and kept everything crossed for her. Cam is a single life – style blogger with thousands of followers. She’s not afraid to stand up for herself, to stand her ground when it comes to consciously remain childless, to have a younger lover who comes and goes when she wants and to write about women and for women. I loved her honesty and the way she fought for herself, she was strong, intelligent and sharp. Then we have Stella, a single PA to a writer, carrying the BRCA gene and still grieving after the death of her mother and then twin sister Alice. I must admit that quickly I started to wonder if Stella’s mental health is absolutely in order – I didn’t sympathize with her, I disliked her even though the cross she had to carry was a very serious one but still, there was something in her that just rejected me from her and the more I read about her, the more I despised her. But likes or dislikes apart, the characters were vivid and really realistic with all their dramas, flaws and ups and downs.

The book covers many controversial and taboo issues, such as abortion, masturbation, periods to name only a few, in a very modern language. However, I didn’t feel offended or ashamed because in my eyes the author has dealt with those issues in a normal way, describing them just like they are, without beating around the bush, without pulling the wool over our eyes – only telling how it really is. It also deals with the dangers of the modern social media, showing what one little video going viral may done to a person. I’d only wanted the book to also deal with the young guy who has posted this video, it’s a pity there was nothing about him, as I would love to see him punished till he bled, and I am not a violent person. All were talking about and condemning Tara and nobody thought that it were her rights being violated, that she didn’t ask for this and it should be this young guy being ostracised and criticised for letting the world see what he has filmed. I hated this guy, his thoughtlessness, his inconsideration of other people’s lives and feelings. He has done the harm, not Tara.

The book started slowly and some of the events throughout the story were a little too far fetched for my liking. There were some moments that I thought “no way”, they just seemed so impossible – for example, the thing with Jason not being able to track Tara, it just didn’t sit with me, I’m sorry, but who nowadays doesn’t have an access to internet? There were some similar moments, especially when Stella was concerned but altogether they didn’t spoil the reading so much for me.

“The Cows” is a story about women standing up for themselves, standing for their beliefs, finding the courage. I loved the fact that it is so bold and so open, like any other fiction book and the author hides from nothing. She writes about each issue in her story with honesty, not apologising for being a woman and having period. She provides an excellent discussion of what it is to be a woman, about friendships. For me it was a celebration of womanhood, this book, as Dawn O’Porter writes about – and doesn’t judge! – young and older women, working or unemployed, mother, childless; those wanting children and those who don’t want them, married or single; but first of all, women who decide not to follow the herd. Recommended!

Any book with the meme #DontFollowTheHerd was always going to peak my interest.

The Cows is a story of three woman ~ Tara, Camilla and Stella. All live very different lives. All have very different stories to tell. But the one thing they have in common is that all are trying to succeed in a society that is continually challenging them and attempting to push them back down.

Tara is a single mother of a one. Working in the male dominated world of the media, Tara is tough and determined to reach and raise that ‘glass ceiling’. She has learnt to develop a thick skin and takes the snide remarks, from her predominantly male colleagues, in her stride. Her ambition has always been to achieve and succeed, to prove to both herself and her daughter that women can have it all!!

Camilla (Cam) is the social introvert who hides behind her blog and twitter feed, as a representative of all that is wrong in the world for many women today. Cam has an agenda to prove to the world that the stereo typical view of a woman is wrong. A self admitted loner, Cam struggles to deal with people in the ‘real world’, growing up as the youngest in a busy family with three sisters. Cam has never felt the need to be normal and has always struggled to fit in. Blogging was a way for her to express who she really was and in doing so she created a very successful site. Through her site, with huge sponsorship, Cam became the voice of a generation. ‘It became my life; it became my addiction. The Internet is the love of my life, because it allows me to be who I want to be’

Stella is the one that I felt most pain for. Stella’s story is very sad and in The Cows we get to see how Stella deals with managing and surviving in a world where nobody really cares anymore. Stella attempts to keep her past just that…in the past. She tries to move on and puts on the brave face that everyone wants to see. Nobody wants to deal with other peoples problems and Stella becomes all too aware of where she is in life and what awaits her down the line.

