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lindasdarby's review
4.0
I'm giving this a 4 because there were some essays that I enjoyed so much and were so poignant that I can ignore the bits I didn't love. While this book was very similar to "The Shepherd's Life" I found that unlike the shepherd book John Connell wasn't bitter. In fact John Connell loved farming and the animals, he talked about finding his true self on the farm and his writing of the farm was just lovely and somewhat reminiscent of Wendell Berry for me. I found myself wanting to see his farm in Ireland(perhaps not in the winter) and enjoying thoroughly his writing on all aspects of the farm. A wonderful book.
nikarice's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
This book is like no other. It completely captures what it is like to live in a small town and grow up on a farm. He brings up so many questions that every farmer has to graple with. The mental health stuggles and family dynamics are portrayed in such an honest way. I learned so much from the history and it also gives a lot on life in Ireland. It was very negative towards factory farming which I understand but wish there was a bit more of a balance. We need all types of farms including organic ones but also well managed large farms. I can't get over this book. I love it.
beardedreading's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
Fascinating portrait of farming cattle and sheep in the modern age, not to mention relationships between generations of farmers.
Fascinating portrait of farming cattle and sheep in the modern age, not to mention relationships between generations of farmers.
bibliophilebookclub's review
3.0
I would never have seen this were it not for the Rick O’Shea Book Club on Facebook! I don’t tend to read books set in Ireland, but I liked the idea of this one. It’s the story of John’s life as he returns home to take care of his family farm. It details the usual daily grind, but John also discusses his mental health and I found that to be the most poignant take away from The Cow Book. It is a quiet exploration of his life, but it speaks volumes. Recommended for sure.
sharonleavy's review
3.0
This is the story of a 29 year old Longford man who returned home to help out on his family farm after living and working abroad.
It covers January to June, which is calving season. The author documents these couple of months and the ups and downs that come with them for farmers. He balances the monotony of daily farm life with personal stories about his relationship with his father, how important neighbours are in rural Ireland, the connections farmers make with animals, how climate change and the Department affect farming. There are also stories about the history of cows and how important they are in legends and lore.
I don't think I'm the intended audience for this, I grew up in a farming community so for me the insight may not have been as special as it would be to someone who never set foot on a farm.
The one thing that I found broke the flow of the stories (because they are all short stories and anecdotes, interconnected, rather than one cohesive novel) was the repeated use of an old Irish word here and there followed by the explanation of the word. I think the English translation interrupted the flow of the stories and may have been better suited to a glossary at the back. I would have liked to know how some of the stories ended - what ever happened to the one-eyed dog?
I'm glad a book like this exists, because I think it's important to have modern farming life documented, but I didn't really take anything from it myself, which is why I've rated it 2.5, bang in the middle.
It covers January to June, which is calving season. The author documents these couple of months and the ups and downs that come with them for farmers. He balances the monotony of daily farm life with personal stories about his relationship with his father, how important neighbours are in rural Ireland, the connections farmers make with animals, how climate change and the Department affect farming. There are also stories about the history of cows and how important they are in legends and lore.
I don't think I'm the intended audience for this, I grew up in a farming community so for me the insight may not have been as special as it would be to someone who never set foot on a farm.
The one thing that I found broke the flow of the stories (because they are all short stories and anecdotes, interconnected, rather than one cohesive novel) was the repeated use of an old Irish word here and there followed by the explanation of the word. I think the English translation interrupted the flow of the stories and may have been better suited to a glossary at the back. I would have liked to know how some of the stories ended - what ever happened to the one-eyed dog?
I'm glad a book like this exists, because I think it's important to have modern farming life documented, but I didn't really take anything from it myself, which is why I've rated it 2.5, bang in the middle.
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