Winner of the American Book Award, Walter Wangerin's allegorical fantasy concerns a time when the sun turned around the earth and animals could ... read full description
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Dec 17, 2009
Admonit
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This unique book, written in 1978, is grisly, gritty, earthy, painful, and beautiful. I have never read anything like this book before. It is a creation of great courage. Wangerin has taken stark good and evil and played them out in an almost predictable manner, unafraid of arrangements that could be called clichéd, trite, childish, overused. He uses mythology freely. It might at first seem hopelessly dated; rather, it is hopefully dated, it is searingly modern, it is genuinely classic and there
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Jan 08, 2009
Mary
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A retelling of the Aesop's Fable Chauntecleer and the Fox. It's both epic and personal and every page propels you forward. I just couldn't put it down. I recommend this for Watership Down fans, Tolkien.....
a great good vs. evil read... This book is for the faithful, for the believers in hope, in the possibility of good in us all. Yet there is something almost painfully sweet about the depth this story goes and how it will sound in your heart.....all contained in a barnyard, on the shou More...
a great good vs. evil read... This book is for the faithful, for the believers in hope, in the possibility of good in us all. Yet there is something almost painfully sweet about the depth this story goes and how it will sound in your heart.....all contained in a barnyard, on the shou More...
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Nov 01, 2008
deLille
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I stumbled across this book on Good Reads when an author mentioned this book as THE book that got him hooked on reading. I wish I could find the quote again, but he said the book made him walk around in a daze for days afterwards, thinking about the book all the time. I love books like that, the kind that sweep you off into another reality that can seem more real that your own real world.
I've never been one to get into beast fables, or any of the Tolkien books, so I wasn't sure i More...
I've never been one to get into beast fables, or any of the Tolkien books, so I wasn't sure i More...
Dec 16, 2009
Rosie
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A beast-fable, about good vs. evil. A cock named Chauntecleer is the ruler of the animals. Cosmic evil is embodied as Wyrm, who lives "sub terra," and whose son Cockatrice (a half-cock half-serpent) and his "children" (the basilisks) wage war against Chauntecleer's kingdom. Mundo Cani Dog ends up giving his life (or so it seems) to save Chauntecleer and the others, and this act of grace makes Chauntecleer see his own sinfulness (he had despised Mundo Cani). Mundo Cani turns o
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Apr 10, 2011
Matthew
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Dec 09, 2010
Becca
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Well, I'm almost a week late reviewing this book because my family keeps stealing it. Even worse, DD has now stolen the sequel. Argh.
I've heard The Book of the Dun Cow compared to Narnia or Tolkien. I agree to an extent, though I don't think the story reaches quite the same epic status. The writing style isn't my favorite; but there is such power in the story, I overlooked that for most of the piece.
The entire plot revolves around animal communities. These animals are ruled b More...
I've heard The Book of the Dun Cow compared to Narnia or Tolkien. I agree to an extent, though I don't think the story reaches quite the same epic status. The writing style isn't my favorite; but there is such power in the story, I overlooked that for most of the piece.
The entire plot revolves around animal communities. These animals are ruled b More...
Sep 20, 2010
Nathan
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Cock-a-doodle-dull? I picked this up at a local used book store because frankly, I liked the cover. The fact that it was about a fully sentient group of animals fighting evil also seemed fun.
Of the things this book was, fun was not one of them. The thing this book was most of all was dull. I read often, and I usually read quickly, but this slim 250ish page book took me almost a week. Most of the time I didn't care, but quite often the religious hammer that is so prevalent just u More...
Of the things this book was, fun was not one of them. The thing this book was most of all was dull. I read often, and I usually read quickly, but this slim 250ish page book took me almost a week. Most of the time I didn't care, but quite often the religious hammer that is so prevalent just u More...
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Jul 16, 2010
Veronica
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One of the most unique books I've ever read. It is an allegorical tale about the struggle against evil- both the living embodiment of Evil and the evil within ourselves- and it is all about farm animals (perhaps why I liked it so much). It realistically portrays the animal world (the author must have lived on a farm at one time) yet also uses that world to beautifully represent humanity. And evil in this book is truly evil: there were scenes in this book that were gut-wrenching and disturbing.
