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A review by soppycat
The Secret Life of Cows by Rosamund Young
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
2.75
Easy and mostly charming read. Particularly enjoyed the comparisons between humans and animals throughout the stories told, such as how children do not develop into healthy, well functioning adults when exposed to situations of neglect and abuse, in the same way that animals do not in the artificially manufactured conditions of industrial farming that focus on the pursuit of maximum profit rather than wellbeing and quality. Many points mirrored my experience of being around animals growing up, and there are good points on conservation. Perhaps a lot of the information is more directed at people who do not have (much) experience or knowledge of farm or other animals.
I feel however, that the foreword does not fit with this book and soured the start of my experience to what was otherwise, a generally wholesome read. Between "Still, it's a book that alters the way one looks at the world, with dumb animals not as dumb as we would sometimes like to think" and Alan Bennett questioning why the author has not disclosed information on the sex lives of the cows and whether their individualness shows differently in those situations, I felt this was a poor choice in foreword. It would have been wiser to have someone more experienced in the topic of the book to open it in a less crude and distasteful way.
Additionally, many sentences seem to run on without adequate punctuation, which affects the writing quality, and there are points here and there that I erred on, such as an opinion on the use of vaccines in humans towards the closing of the book.
I feel however, that the foreword does not fit with this book and soured the start of my experience to what was otherwise, a generally wholesome read. Between "Still, it's a book that alters the way one looks at the world, with dumb animals not as dumb as we would sometimes like to think" and Alan Bennett questioning why the author has not disclosed information on the sex lives of the cows and whether their individualness shows differently in those situations, I felt this was a poor choice in foreword. It would have been wiser to have someone more experienced in the topic of the book to open it in a less crude and distasteful way.
Additionally, many sentences seem to run on without adequate punctuation, which affects the writing quality, and there are points here and there that I erred on, such as an opinion on the use of vaccines in humans towards the closing of the book.