Going Bovine [NOOK Book]

Absolutely Hilarious!

Wow, the book got a prize! I'm not surprised; it is possibly the most random, hilarious story I have ever read. If you're looking for something pretty much completely random and pointless that you will never quit laughing at/about or quoting, then look no further than "Going Bovine": you will not be disappointed! I think that it's best for geeky types: there are a number of references to the science of parallel dimensions, supercolliders, and my hero, Stephen Hawking. :D Not hard to grasp, though. Just really, really funny.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Great story!! But what's up with the language??

This story was very creative. But was the foul language necessary to portray the teenage drama this kid is going through? Libba Bray is a talented and funny as all get out author, but the language was way too much in this book!!

3 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

One crazy journey

First off, I know one ought not to judge a book by the cover, but how could I not be interested in a book called Going Bovine with a standing cow holding a garden gnome? Also, I would say that the story is not entirely what I expected it to be, but considering the description, a story like this could be just about anything. Seriously though, punk rock angel with pink wings, blobby fire demon things that destroy stuff, and a bad guy that takes the form of a knight with a space helmet. How can you not be surprised every few pages?

All that said, it was far more like an epic story such as The Odyssey or The Aeneid than I would have thought it to be. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if Bray didn't attempt to mirror something of epic legend through each of the scenarios throughout book. It does start out a bit slow, but once you get past the first 150 pages or so, it really picks up. Cameron is also not necessarily the character you would root for because of his lethargic outlook on life, but since he narrates it, you grow to love his sardonic inner dialogue. I actually laughed out loud a few times. I recommend this book to lovers of eccentric fantasies with a heavy helping of satire.

-Lindsey Miller, www.lindseyslibrary.com

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Caution when buying for youth!

I try to read books I think might be good for our teen grandchildren. This book was recommended by an area newspaper as summer reading so I expected it to be worthwhile. I can not recommend this book for young people because of the bad language and the contempt for all authority. The serious illness described in this book could have been explored without including so much crude.

2 out of 8 people found this review helpful.

Take This Funky Trip!

I laughed out loud reading the acknowledgements so I knew I was in for a good ride. Libba Bray has her finger on the pulse of the American teenager, in fact, I was continually amazed how she was able to get inside the head of the modern teenage male. The book is clever, witty, edgy, emotional and so imaginative! The characters are very current, comical and accurate but refrain from being simple stereotypes. The story is a wild fantasy and topic not often explored in teen lit. Libba Bray has found a way to allow us all to experience what is important at 17 by putting her main character in a life & death situation. I still find myself thinking about the ending.

The book had been compared to my favorite book CATCHER IN THE RYE so I picked it up to preview it before giving it to my 13yr old daughter. After reading it, I think she needs to wait t o read it until she is closer to 16. Not just because of language and sexual content, but because I don't think the book will be anything but "sensational" until she can actually relate to the characters emotionally. I recommend this book for teens in high school and especially their parents so they can get inside their teen's head and remember how we saw the world when we were young.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Waste of Time

I am a huge fan of Libba Bray. I read her "A Great and Terrible Beauty" Series and it was amazing, so when she came out with this book I bought it hot off the press. The beginning was pretty good, but the story peters out. The book is entirely random, yet predictable. I struggled to finish it, and was very glad when it was over.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

WOW all i can say is this book was INCREDIBLY boring

i bought this because a friend reccomended it but it turned out to be a huge waste f time and money. The ending wasnt so terrible i guess, but i struggled to finish it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

An Excellent Journey into Insanity

As a person who is constantly reading, it's a little easy to slip into that stream, the mainstream of books that are all sort of the same. And I'm not just talking about vampire romances, but more like those recommended feel-good books of the summer and the year's best fantasy novels. It was in the middle of my search for something different, something truly good, that I found Going Bovine. The first thing that got me was, yes, the cow with the gnome tucked under one hoof on the cover. I mean, seriously. That is pretty cool. Also, the author, Libba Bray, according to the 'about the author' on the back tab has a life dream of getting better at the drums on Rockband. I felt we immediately bonded even before page 1. Honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started, just that this kid got Mad Cow Disease and apparently drove across the nation. When I began reading it surprised me how deep the thoughts were running through this teenager's mind, and I instantly was hooked on the language and what this narrator had to tell me. It is set in the perfect small Texas town, with this perfect, quirky 16-year-old Cameron to guide us through the problems of his high-school life. He himself, is a cheesy-music loving, pot-smoking, sarcastic loser with the popular, pretty sister he has to deal with in his same grade. But everything changes when he begins to go through spasms in the middle of class and experiences sudden hallucinations of human-destroying fire giants. The doctors tell his family Cameron has been diagnosed with the human form of Mad Cow Disease, the disease that makes cows go... well, mad. And unfortunately, it does the same to humans. It gets worse and worse with many more mirages in his mind- feathers left for him with messages on them, strange websites telling of a cosmic tear in the universe... Cameron eventually blacks out after a particularly bad episode and is taken to the hospital. This is where the book gets very interesting. It is written in first-person, no doubt the best way to personally escort us into Cameron's mind, but Cameron has lost grasp on what is truly real. Though he's in the hospital for the whole time, within his mind, he is traveling cross-country, searching for a cure with a dwarf named Gonzo and a talking invincible yard gnome with the wisdom of Dulcie to guide the way, a winged punk angel with quite a thing for sugary foods. Cameron learns what's truly important, why living is living, and why death is a part of it along the way of this semi-epic, hilarious tale of space-knights, famous jazz-horns and of course, Disney World. This book had me involved the whole time, following the maybe-real journey into Cameron's mind, and loving it all the while. Definitely one of my favorite books of all time, and that's saying a lot. I recommend this to readers, non-readers, people who like cows, or are part of a happiness-cult that supports perfect bowling. (Yes, that last one is a part from the book.) Going Bovine, a truly excellent novel worth checking out and reading at least six times. So go follow Cameron in this book, and let's hope you become insane along the way.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Different!

