The Cows

By: Dawn O'Porter, Laura Kirman

Narrated by: Dawn O'Porter, Karen Cass

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

Three women. A whole world of judgement.

Tara, Cam and Stella are very different women. Yet in a society that sets the agenda, there’s something about being a woman that ties invisible bonds between us.

When one extraordinary event rockets Tara to online infamy, their three worlds collide in ways they could never imagine – and they discover that one woman’s catastrophe might just be another’s inspiration.

Through friendship and conflict, difference and likeness, they’ll learn to find their own voices.

Because sometimes it’s OK not to follow the herd.

©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

‘Fierce and funny’ Bryony Gordon, DAILY TELEGRAPH

‘Smart and insightful’ RED

‘Dawn's writing is addictive – fearless, beyond feisty and seriously funny’ Mel Giedroyc

‘O’Porter’s wise and witty narrative has many thought-provoking situations and concepts. Different, poignant and smart – I loved it’ Sara Lawrence, DAILY MAIL

‘Compulsive… I can't wait for the next one’ Shappi Khorsandi

‘Feisty characters and fearless prose, THE COWS is totally addictive’ HEAT

‘Sometimes hilarious and sometimes poignant, but always rollicking and fast-paced . . . A feel-good read which will resonate with any woman’ DAILY EXPRESS

‘Entertaining and thought-provoking’ IRISH TIMES

‘A zippy and hilarious book… tackles some of the most serious issues that affect modern women today’ THE POOL

‘Fearless, frank and excruciatingly funny’ OK

‘A whirlwind of a story about three women finding their voice amid societal pressures . . . Excellent, funny, and decidedly unpatronising – as candid as Dawn’ METRO

‘An amazing book about choices and being yourself’ PRIMA

‘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

‘A terrifically fun read’ YOU magazine

‘Fast, fun and fearless… a warning bell about social media and the damage it can cause’ S Magazine

‘The Cows looks at motherhood and female friendship through a frank and funny prism that reminds me of the TV show Catastrophe. Smart, fresh and really readable – I loved it’ Tasmina Perry

‘Fast and funny’ WOMAN & HOME

‘We’ve had Bridget Jones now THE COWS is setting the agenda for a new generation of readers’ No 1 Magazine

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

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.

An Emotional Rollercoaster

This novel seems too real to be made up. The author, Dawn O'Porter has an amazing talent for creativity. This is the story of thee women and their ability to cope with the most difficult life decisions and their need to be able to choose their own outcome. As the story progresses you will find that it's almost impossible to exit the ride. This story will flip you over and make you laugh then return you upright and make you sad as you roll from life to life for each of the women. This is a power novel about women and the inner strength they have to achieve their life goals. It's a story of parenting, especially from a single mothers point of view. If you have ever raised a child or children by yourself as a single parent, you will appreciate the length that Tara, the main character goes through to raise her 6 year old daughter Annie. This is a very adult theme.

Brilliant

Dawn O Porter manages to entertain while not alienating the many different types of women.

Incredible

Amazing! I used to love Dawn before the O'Porter (heard her again on Jameela Jamil's podcast and I'm so glad I did) when she used to do documentaries. This book is honestly everything I hoped it to be and more! Getting ready to read absolutely everything else by her now!

LOVING THIS AUTHOR. LIANE MORIARTY STYLE..

Great story. It's my second book by her, and cant wait for another. Yea. y

Great book and narration !

I loved listening to this book. the narration was great and the book was filled with real life possibilities and humor and connection. Great book overall. Right after I write this I am looking for another book by this author and narrators.

haha some really funny parts

A cute and funny book! Loved the characters, the storyline, and the ending! So glad I got it!!

Fabulous

This is the most riveting book I've read in ages! Well done! Thought it was wonderful.

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!