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A review by spcandybars
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This book has been sitting on my list for YEARS and now that I've finally ready it, I enjoyed myself! I loved Libba Bray books when I was in middle school and I remember Going Bovine feeling like it would be a good introduction to more mature, young adult books coming from her Gemma Doyle series. It lost me early on because it was so rooted in reality at the start and my high school self quickly moved on but I've always found myself wanted to say I've read the book in the library with the cow holding the garden gnome.
The story is adventurous and zany with plenty of nonsensical scenarios that you would hope for going into a book that looks like this. I appreciate that it doesn't try to bury the end as some sort of twist - dropping you into reality throughout the narrative so you're prepared. Of all the YA books I've read where teen characters are facing death and mortality directly, this one is somehow the most grounded
despite also being the most fanciful. The romance is unnecessary and very clearly a sign of the time this was written but I found myself enjoying the ride throughout save for a few slow parts as we moved from one setting to another.
For a book written in the mid 2000s, the humor and language hold up pretty well. The representation feels like it could be hit or miss (refer to own voices reviews for views on the representation of little people) and there is some language that I don’t think flies today but it didn’t feel like anything was used for shock which kept these instances from feeling terribly uncomfortable to read. I wouldn’t want to see it in a 2023 book but for 2009 when diversity wasn’t even as much of a priority as it is over a decade later, I applaud that Libba Bray successfully included multiple types of people through this narrative and that it felt like a real PLACE most of the time. I don’t think this is ground breaking YA fiction or Libba Bray’s best - The Diviners series ultimately makes more of an emotional impact than this - but it is a good ride that I’d recommend if you want to read something that isn’t too taxing.
For a book written in the mid 2000s, the humor and language hold up pretty well. The representation feels like it could be hit or miss (refer to own voices reviews for views on the representation of little people) and there is some language that I don’t think flies today but it didn’t feel like anything was used for shock which kept these instances from feeling terribly uncomfortable to read. I wouldn’t want to see it in a 2023 book but for 2009 when diversity wasn’t even as much of a priority as it is over a decade later, I applaud that Libba Bray successfully included multiple types of people through this narrative and that it felt like a real PLACE most of the time. I don’t think this is ground breaking YA fiction or Libba Bray’s best - The Diviners series ultimately makes more of an emotional impact than this - but it is a good ride that I’d recommend if you want to read something that isn’t too taxing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual content and Death
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, and Medical content