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Dec 13, 2009
Art
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Best. Cockfight. EVER!
Just by loving each other and hoping in their Creator God, a little community of farm and forest animals unknowingly holds at bay the great evil of Wyrm, imprisoned under the earth. When Wyrm sets to the task of freeing himself by destroying their love and hope: attacking them with an army of Basilisks serpents, it is up to the animals and their rooster leader, Chautecleer, to defend their community with their lives.
There's lots of little life lessons, espe More...
Just by loving each other and hoping in their Creator God, a little community of farm and forest animals unknowingly holds at bay the great evil of Wyrm, imprisoned under the earth. When Wyrm sets to the task of freeing himself by destroying their love and hope: attacking them with an army of Basilisks serpents, it is up to the animals and their rooster leader, Chautecleer, to defend their community with their lives.
There's lots of little life lessons, espe More...
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Oct 03, 2009
Stephanie
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I had never before heard of THE BOOK OF THE DUN COW, by Walter Wangerin Jr., until a local book group chose it for their next read. This is good, in a way, because I had no expectations. A National Book Award winner in 1980, the story completely involves animals that talk and not a human being in sight.
Chauntecleer the Rooster rules a peaceful yard. While hens produce eggs, John Wesley Weasel gets accused of eating them, Ebenezer Rat is attacked, and Mundo Cani the Dog, Wee Widow Mouse and More...
Chauntecleer the Rooster rules a peaceful yard. While hens produce eggs, John Wesley Weasel gets accused of eating them, Ebenezer Rat is attacked, and Mundo Cani the Dog, Wee Widow Mouse and More...
Aug 12, 2011
Michael
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Having had this book on my shelf for 30 years, I decided that I should finally read it, so took it on holiday. Why did I wait so long?! This is instantly one of my favourite books. By turns funny, frightening, sorrowful and uplifting, the book tells the story of Chauntecleer the rooster and his battle to uphold good against evil.
The Christian symbolism is laid on fairly thick, but not so much that it gets in the way of the story and its message, which obviously is a Christian one. Ho More...
The Christian symbolism is laid on fairly thick, but not so much that it gets in the way of the story and its message, which obviously is a Christian one. Ho More...
Jan 23, 2008
Lora
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What seems to be a very docile book, just like the farm animals in it, has turned out to be incredibly deep, moving, and thought provoking. The chapters are short, making it a quick read, but the very real struggle between good and evil sticks with you throughout the day. I'd highly recommend this book, as I continue to mull over the ideas and reminders presented here.
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Dec 20, 2011
Cindi
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This book started out very funny and I thought we were in for a rollicking good time. Chanticleer the Rooster is the hero and this book tries to be an epic. Reviewers claim that it is epic. We just didn't walk away from it feeling that way.
It's a classic good against evil. There were parts of that idea that worked and parts that didn't. Chanticleer is the author of the good, because he is the rule-maker and in charge of keeping things in working order. Worm, whose earthly child i More...
It's a classic good against evil. There were parts of that idea that worked and parts that didn't. Chanticleer is the author of the good, because he is the rule-maker and in charge of keeping things in working order. Worm, whose earthly child i More...
Dec 28, 2011
Ryan
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The first two-thirds of the book was good, but the last third was gripping—I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed this and some of the symbolism of the book. Wangerin, however, didn't write it as an allegory.
He writes, "What the Book of the Dun Cow is not—nor was ever intended to be—is an allegory. Allegories ask an intellectual analysis...The Book of the Dun Cow invites experience...Allegories are reductive in meanings; they bear a riddling quality...But a good novel is firs More...
He writes, "What the Book of the Dun Cow is not—nor was ever intended to be—is an allegory. Allegories ask an intellectual analysis...The Book of the Dun Cow invites experience...Allegories are reductive in meanings; they bear a riddling quality...But a good novel is firs More...
Dec 07, 2010
Michael
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It's been a week or more since I finished this book, and I'm still struggling a bit with what to think about it.
My reservations have to do with its fairly ugly version of Christianity. It is, at least, fairly frankly Christian, if not quite explicitely, and so I don't feel dirty about it the way I do with Narnia, but it still culminates in a overblown physical battle with a Satan figure, and requires a martyrdom for no good reason to finally overcome the evil.
