Young Adult Book Reading Challenges discussion
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Going Bovine
Going Bovine
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I am going to go on record now as saying I was not a fan of this book. I just couldn't get into it. I didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them. And I didn't think the adventure was that wacked out and incredible. I don't know. I just felt bored the whole time I read it and it felt more like a job to finish it. I am interested to read comments from people who enjoyed it.
I loved loved loved Going Bovine. Libba Bray is one of my favorite authors ever. I also adore her Gemma Doyle books, and it was interesting to read something of hers that was very different. The Gemma Doyle books are very dark and creepy … and while Going Bovine was also creepy, it had a lot of humor in it. Very few books can make me actually laugh out loud, and this book is one of them. I love how Bray has the ability to switch writing styles, and also her ability to take on "weird" plots and make them work. Like, a boy with mad cow disease must save the world from evil fire giants? Sounds ridiculous, but somehow it works. :)Anyway, I was totally engrossed in this book from the first page to the last, and I kept thinking about it for days after I finished. The characters were amazing, the plot was both compelling and original … I felt like I was living in it. I loved it. Definitely the kind of book I'm going to read a million times. lol :]
Mod
"The best day of my life happened when I was five and almost died at Disney World. " I was blown away from that first line! Love it!
I liked the book and thought it was a fun read; but I also thought it was too bloated and long.(I also think I would have been happier with the ending if there had been more ambiguity about whether Cameron's alternative world was real or not.)
Ryan - you took the words right out of my mouth (or fingers since I'm typing?). I loved the beginning of this book. I couldn't put it down and I laughed out loud in several places. But once the actual journey got started, I quickly lost interest. It just kept getting too far stretched for my taste. I understand it was all illusions and hallucinations but still.....just couldn't finish the book.
Mod
Loved the chapter headings! My favorites (it's a tie) are: "Wherein the Cruelties of High School Are Recounted and the Stoner Dudes of the Fourth-Floor Bathroom Offer Me Subpar Weed and a Physics Lesson" and "Wherein, Now That I'm Officially Screwed, a Pep Rally is Celebrated on My Behalf, and Staci Johnson Gives Me the Time of Day."
Is it worth reading lol I can go pick it up now but I dnt want to if its not that great lol
Kayzee wrote: "Is it worth reading lol I can go pick it up now but I dnt want to if its not that great lol"Do you like fantasy; can you handle magical realism; are you interested in Physics; are you familiar (at least in passing) with some of the current physical theories about the universe? If you answered yes, you'll probably like the book. If fantasy gives you a headache and you don't recognize magical realism when you see it, then give it a pass. If you don't understand (or at least appreciate) the references to Physics, you'll probably find it a waste of time.
I think I had the opposite reaction to this book. In the beginning I didn't like Cameron, at all, and thought Bray was trying too hard to be realistic with that 'rents and WTF and all that talk and the book didn't seem to be going anywhere. But Bray is so very funny and has a way with words I kept reading and smiling. Once the hallucinations started and all the social satire (and jokes about physics) I thought it was more interesting (Grace, I love magical realism, real magical realism, not urban fantasy that people think is cool to label as magical realism). It did get a little long at the beach house and on the beach, but the way Bray weaved everything into the story so that it not only mattered but was majorly significant in some huge metaphor about life was genius. Plus, she broke the cardinal rule of writing a first-person, and YA novel, in the end and it still worked for me because I didn't like the real Cameron but dream Cameron was cool and I felt like he had somehow experienced life and figured out something about himself and was happier there anyway.
Maybe I am just a prude, but I couldn't get passed all the swearing. One of the reasons I read Young Adult fiction is so I don't have to deal with language and sexual inuendos.
Mod
I really, really liked it a lot.Annalisa if it's not magical realism, what is it? I read Like Water for Chocolate, about 150 years ago when it came out, and I have read just about everything by Louise Erdrich, I guess she is sometimes writing magical realism. All that loopy physics, the snowglobe deliverers who are also a police force, and Balder who is both a lawn gnome and the second son of Odin, is that's not magical realism, what is?