There is a quote from Tara that I think sums up where all these women and many more in today’s society are at:

‘This feeling of never being fully enough for anyone worries me’

Tara becomes the victim of a social media frenzy through an incident that, while may appear extreme, shows how one act can have such a detrimental effect on a person’s life for a very long time.

There is something quite gladiatorial about the manner in which Tara is attacked. ‘Social paranoia is a new emotion for me’

Dawn O’ Porter wrote a great post on her own blog in 2012 on the nature of Trolling (Read full post HERE) in which she states that:

‘I have been trolled, trolled real hard. Trolled so hard I haven’t slept for days. Trolled so hard my self esteem has been left raw and sore. Sore and raw. Rawsore. Trolling hurts, it hurts bad.’

With this book, the full impact of the damage caused by social media is very evident and I have full respect for Dawn O’ Porter in portraying it in all it’s horror.

The story is told with words that, I don’t doubt, will offend many, but anyone picking up a book written by Dawn O’ Porter should expect no less. Dawn O’ Porter is not known for shying away from the world. Her vocal approach to life is refreshingly honest, yet in this post she does reveal the human fall out of social media when it goes against you.

The Cows is a fictional story with a very frightening, yet realistic, narrative at it’s core. As a blogger myself I am all too aware of the chain reaction that a remark on twitter can have. In 140 characters a life can be destroyed, a career ruined. Dawn O’ Porter has expressed all this and more using the three central women as her vehicle to carry the story. People will judge this book as they see fit. It will divide many and it is definitely not a book to everyone’s taste.

But as a blogger, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister and a friend I would recommend this book to all the young women of today. The writing is sharp, witty and though at times whimsical, it’s also a very intelligent read.

The Cows is a book about standing up and not to be afraid to be heard. There are many who hide behind the screen, who rant with a viciousness that is frightening. In The Cows Dawn O’ Porter is saying, that it is ok to be afraid and that we should all strive to be who we want to be…To stand up and #DontFollowTheHerd

A funny and very entertaining book about three very different and very interesting women.
Tara is a single mum, working in the media producing documentaries, trying to be a good mum to her daughter and still going on an occasional date as she hasn't given up hope on finding Mr. Right. Cam is an independent single woman, and happily so, who has a lucrative career as a blogger and becomes the media face of women who do not want children. Stella works as a PA for a photographer, is struggling to overcome the death of her twin sister from ovarian cancer, and is facing some very tough medical decisions of her own.
So far so good, if a little ordinary, but then something happens to change the expected tone of the book completely. On a night out Tara meets Stella's boss and the chemistry is instant...so much so that she ends up masturbating on a train on her way home. Thinking she is alone, she is horrified to realise she was filmed and the footage ends up online, destroying her life as she knows it. She does find a new friend in Cam who writes a blog in support of her , and their friendship grows stronger as the book goes on. Meanwhile Stella is struggling with the fact she may not have a child as she faces radical surgery to try to prolong her life, and comes up with a devious and deceitful plan to get what she wants.
Sharp, funny and not afraid to be dark when the story demands it, I really enjoyed this book a lot. While each of the three characters were very different, they were also very real, none was entirely good or bad and there were things I could empathise about in each case. It was a very clever and brave move to make the most sympathetic character , Tara, do something so outrageous , while the character of Stella, who should have been easy to feel sorry for was actually the least likeable. Turning convention on it's head like this made the book a much more interesting read.

I absolutely loved this book and found it so funny but it also highlighted real issues. I can honestly say it's the best book I have read this year so far. It had me laughing out loud quite a lot but was also touching and emotional as well. I enjoyed that it was partly written as a blog and found it so easy and enjoyable to read. Will definitely look out Dawn's other books. Would 100% recommend this.