But leading More...
My reservations have to do with its fairly ugly version of Christianity. It is, at least, fairly frankly Christian, if not quite explicitely, and so I don't feel dirty about it the way I do with Narnia, but it still culminates in a overblown physical battle with a Satan figure, and requires a martyrdom for no good reason to finally overcome the evil.
But leading More...
May 24, 2010
Laura
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From the back of the book: ". . . (an) allegorical fantasy (which) concerns a time when the sun turned around the earth and animals could speak, when Chauntecleer the Rooster ruled over a more or less peaceful kingdom. What the animals did not know was that they were the Keepers of Wyrm, monster of Evil long imprisoned beneath the earth. And Wyrm . . . was breaking free."
Wangerin weaves into this tale a couple of legendary figures; Cockatrice, a creature that is half bird More...
Wangerin weaves into this tale a couple of legendary figures; Cockatrice, a creature that is half bird More...
Nov 07, 2008
Connie
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This is a little book that in a powerful way depicts the epic struggle between good and evil through fantasy. It is wonderfully written. The animal characters speak and express human emotions and personalities all the while showing characteristics and physically moving - strutting, turning their heads, burrowing, as we know them to do. They are equally endearing and repulsive. I may never look at a hen in the same way again. The earth and sky reveal the power and presence of their Creator and t
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Mar 18, 2011
Amanda Lueck
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Rachel read this as a young'un, and when I got it from the library, Chad and I decided to read it aloud. WOWSERS. Why have I never heard of Wangerin? His writing is amazing -- almost Old English in its cadence, always thoughtful, and yet the story proceeds as the main focus continuously. And the story is excellent; Chauntecleer and Pertelote and Mundo Cani and Wyrm are now almost archetypal in my imagination. I thought it would be a kids' book, but it is much more a perceptive, allegorical, and
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Feb 18, 2009
M—
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Crap. I read this when I was eleven or thereabouts, and I distinctly recall having to force myself to finish it. I found the plot to be murky and confusing, largely because it was full up of great chunks of 'stuff happen and it was bad,' 'other stuff happened and it was BAD,' 'finally more stuff happened and all was inexplicably okay' with little narrative connection between them.
I supposed I could reread it and see if I can find a better sense of linearity from an adult point-of-vie More...
I supposed I could reread it and see if I can find a better sense of linearity from an adult point-of-vie More...
May 02, 2010
Dave
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Another classic I have just now got around to reading. Book of the Dun Cow is a really unique work. I can't compare it to "anthropomorphics" books (IE Brian Jacques), because it doesn't at all feel the same. These are not anthropomorphic animals. They are true animals with human sentience. I think the conceit is that the setting is pre-humanity, but the animals have buildings that they clearly have not constructed themselves. Perhaps they were provided by God? The animals accept that t
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Aug 11, 2011
Lisa
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I didn't really enjoy this story, although the imagery of the simple animals fighting on against the dark, overwhelming waters of evil and destruction was powerful and reminded me of LotR. I also liked how the Wyrm was described as being so angry that he was kept imprisoned by humble, ignorant animals. This reminded me of the wrath of the demons in Screwtape Letters when they realize that man, a thing born in a bed, could stand before angels and not cower away the way the demons had to. Even
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Nov 22, 2009
Libbie
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This book ranks very highly among my all-time favorite novels. It's an allegorical story told in a kind of romping, hand-clapping narrative that is at artistic odds with the very dark, desperate theme. It's worth reading as a study of literary juxtaposition alone -- but the story itself is riveting, the characters totally absorbing.
It's been months since I finished The Book of the Dun Cow, and I'm still ruminating on it. It will have a permanent place on my book shelf -- this litt More...
It's been months since I finished The Book of the Dun Cow, and I'm still ruminating on it. It will have a permanent place on my book shelf -- this litt More...