And, I started it it pretty much in a doctor's waiting room and was laughing out loud a whole bunch.
I quite liked Cameron. He is nobody special, who gets dealt a severely rotten hand and becomes a hero.
Kayzee, can you get it from a library?
Shauna, in my experience, in YA novels with male protagonists who are older there is more likely to be swearing -- and sexual situations. It didn't bother me, it made it more realistic.
Mod
Julia, I think it just depends on the crowds you run with in high school. Some swear some done. Same with adult friends. Some swear some don't. Some have sex out of marriage some don't.
Annalisa wrote: "(Grace, I love magical realism, real magical realism, not urban fantasy that people think is cool to label as magical realism)."I'm sorry if I gave the impression that I was labelling the book as magical realism - it's not strictly magical realism in the way that "Like Water for Chocolate" and Midnight's Children are magical realism (those are the only two books I've read so far that I know definitely have elements of magical realism). My main point was that the book stretches reality - at least in Cameron's hallucinations. Anyone who prefers books that stick to realism throughout probably won't enjoy "Going Bovine".
I didn't mean to confuse everyone. I think this definitely has magical realism tones (I love Like Water for Chocolate; going to have to check out the other suggestions). The side note was just a personal rant about people labeling regular old fantasy as magical realism. It's nice to hear it labeled to something that fits the bill :).I wasn't so crazy about the swearing either. It was heavy enough that it was stuck in my head afterwords. I know it's more realistic, but I wish it would have been lightened some. Maybe that's why it took me so long to get into the story. I still really liked the book though.
This is my second Bray book and I really want to like her. I really do. I can tell that she's a great writer, but there is something about her stories that just don't do it for me. With Going Bovine, it felt a little (and by "a little" I mean a LOT) preachy. I know that she incorporated 'real' issues in the book, which isn't bad. But when reading those parts I started to hear what I can only assume to be her voice and not the characters (like the ranting about religious cults, parenting, the media, etc). And the story was way longer than it needed to be. It was sheer will power (for the sake of YA Book Club) and grit that got me through this one. I don't know how far I would have gotten if I were just a high schooler reading for fun... isn't that the target audience?
I am so glad I started reading this book I'm inlove with it, I'm up to page 150, well when he found that jazz guy. But the language is how young people speak well they do hear, hell even I talk like that sometimes or most times. And even at the start how the people are superficial and the drug thing, which is a HUGE part of society. Every second person I know does it. What I cant to know is why going on a wild goose chase? But I guess i'll find that out. I read the last page tho wish i didn't I want to cry already lolI dont think i quite get physics but I understand the concept lol. Thank you guys for enouraging me to read it!! yay for library
Britt wrote: "I don't know how far I would have gotten if I were just a high schooler reading for fun... isn't that the target audience? "My 15-year-old son picked the book up and read it in one night. He loved it. If that isn't the target audience, I don't know who is.
Mod
I too talk like this book... depending on who I am around. In company of co-workers no I don't. But in the company of my friends I do.
Kayzee asked:What I can't to know is why going on a wild goose chase?
Because that's what happens in epic fantasy novels. They go on a quest and learn who they are. It's kind of a rule. Going back all the way to the The Odyssey, Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, The Codex Alera novels, and a gazillion others, heck in the new Harry Dresden novel they decide who each of them are in their fellowship based on LOTR.
"Sanya said nodding. 'Dibs on Legolas.'
'Are you kidding?' Thomas said. 'I'm obviously Legolas. You're...'"
lol thank Julia i ment it like a rhetoricle question really haha
I finally finished the book. I started off loving it ...especially the way Bray built on the things Cameron talked about early in the book - modern physics, Norse mythology, snow globes, garden gnomes, Disney World, music, The Copenhagen Interpretation - and popular culture. She used Cameron's experiences prior to the diagnosis as building blocks for everything he encountered during his Journey.Unfortunately, I found that Journey just dragged on too long. Yes, Cameron was on a quest but...his quest seemed to fall apart. The structure and pattern that governed the quest in the beginning seemed to get lost by the end and it didn't seem to resolve itself in the way epic quests usually do. Maybe this was intended - after all, the quest occurred in his mind. It often felt like a very bad dream and that's really what it was. Still, I felt let down by the ending.
