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Jan 05, 2009

Christina rated it:

Three words: New Cow Theory. If you haven't read this, or seen the movie Someone Like You, the New Cow Theory states that men are like bulls: they tend to mate and then get the hell out of Dodge. What this means is that you may date a man for x number of months or years, but eventually he will leave you for a newer, younger, fresher cow/woman. You may try to disguise yourself as a newer, younger, fresher version of yourself, but the man/bull will always know you're "mutton dressed as lamb." More...

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Aug 13, 2011

Stephanie rated it:

Just like most women (at least it felt that way) in the 90s I went through a series of wonderfully written, delightfully inciteful, witty chick books. If I had to put them in order and rate them by how much I liked them, how much they helped me understand me and how much they helped me understand men, this book would rank 2nd...a close 2nd, mind you, to Bridget Jones' Diary. Jane's life lessons are my own! :D

And, what I love about this book <spoiler>is that they don't get toget More...

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Nov 01, 2010

Mckinley rated it:

FUNNY!
There's a good reason to help students find books in the stacks -- I come back with something to read too. How can I resist those rows and rows?

Laura Zigman has written a bunch of novels since this, her first one. I'm not sure if I'd call it chic lit; I think it predates the term? It was written in 1998. It is a good read, fast, easy, and entertaining. If you are in the mood for a break-up-for-no-apparant-reason story all the better. If you not, there's still lots of fun an More...

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Feb 28, 2010

Jill rated it:

Years ago, this old cow saw the movie that was based on this book. As usual, the book is so much more clever and entertaining. I like how the novel played with the tendency that women have to dissect romantic relationships and break ups. While I think you can learn something from analyzing a previous relationship, trying to "understand" it all doesn't really help you get over the fact that someone you loved doesn't feel the same way about you and it is over and that means they are n More...

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Jul 28, 2009

Liza rated it:

If you've seen the movie version of this title (Someone Like You starring Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd) forget it. This is definitely a case of the book being better than the movie.
When the main character gets dumped, she starts researching how animals pair up in the wild. She comes upon theories about cows, and becomes absorbed in animal husbandry. Humorous, touching, and oddly, informative about cattle.

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Dec 16, 2009

Melissa rated it:

Obsessive Manhattanite can't get over being dumped so she does research on mating rituals and pretends to be a doctor and gets a column. An early entry in the chick lit genre, the poetry of this author's work was in the glow of the romance between the protaganist and Ray, her former lover. In contrast, the rest of the book, reads like a research paper. Not one I will keep on my shelf.

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Nov 07, 2010

Kayzee rated it:

I loved "Someone Like You" so I read this book to see how true to the text it was. Having seen the movie many many times though, the book didn't seem as funny. The plot of the movie was much better. The book I find to be a bit dragging and the ending was a bit anticlimactic. It was still a good book though. Maybe I would've appreciated it more if I'd read it before I saw the movie.

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Mar 28, 2009

bookczuk rated it:

Very quick reading, especially as I got impatient with it. The author has done an impressive job collecting all kinds of quirky facts. The theory presented is clever, but wears a little thin as the book goes along. I like the fact that there is a non-tidy ending though. Don't think I'll see the movie, though.

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Dec 17, 2009

Candice rated it:

I think I bought this book after seeing the movie based on it, called "Someone Like You" with Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman...so a rare instance where I buy and read a book after (or because of) seeing the movie. I liked the movie and I remember running across the book in the bookstore, and the quirky voice and writing style the author had was much funnier in text...so I bought it. This was a weird story where I would have liked a middle-of-the-road version between the book and the movi More...

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Sep 02, 2011

Nina rated it:

4 stars for originality, perceptiveness, humour and heartbreak.

Fave quote:
'We tend to study animals for what they can teach us about ourselves or for facts that we can turn to our advantage. Most of us have very little interest in the aspects of their lives that do not involve us.'

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Jul 29, 2011

Karen rated it:

Girl meets boy, boy already engaged, girl goes out with boy anyway, boy dumps girl (duh!), girl gets (inexplicably) angry and (disproportionately, for a 2 month relationship) obsessed. Blah, blah....

Billed on the blurb as a US Bridget Jones' Diary. Not a patch on it.

