The protagonists of this novel are three women living in London. They don’t know each other but fate and the internet bring them together. Tara is a single mother in search of true love. Cam is an English Carrie Bradshaw who lives her life through the internet. And Stella lives in the shadow of her dead twin sister and is desperate for a baby. Tara’s supposedly private moment on the tube that becomes a viral video and Cam’s admission that she doesn’t want children makes them the target for criticism and insult but as Cam tells Tara, “don’t follow the herd, you know? Live your life your own way.”
With strong and engaging characters, I especially loved Tara and Cam who stand by their principles and decisions no matter what society tells them. Throughout the novel I didn’t really like Stella and was worried for her mental health, but in the end she turns out a stronger and more likable character. A thought-provoking and frank novel set in the age of social media where there is no privacy anymore and everything you do may end up online for everyone to see. This is a captivating and refreshing story about sex, pregnancy, abortion, marriage, and the role of women in society and what is expected from them. (NP)
The Cows, the first adult novel by broadcaster and columnist Dawn O’Porter, is about three women who need to find their own voice. The summary says: "COW [n.]
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. Tara, Cam and Stella are strangers living their own lives as best they can - though when society's screaming you should live life one way, it can be hard to like what you see in the mirror.
When an extraordinary event ties invisible bonds of friendship between them, one woman's catastrophe becomes another's inspiration, and a life lesson to all. Sometimes it's ok not to follow the herd." The Cows is out in April 2017.