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abbiey34's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
0.25
This is possibly one of the worst books I’ve ever read. The author should be ashamed of himself. The writing is poor. Very focussed on down talking women, obsessed over the word c*nt for vagina, degrading women. Understand that the women in the book are not pleasant, but you do wonder what the hell this author thinks about women. Couldn’t fully finish the book it and made me feel disturbed and unsettled. Disappointing. I wanted a challenging book to rood as Tender is the Flesh really wasn’t all that good either. But this takes it too far. I have a strong stomach, massive fan of horror films, but this is too far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment
Any trigger warning you can think of, this book has it.anissel001's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Blood, and Abortion
jolietjane's review against another edition
There’s this delicate balance to extreme horror for me. Probably not for most people, but for me. It’s a genre that I enjoy quite a bit, but I struggle with the edginess of it all. Sometimes, a book can be edgy and still pretty profound. It might have something to say, interesting characters, or just touch a nerve in a way that I haven’t had touch before.
Cows reminds me of some thing that I would’ve written when I was 14 at my edgiest. It’s just really hard, just desperate to make you grossed out or put off, while leaving 1 million different potholes in its wake. it’s to be trippy and weird, and it’s too outlandish to be treated like a regular horror story.
I did drop the book. I just didn’t like it very much and it’s desperation to make you as grossed out as possible made it significantly less uncomfortable, and more irritating.
Cows reminds me of some thing that I would’ve written when I was 14 at my edgiest. It’s just really hard, just desperate to make you grossed out or put off, while leaving 1 million different potholes in its wake. it’s to be trippy and weird, and it’s too outlandish to be treated like a regular horror story.
I did drop the book. I just didn’t like it very much and it’s desperation to make you as grossed out as possible made it significantly less uncomfortable, and more irritating.
ashceleste12's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- 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
2.75
gomets's review against another edition
2.0
well, I heard this was an odd effin book. I think if a person rates this a 4 or 5 they might want to see a dr.
mellyreads_'s review against another edition
1.0
Please don't read this. It's extremely graphic and disgusting just to be so nor in a way that gives insight to a sad situation. It felt like someone trying to make up a situation of abuse and glorifying it with no clue how.
spoopyapplepiee's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
darraghmc's review against another edition
1.0
Saw meets 120 Days of Sodom, but with even worse execution.
Stokoe would do well to note that all cows are female. Cattle is the word he was looking for for almost 200 pages.
Stokoe would do well to note that all cows are female. Cattle is the word he was looking for for almost 200 pages.
mayonessa's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The other goodreads reviewer was right when they said this book is about a man who hates his mom and shits, farts, pisses, and cums at the same time. That review made me laugh harder than any amount of poorly attempted humor that this story had.
The thing that took me out between Stokoe's boring attempts to be as shocking as possible were the great small glimpses of prose that he springs on you after using the word cunt or glit for the umpteenth time. Under the hand of a better writer, this could have been a better book, one that could have been a great exploration of toxic masculinity and the other supposed themes the book was trying to get at. Instead we get scenes so outrageously surreal and trying too hard to be gross that the book's potential is wasted in its lack of substance.
I feel like this sets the precedent of books in the extreme horror genre forgetting that they are actually supposed to be telling a story rather than authors just compiling multiple scenes that are attempting to be as gross and shocking as possible to trick readers into thinking they have actually created something that is even worth reading.
The thing that took me out between Stokoe's boring attempts to be as shocking as possible were the great small glimpses of prose that he springs on you after using the word cunt or glit for the umpteenth time. Under the hand of a better writer, this could have been a better book, one that could have been a great exploration of toxic masculinity and the other supposed themes the book was trying to get at. Instead we get scenes so outrageously surreal and trying too hard to be gross that the book's potential is wasted in its lack of substance.
I feel like this sets the precedent of books in the extreme horror genre forgetting that they are actually supposed to be telling a story rather than authors just compiling multiple scenes that are attempting to be as gross and shocking as possible to trick readers into thinking they have actually created something that is even worth reading.
mortem_soma's review against another edition
5.0
Nothing can prepare you enough to read Cows. It is the most beautiful and disgusting book I have ever read. It is elegance and revulsion. It is a baptism of violence, blasphemy and enlightenment. No matter how well read you are, you have never read anything like this.