This is different in a good way to anything I have read before. A great diversion from my normal genre. So part of the times with viral videos, trolling, blogs and other current challenges. A story told by three very different women whose lives intertwine by bizarre circumstances. A very honest, direct and sometimes cringingly awful account of the drama's of these three. No holds barred from this book. A great read both funny and sad with a variety of realistic characters. I did find a couple of scenarios a little unbelievable but didn't stop the enjoyment of book.

I admire Dawn O'Porter's writing style on Twitter and IG posts so I really wanted to read her new book and was thrilled to be offered the chance to read this and review with my thoughts,​ thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins.

It was a slow burner to start and it is quite a lengthy book I'll be honest,but, so addictive and I didn't want to stop reading it. The book follows three women, Cam, Stella and Tara, through overlapping storylines. I think for me the style of the book is almost like a TV drama series, which makes sense considering Dawn O'Porter's work on TV and vlogs.

Covering 21st century first world issues such as dating, parenting, blogging, feminism, fake friends and going viral; it contains high drama and some hard hitting moments guaranteed to stun you but further pokes you to consider different angles on a 'story' and the perspectives and realities of those we see online, or in the media, and how twisted it can all be.

Not one for the prudish or probably the very people O'Porter gently pokes fun at (the 'offended by everything brigade' in the Mail online comments sections), it's a bit Caitlin Moran's How to be a Woman and Sex In The City. There are plenty of lessons to learn about how women work best when they stick together rather than comparing and criticising, and that despite many differences we can and should celebrate individual perspectives, outlooks and goals alongside commonalities.

This novel is about three women, Tara, Stella and Cam.

Tara is a single mother who makes online documentaries. Cam is single and a feminist who is committed to being childless. She writes a blog about women and their issues. Stella is grieving the death of her twin sister, Alice, who had ovarian cancer.

The contents of this novel might offend some people as it covers abortion, sex, periods and masterbation, to name a few. It tells about the dangers of videos going viral.

I did enjoy this novel but some scenarios were just a little far fetched. I will leave you to make your own mind up on these. A well written topical novel about women who stand by their beliefs. Definitely not a book for the prudish.

I would like to thank NetGalley, HarperCollins UK HarperFiction and the author Dawn O'Porter for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dawn O'Porter is a wonderfully writer, especially when it comes to female characters. This book is no exception. The 3 main characters, whose narrative we follow, are all strong women, but also very different.

Without giving too much away, as the blurb is very vague, the three characters go through some very difficult times which many women can relate to (although probably much less extreme situations!)

There are some brilliant laugh out loud moments, but also some shocking and heartbreaking moments. Be prepared to experience a range of emotions.

This was one of those books that as I was reading, there were a few poignant moments and a couple of interesting things to mull over but once I had finished, the floodgates opened and I sat back and contemplated further the story I had just read. My initial thoughts being that I wished I had someone to discuss it with and, for that reason, I think this will be a big book club book.
It follows three very different women. Tara is a single mum who works making TV documentaries, Cam is a blogger and Stella is the PA to a photographer/writer. When we first meet them, life for each is mostly ticking along quite nicely. Then Tara's private moment goes viral on video, Stella's relationship goes south, mostly due to her inability to break from her past, and Cam's blog starts to go in a different direction as she becomes more vocal about certain topics.
It's hard to say any more about the characters and the story as there is really nothing given away in the blurb and so I guess the author wants to keep her cards close to her chest. Anyway, some of the things are best discovered at the right times and the right time is not before you start the book!
What I will say is that, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Not my usual genre and probably due to that, not too hard to put down or get sidetracked from, it was nevertheless on the whole, a satisfying read. Leaving me, as I already said, plenty to think about long after finishing.
It is well written, the three main characters were easy to distinguish and came across as pretty real. I found Cam and Tara easier to relate to than Stella but then there was more connection on a personal level with them and not so much with Stella. Talking about personal level, this book does cover some quite controversial and brave topics, one of the reasons I think it will be a great book club book. Especially with what happens to Tara and the way it is "reported" and the "internet's" reaction. That part was especially interesting to me as I have only just recently finished another book that covered the way thing happen in the media! The supporting cast were good too. I especially liked Jason although I did find his ability to stay completely away from the internet for that long somewhat unbelievable. Has he really no contact with anyone else other than Stella?
Cutting through the noise though, the book focuses on friendship, empowerment and, to a certain extent, what it is like to be a woman who doesn't follow the herd. It's also a book that I will be chewing the cud over for a bit longer yet.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

