Going Bovine: Amazon.ca: Libba Bray: Books

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Review

Starred Review, Booklist, August 1, 2009:
"An unforgettable, nearly indefinable fantasy adventure."

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, August 3, 2009:
"Bray's surreal humor may surprise fans."

Product Description

Can Cameron find what he’s looking for?

All 16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in general—with a minimum of effort. It’s not a lot to ask. But that’s before he’s given some bad news: he’s sick and he’s going to die. Which totally sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam there is a cure—if he’s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt

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Customer Reviews

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Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Wizard of Oz on LSD, Nov 12 2009

By

Stephanie West "dreamingstevie" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Going Bovine (Hardcover)

Going Bovine reminded me of The Wizard of Oz on LSD.

I am hesitant to reveal anything about the story line because trying to figure out what the hell is going on was a huge part of the charm of this book. I will say this however; The main Character, Cameron, is your average teenage boy. He fits in with the misfits at school. His family life makes him feel all but at home. He loves music. Most importantly, he is trying to figure out who is which becomes even more difficult than usual when some very odd things begin to happen to him...and I mean, very odd.

Going Bovine was funny, quirky and completely entertaining the whole way through. It was a teenage coming of age story that was presented in a way that completely breaks the mold typical for this type of teen fiction. The characters were great. They were likable and oddly easy to relate to (or maybe I am just weird myself). I really liked the Norse God Yard gnome; he was just awesome. I enjoyed Libba Bray's writing style, which is something I am generally quite picky about. I never felt things dragged during descriptions. The dialogue flowed realistically and naturally and made me feel the characters were very tangible. I enjoyed her descriptive allegories and the realistic teenage cynicism infused in the narration. It wasn't exactly like saying a difficult good bye to a good friend when I got to the end of this book, but it definitely is a book I wont ever forget.

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4.0 out of 5 stars A Hallucinatory Road Trip Through Teenage America, Sep 21 2011

By

Alison S. Coad (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Going Bovine (Paperback)

Libba Bray's "Going Bovine" introduces sarcastic teenager Cameron, a young man who fits in nowhere - not at home, not at school, not anywhere in-between. He expects that he will just coast through life with the minimum effort because he can't see any point in doing anything else with his life. That is, until he is diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, known informally as the human form of mad cow disease, and suddenly his life is turned upside down. He meets Dulcie, who is either a punk-rock angel or a hallucination born of the stray prions destroying his brain; she, in turn, informs him that because of his disease, he is perhaps the only person in the world who can track down the mysterious Dr. X, who has been traveling to alternate universes and unfortunately bringing back some dark matter that will destroy the planet if not stopped in time. This sets Cameron up for a road trip through America, along with his sidekicks the hypochondriacal dwarf Gonzo and Balder, a garden gnome who just might be a Norse deity. Together, they set out to save the world, and maybe cure Cameron along the way.... I enjoyed a lot of this book, which is very funny and at times quite poignant; it's especially interesting to watch Cam develop from a blanked-out teen into a caring semi-adult human being. I must say, however, that around the halfway mark I began to get extremely tired of the constant teen-speak that Bray employs for most of the dialogue; not that the characters would not be speaking that way, but I just got sick of it. And the ending felt a bit rushed and incoherent to me. However, the fact that she could keep most of the novel coherent at all is quite a feat; this is definitely a lunatic ride, and one that's a lot of fun for most of its length. Recommended.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, May 21 2010

By

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Bovine (Hardcover)

All Cameron wants to do is graduate high school - and maybe get a date with popular girl, Stacy. When 16-year-old Cameron is diagnosed with Mad Cow Disease, his life takes a crazy turn. A punk rock angel named Dulcie shows up and tells Cameron there's a cure with a mysterious Dr. X - he just has to go and find it. With the help of a dwarf named Gonzo (who has some mother issues) and a yard gnome who just might be a Norse god, Cameron is off on the trip of a lifetime.

So, I actually picked this up several times and was excited to read it, but the premise just sounded strange - and not like my typical read, so I kept putting it off. Then the Printz committee awarded this one with the Printz medal and I knew I had to read it. I actually listened to it on audiobook, which I think worked well with this book.

It's a trippy book - and it's pretty hefty, coming in at almost 500 pages (or twelve audio discs in my case). It's also a book that won't work if you like everything to work out nicely and not be wondering was this a trip or was this real? It's definitely the craziest road trip book I've ever come across!

I have to praise Ms. Bray's writing and I can see why this won the Printz. The writing captivated me. I really believe she writes boy characters better than any other female author. Cameron read just like my teens at the library - he felt real and his voice was spot on. Just for that, this book deserves your attention.

Even though my knowledge of DON QUIXOTE doesn't go much past the Wishbon TV show version (sad, I know), from what I do know of the story, Ms. Bray gives us a modern twist with GOING BOVINE, and it's a perfect nod to the classic. I would love to see this one paired with DON QUIXOTE for a lit circle or book club - it'd make for great discussion.

I didn't find it as laugh-out-loud hilarious as some other reviewers have, but I did find it to have lots of humor and lots of heart, which sometimes is a hard mix to pull off - but again, Ms. Bray does it seamlessly. Cameron's observations about life, love, family, and friendship are all things that teens will relate to, and I think many readers will be nodding along to Cameron's words. There's also some romance and adventure, which is always good.

I think the Printz committee was brave and original for picking this one and I'm impressed with their choice. I'm eager to hear feedback from my teens about this title. I've had one girl read it already and she called it "interesting and different." I don't think it will appeal to all readers, but those that it works for will find a gem of a book.

Reviewed by: Sarah Bean the Green Bean Teen Queen

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Most recent customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars One Wild Road Trip
Reason for Reading: I enjoyed Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle books so was up for reading whatever she wrote next. Read more

Published on Mar 10 2010 by Nicola Manning

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect!
It took a little longer to arrive then expected but well worth it. Came in great condition and at a price less then the stores in town. Good service as well.

Published on Nov 23 2009 by Beverley Henkie