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promisesatsundown's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I found the parts about Steven’s daily life far more interesting than the actual cow part of the story. That part I just could not take seriously and it bordered on comical.
But then I started to think, Steven has been horribly abused his whole life and has had no real exposure to the outside world- what’s to say that anything in the book is truly happening? Maybe he’s just sitting on his bed, the TV on and nothing is real.
It’s gross and shocking for sure, if you can’t stomach gore, bodily waste, beastiality, or animal abuse, skip this one. But if you can realize it’s just a book and try and analyze what the underlying themes are (isolation, mental illness, the need for human affection) it’s not completely devoid of merit. Three starts for what (I think) the author was trying to say and for the prose itself, which was quite good considering the subject matter. All in all, at least I can say I read it.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, and Excrement
elderlyemo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
First of all - it is well written, and does contain within it some really interesting reflections on power, nuclear family, social isolation, self worth and mental health. Steven is a very interesting character who whilst being a bit simple in practice, comes off as compelling in the prose.
Having said that, the quality of the writing makes me feel like the author could have written a much better book. The worst parts of this book - in terms of physical repulsion - are at the beginning and it does slow down into a more manageably disgusting book towards the end (right around where the titular cows start to really impact the narrative) is it still unrelenting and gross? Yes, but I don't think it's necessarily without merit.
This definitely isn't a book for everyone, but I read it in one sitting and annotated quite a lot of it which is usually an indication to me and my own depraved mind that I am getting *something* out of it. What did I get out of Cows? I don't know. But it was something.
I think how popular this book got led to its own downfall and I see it a lot on the Most Disturbing Books of All Time lists - which it totally should be - but I think the absolute lunacy of this story makes it wholly less disturbing.
I'm looking forward to reading more from this author in the future because genuinely - it could be about literally anything. Solid three stars.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Violence, Vomit, and Abortion
marisowl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
aekor's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
0.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Excrement
kingnixon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Cannibalism, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
sylvermoon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Injury/Injury detail
brutallybookish's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Gore, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Excrement, and Vomit
arsene_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Vomit, Abortion, and Murder
jocelyn73c's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
This is a splatterpunk book and probably should not be read by someone who isn't familiar with the genre. It's very graphic and challenging.spphynx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Rape, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, and Abortion