This was awesome!!! I wasn't expecting this book to be so extremely funny while at the same time telling a damn good story. Writing style was unique and that means a lot when you read so many books that sort of blend together when you're reviewing your "read" shelf. This one will stand out in my memory. Very well done!!!

Thank you to net galley and the publishers HarperFiction for an ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

A thoroughly modern book that deals with the role of women in society today, the complexity of the internet and trolling, blogging, the Daily Mail and trial by press.

There were some outrageous laugh out loud moments; Tara's moniker after the "train incident" when seen through the eyes of her daughter as a superhero's alter-ego was brilliant. The writing was witty and shocking and enlightening and there are elements of the three main characters ; Tara, Cam and Stella that I am sure most women can relate to. Whilst there probably aren't many of us who will find ourselves in Tara's situation, who among us hasn't done something totally out of character at some point in our lives on a night out that by pure luck hasn't ended up front page news?

The ending was shocking and heartbreaking, but then uplifting, and did make me feel that I could go out and achieve anything I set my mind to.

I'm giving it 3.5 stars, because whilst I really, really enjoyed the book, I couldn't shake the feeling that a lot of it read like an essay in feminism and this was at the expense of developing the characters to be more rounded and the story flowed less evenly as a result.

So disappointing after I had read such fulsome praise by people whose opinion I respected. This was vacuous nonsense dressed up as feminism. It begins with a definition of a cow, the subtext being that women shouldn't be regarded as passive animals designed either to breed or be regarded as 'meat', yet within a couple of chapters, one supposedly sympathetic female character calls another a complete cow, with no apparent irony intended, just as a throwaway insult. I have a pet peeve when it comes to women selling feminism as a commodity, as if a trending hashtag inspired her to write a book which would appeal to women just on the basis of that.

What a book! Totally loved it! It's not my usual genre (crime/thriller is where you'll usually find me) and it's the first book I've read by this author, but it won't be the last. I laughed, cried and even put my hands over my eyes at one point in embarrassment solidarity with one of the characters. The characters are so real and likeable I was immersed in their stories...and what stories they are!! I can't praise this book enough.

This is the second time in less than a week that Netgalley have emailed me about a book that is not my normal genre. However, I'm familiar with Dawn O'Porter. I've watched her documentaries, I've read her magazine articles, I've read her tweets, so I decided to try this book.

Usually I find Dawn very funny. Even her tweets are witty and the articles I have read by her are well written but I don't think she makes a good novelist. Some of the 'famous' people who read the book state it is 'excruciatingly funny'. Well god knows what book they were reading, but I didn't find much humour in this.

I will say I quite liked Dawn until she published her first novel and I read the Amazon reviews. Unfortunately for Dawn, someone left a very personal one star review that garnered a lot of attention and it was unfavourable to Dawn. Of course it was all alleged and nothing was proven but it tainted my opinion of her. I then noticed a few times on her twitter that she isn't very good at taking criticism so I doubt she will like this review!

The story deals with what goes on in social media. Abusive tweets, viral videos, blogging, trolling (is Ms O'Porter having a go at her own trolls?!). I found some aspects of the storyline far fetched.

I'm sure others will enjoy it but as it's not my normal genre, I didn't particularly enjoy it or the 'message' it's trying to get across.