I've read a lot of funny & weird books (Hiaasen, Christopher Moore,etc.), but this was different....only word that seems to fit. As it starts we are introduced to Cameron, a rebellious teenage boy, who is no stranger to getting into trouble. However, Cameron starts doing things he didn't mean to do, like dropping things. He thinks nothing of it and neither does anyone who knows him, because he is usually such and ornery kid. Soon, he has an episode which may be an hallucination or some kind of a seizure, which sends him to the hospital for tests. It is discoverd that he has mad cow disease (big bummer and fatal). What follows is the story of his stay in the hospital and his quest to find a cure and save the world....maybe.
Whether it's an hallucination or real, it's a funny, poingnant, sweet, philosophical epic. He is joined on his quest by a gaming dwarf, a garden gnome, and an angel.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Best book ever!

While it may not have been exactly the best book ever, I truly dug the tone it presented. It was exactly how I felt at the time and I couldn't have asked for a better book to read. I definitely recommend it. Read it; trust me you'll like it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

awesome

i loved this book! i read all 480 pages in two days! it was a bit confusing at times but it eventually explains everything! there is a lot of language used in this book...but that's fine with me i guess...i kind of just ignored it. and the ending is really shocking! kinda...my point is i reccomend it!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Seriously you will laugh until your crying (quit literally)

I've never laughed and cried so much in such a short span on time. This book deserves to be put on summer reading list. Being a recent grade I only ever like two mandated reading book, Catcher in the Rye and Crime and Punishment. This book makes me feel the same way Catcher in the rye did. As confusing as it is with all the imagery and lit references I still feel a connection a definite understanding. Their is so much of his journey that I want to believe and choice to believe and even more I allow myself believe because this is after all a work of fiction. You will laugh til you cry literally.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Y

I feel this is important to get out. The book isnt supposed to be reality if there is a talking garden gnome. In relity a lot of teens sware(i do not reccomend it). If ur looking for realistic fiction here is a warning THIS IS NOT IT. If u think thatsome of the book is random than check out rick riordan. Im sick of people commenting on if they didnt like it becuase it wasnt realiatic fiction. If ud like fiction this would probably be a great book fpr u

Enthralling

Most amazing and thrilling book I have read yet;it was completley life changing

Awesome!!!

It totally kept me hooked throughout the entire book. It hit me when he did actually die. Strange but in a good way

Monsterman

This book is a great and funny book but also has a bit of dark humor in it making it the perfect comedy book.

BEST BOOK EVAH!!!

I totally love this book so much! It's funny, quirky, and emotional at the same time. This book is so awesomely awesome (I know that's not a word) ! I recommend this book to everyone that can stand a little bit of cursing. TOTALLY LOVE THIS BOOK!!!

AMAZING

This is one of my favourtie books of all time! I loved to read this, and I can't mention how many times I burst out laughing in class, or how many times I burst out in tears in the middle of the cafeteria. This book has literately made me ROFL,and while that's completely unsanitary and not at all a sane thing to do, if you want to reach that point for once, this is the way to do it. This book is awesomely balanced between emotional and carefree moments. It's definitely the kind of book you can be proud of having read before any of your friends. Hands down, this is amazing, and Libba Bray has some other great novels, but I don't know how she could ever top this book. Though I want her to try.

definitely interesting.....

Going Bovine was certainly........quirky? Overall, it was pretty good and compelling, but it never failed to be insane. I would recommend it to anyone who like a quirky read.....or talking lawn gnomes and hypochondriac midgets......

An epic adventure I won't soon forget!

I had to choose a book to read for my English class that had to do with the topic of "finding your true identity." Thank goodness my librarian recommended Going Bovine because I loved this book from beginning to end. I immediately connected with the main character, Cameron, and appreciated his cynical and witty thoughts on everything going on around him. I found that Bray's writing style was very fresh and was quite unlike anything I have ever read. I enjoyed the fast pace of book, and even with all the crazy mini-adventures within Cameron's overall quest I didn't feel overwhelmed as I read. Every character Cameron interacted with was extremely unique and added great new material to the main plot. My favorite character was the angel, Dulcie, just because she was such a punk! I also loved how the relationship between her and Cameron developed throughout the story, going from one extreme to another. Another aspect of the book that I enjoyed was how there was so much emotion put into most of the scenes. I say "most" because the beginning is written to show how Cameron is a generally uncaring, lethargic individual. But the emotion begins to bloom as Cameron proceeds through his journey and grows immensely as a person. Starting off as the "outcast" of society, Cameron learns about the joys of life and how friends can be a great asset to obtaining true happiness. This book is recommended to all readers who enjoy fantasy, adventure, humurous, action, and all-in-all epic stories. Just be warned, I choked up at the end of the book, so be ready in case you are very emotional/sensitive towards great pieces of literature. Please give this book a chance and I promise you won't be disappointed. It sure helped me write some great essays for my English class!