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Feb 25, 2009

Vivian rated it:

Reading this book was like pulling teeth. I only did it because I had to (I should preface this by saying that I gave up on the last two books I tried to read because I just wasn’t into them; I swore that I would plow through the next book in my queue, however difficult/boring/awful it may be). The entire book felt like it was a fictionalized account of the author’s unrequited love. Bleck.

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Jul 25, 2010

Janet rated it:

Animal Husbandry is the anatomy of a relationship seen through the eyes of a zoologist. Zigman's protagonist examines her life through the eyes of a scientist, creating what she refers to as the Old Cow - New Cow theory. Thoroughly entertaining.

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Mar 19, 2009

Cathy rated it:

Read this, laughed a bit, but was a bit put off by the whole concept. Then saw the movie "Someone Like you" and went "oh- that was that book.... but wait-this is better than the book..." But hey, Hugh Jackman can make anything better!

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Dec 18, 2008

Julene rated it:

Hysterical, good writing, totally engaging comedy. I learned about her from the Dangerous Writers in Portland, OR. They made a movie out of it, but it is worth it to read the book. It will have you laughing out loud.

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Jun 29, 2011

Anne rated it:

Great combination of hard science and popular style writing. I didn't really like the last 40 pages or so; I felt it deterred too much from the set plot and tone of the book. But, overall very amusing and interesting.

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Jan 14, 2010

M rated it:

It's so rare to find a smart chick lit novel that isn't cutesy, with a forced happy ending. Zigman's book is more complex than that. There are some absolutely hilarious parts, and the writing is more than decent.

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Aug 08, 2009

Melody rated it:

I've read this book two or three times over the past few years. It's an easy fun read and pretty fabulous if you've ever been dumped or settled for someone less than what you deserve. Very funny and makes you think...

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Jun 25, 2008

Carrie rated it:

I read this in college and if you asked me to rate it back then, I would have given it 5 stars because the narrator addresses dating behavior in a funny way. (The novel starts off with the main character noticing a link between the mating behavior of bulls and her most recent boyfriend's boredom with/abandonment of her.) Now that I'm a little older, none of it seems original anymore. Yeah, yeah, a lot of men don't pay enough attention to their girlfriends or (gasp!) leave them. Back then, I iden More...

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Aug 20, 2011

Ratforce added it

This is a humorous chick lit story of a woman scorned who is desperate to find an explanation for why her relationships fall apart. Her scientific theories lend a quirky aspect to this breakup novel.

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Mar 01, 2009

Lisa C rated it:

I don't have a regular chic-lit category, but this would go there, as it's not entirely a romance. All-in-all, I enjoyed the movie much more, but Hugh Jackman might have something to do with that.

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Mar 28, 2011

Marie rated it:

I absolutely loved this book - you don't have to have been cheated on by a slimy ex-boyfriend to relate to all the trials and tribulations that Jane goes through in the book.

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Aug 25, 2009

Brianna rated it:

I liked this book. I own the movie Someone Like You, but never realized this was the book the movie was based on. I like the ending of the book much better than the movie version. Funny perspective on human relationships and very true at times. Good summer read!

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May 18, 2010

CJ - You Carry On As If I Don't Love You rated it:

Unfortunately it couldn't keep my attention more than a few pages and even skipping around didn't help. I think this is a case in which the movie is better than the book.

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Nov 02, 2011

N.u.m.b marked it as to-read

شاهدت الفيلم المقتبس منه
Someone Like You
ما اتذكر اني شفته للاخر عشان كذا قررت اقرأ الرواية

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Sep 17, 2011

Anita rated it:

I'm surprised anyone gets past the first few pages, but the style improves a bit from there. Interesting facts, quirky, but not really well constructed.

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Feb 23, 2010

Rebecca rated it:

Entertaining chick lit read. I like the movie better because Hugh Jackman plays the roommate. Hugh Jackman makes me think of very, very naughty things.

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Jun 10, 2009

Maria rated it:

I liked this book. thought it was good. the article was a repeat of everything that she talked about throughout the book. Besides that enjoyed it.

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Sep 28, 2009

Robbie rated it:

I thought it was really cute. Only read it because I had heard at the time it was being turned into a movie: "Someone Like You" starring Ashley Judd.

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Nov 23, 2009

Rachel rated it:

I'll just say this: I'm not proud. But Ashley Judd tricked me, because I'll watch the movie version of this on TV any day of the week.

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