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Jan 12, 2012
John
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Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. While Wangerin seems to go out of his way to stress that this is not an allegory, allegorical features are scattered throughout the gripping plot. An orderly, caring God is portrayed and various characters manifest Christ like attributes such as Lordship, sacrifice, suffering, and life sustaining. An epic battle between good and evil ensues before God acts through a sacrificial intermediary. This must be the first time I agree with the LA times but this does
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Dec 01, 2011
Dale
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Sometimes I hear about a book and think to myself "Oh, I should totally read that" either because it sounds fascinating and/or right up my alley. Then I keep the book in the back of my mind and idly look for it at used book stores or big retail sales, and then eventually I find a reasonably-priced copy and I finally get around to reading it but by then I've forgotten exactly why it was stuck in my head as a must-read in the first place. As you might guess, the Book of the Dun Cow fal
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Nov 22, 2011
Carl
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The first few chapters are packed with an array of very unlikable characters, but the pain is (mostly) alleviated as they develop and gain a little complexity.
A simplistic plot doesn't offer any surprises, but is saved by some brilliant foreshadowing.
Wooden and distant in the beginning, the style is eventually carried aloft by sparks of humor and some incredibly buoyant wordplay.
All this to say:
I had been anticipating this book for a long time. I knew More...
A simplistic plot doesn't offer any surprises, but is saved by some brilliant foreshadowing.
Wooden and distant in the beginning, the style is eventually carried aloft by sparks of humor and some incredibly buoyant wordplay.
All this to say:
I had been anticipating this book for a long time. I knew More...
Jul 30, 2008
Allison
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Just finished this fantastic "beast epic" tale about Chantecleer the rooster. I don't know why I've never read it before--it's wonderful. Much better than Animal Farm or even Watership Down, this book belongs on the shelf with other great modern classics. A fantastic, piercing, heart-wrenching portrayal of good and evil and the Lord who reigns over all. I especially loved the way the Rooster crowed in the seven times of day, the "canonical crows" as they are called in the boo
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Sep 09, 2007
Tracey
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I picked up The Book of the Dun Cow about 15 years ago; I don't remember specifically what spurred me to choose it, but I'm quite glad I did.
A grand allegory/fable that starts simply - Chaunticleer the Rooster is the Lord of the land, ruling justly over his coop of hens and the surrounding countryside. He crows the times of day and deals harshly, yet fairly, with lawbreakers. God is in his heaven and all seems well with the world.... but then we read the story of the Wyrm and his hei More...
A grand allegory/fable that starts simply - Chaunticleer the Rooster is the Lord of the land, ruling justly over his coop of hens and the surrounding countryside. He crows the times of day and deals harshly, yet fairly, with lawbreakers. God is in his heaven and all seems well with the world.... but then we read the story of the Wyrm and his hei More...
Sep 26, 2007
bkwurm
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The protagonist is a rooster called Chauntecleer, who rules over all the animals in the vicinity. He is, however, haunted by visions and dreams of a dun cow which he does not understand. The first part of the book chronicles his dealings with his subjects, Ebenezer Rat, John Wesley Weasel and Mundo Cani Dog and how he fall in love with a hen called Pertelote.
As it turns out, Pertelote is a refugee. She had fled from Cockatrice, a rooster with a reptilian tail who killed his father More...
As it turns out, Pertelote is a refugee. She had fled from Cockatrice, a rooster with a reptilian tail who killed his father More...
Jul 27, 2007
Keren
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This book helped me see how easy it was for me to base my judgments of people and situations on my fear. I loved Pertelote's wisdom in this conversation with Chauntecleer:
And then he said, "Don't be angry for my asking this; but listen and then answer me. It's not a hard question. It's an important one." He waited. "My Beautiful Pertelote, are you afraid of me?"
She raised her head and looked at him. "No," she said. Chauntecleer waited, then More...
And then he said, "Don't be angry for my asking this; but listen and then answer me. It's not a hard question. It's an important one." He waited. "My Beautiful Pertelote, are you afraid of me?"
She raised her head and looked at him. "No," she said. Chauntecleer waited, then More...
May 28, 2009
Chris
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I had to reread this book after Peter Scazzero made reference to it in Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Unleash the Power of Authentic Life in Christ. I love the rhythm of the Liturgy of the Hours as it is prayed in the monastic setting. The power of Chanticleer's Canonical Crows in the fight against evil was not something I saw the first time I read it. That was long before I began my journey with praying the psalms. The book took on a new and richer meaning for me this time around.
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