I am going to start this review by saying that I didn't very much enjoy Dawn O'Porter's first novel, Paper Aeroplanes. Despite that, I was still excited when The Cows was made available to me through Netgalley. I do like O'Porter and her documentaries, and the blurb on that accompanied this book sounded promising.

This book has changed my opinion on O'Porter as a novelist. Like the little check-ins with the Daily Mail online that many of us enjoy, it is addictive. The book follows the story of three female protagonists: Tara, a single mother and online documentary-maker who, in the opening pages of this book, is filmed masturbating on a public (but empty) train; Cam, a single feisty feminist in her 30s, committed to remaining childless, who writes a very successful blog about being a woman and women's issues; and, finally, Stella, a lonely, soon-to-be single P.A. carrying the BRCA gene, who is grieving the death of her twin sister, Alice, from ovarian cancer. That all makes it sound like there's a lot going on in this novel, but O'Porter handles the ins and outs of all this drama excellently.

What I really like about this book is the sheer boldness of it. O'Porter is absolutely fearless in how she writes about the situations that affect women. Masturbation, sex, orgasms, periods, pregnancy, abortion: O'Porter hides from nothing. She tackles each topic unapologetically, empowering each of the women she celebrates in these stories. If you are a bit prudish, you might recoil at some of the language used here, but it didn't phase me in the slightest.

The characters O'Porter creates between this book's pages are funny, engaging and vivid. I especially love Tara and Cam, both strong, admirable women who forge their own paths in life. Stella, I found myself liking a little bit less. In fact, there were times while reading this novel that I felt myself really pitying her, often worrying about the state of her mental health, and just wishing she would shake herself. But she came through a little better for me towards the end of the book.

Overall, the characters are believable, although some of the situations they got themselves into hung a little bit of the edge of reality, for me. I mean, can you imagine yourself masturbating on a public (but empty) Tube on the Victoria line, just because you felt "horny"? And what Tube that leaves Tottenham Court Road at 11:40pm (approx.) on a Friday night is completely empty? And, even if it was, would you still feel comfortable going for it? (If you would, power to you, but I just found this a little farfetched.) There were other times throughout this book where I thought to myself, "No, that would never happen". For example, in the digital, social media-infiltrated world in which we live, are we expected to believe that something as scandalous as the video of a young, single female pleasuring herself on a London Tube (which we are told has gone viral and been viewed over 3 million times) would escape the attention of a male photographer with an online following and presence? The man in question is Jason, Tara's love interest, who was the cause of her getting so fired up on that very train ride. Right after meeting Tara and saying his goodbyes, he was hit by a cyclist and his phone fell down a drain (leaving him with no way of contacting her). Are we expected to believe that just because he couldn't access the internet on his phone for a period of time, he escaped the hype, the public gossip, the newspaper articles, the Sky News interview etc. relating to this scandal? You can't write a book about the absolute soakage of the internet and social media and then expect us to believe that a story as big as this one didn't reach the one person Tara was trying to track down. Again, it just didn't ring true for me.

Despite these minor blips, however, The Cows proves itself to be an immensely enjoyable read with some excellent discussions of women and their friendships with each other. I love how it pays tribute to all kinds women: mothers; older, married women; single women; women who don't want children; powerful, successful women; and women who refuse to follow the herd. This book is a searing and fearless look at the choices women make in spite of their sex or biological make-up, and the consequences that can come from speaking about your choices in a public forum. I think it is a truly courageous offering from O'Porter that has certainly changed my opinion of her written work. Thank you so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to enjoy The Cows.

Enjoyable if slightly over the top read. Cam and Tara were my favourites, got bored easily of Stella. Very topical plotlines that seamlessly interweave between blogger, troll and the current viral sensation. This book will be trending in no time!

Just bloody brilliant!
What a book, could not put it down for 2 days. It was so current with bloggers and trolling etc it was also a story about being a woman today. Funny, cringey, sad and overall most importantly a really good read.