It could be because I was distracted and couldn't give it my full attention. I'll probably read the book again - just to repeat all the physics references - my favourite part of the book. I may find myself forgiving its shortcomings on a second reading.
Im about 250 pages in and I'm starting to loose faith, oh that makes me sad... I am waiting for the snow globe thing to take action I want to know what thats about already haha!!
Ryan wrote: "I really liked the first number of chapters where it was Cameron at home and school, since his experience was depicted very realistically. And even after the journey started, I still liked his frie..."I agree with you Ryan.
It was very draggy. I thought that the book was little too far-fetched, even for a fantasy book. I could not wait for the book to end. I'm still undecided as to if I actually like Gonzo's character because at times, he really annoys the crap out of me; being overly paranoid.
I guess overall, I will definitely not recommend this book to anyone.
Oh, but I do find the chapter headings quite witty. But what actually goes on in those chapters bore me.
When I finished this book, I didn't know what to think. I loved it, I hated it, it made me laugh, it made me angry, it was the most annoying thing to ever have to read. Yeah, I know, not what I was expecting, either. The reason why I gave it the rank I did, 4 stars, was because of the pure brilliance and writing style of the book. The characters drove me crazy at times, but this was a really thought provoking and creative story.
The cussing and the obsession with the typical 'hot' girl, was annoying, but, sadly, extremely realistic. Overall, it was a well written novel that I am happy to of read.
Oh Kristin I fully agree with you
I'm about a quarter of the way through and can't help thinking about similarities between this book and The Catcher in the Rye. I wonder if the author thought of Cameron as a modern-day Holden Caulfield.
Overall, I liked this book (the sarcasm, wit, and lively writing style), but like so many of you said, the journey was definitely too long. I mean, I liked some part of the journey, especially the part where they went to Spring Break and Gonzo finally came out of his shell, getting a mohawk, among other things.... Also, I felt the ending told too much and didn't show enough. Each part of the quest was summed up and explained, like an essay.
Erica wrote: "Did anyone else find this book to be anticlimactic? I liked the quirkiness and the title headings were great, but I think the story was lacking. I wish that Cameron had made peace with his family..."Yes! Now that you mention it, that's definitely one of the things that made the ending so unsatisfying.
Although Gonzo finally came out of his shell - it wasn't the real Gonzo - only Cameron's hallucination. It would have been interesting to know what happened to the real Gonzo when the reality of death, even if it was someone else's, confronted him.
Erica wrote: I wish that Cameron had made peace with his family in the real world.But that wouldn't gave been realistic would it. a) That's make him a phony like Holden. 2) His brain was mush by then...
Then Grace wrote: Although Gonzo finally came out of his shell - it wasn't the real Gonzo - only Cameron's hallucination.
OK, fine, be right. [grumble, grumble:] But I like the Gonzo in Cameron's hallucinations...
I got the idea that when Cameron stepped out of the infinity collider, he was in an alternate reality. The scientists had told him Schrodinger the cat died in an experiment, but when Cameron came out, Schrodinger was alive. From that point on in the story, Dulcie acted different and Gonzo changed.
I think the cat was a new one off the street that he kept giving them the same name wasn't it??? thats what I thaught anyway
Or-- since Schrodinger the cat was alive Cameron was dead?
hrmmmmmmm thats a tough one haha
Kayzee wrote: "I think the cat was a new one off the street that he kept giving them the same name wasn't it??? thats what I thaught anyway"Do you remember the bit at the beginning when Cameron encounters some friends in the washroom at school who are discussing the classic Quantum Mechanic thought experiment about Schroedinger's cat? The segment about the infinity collider just revisit's the content of that discussion - as if the thought experiment was an actual experiment. In Cameron's mind, the experiment was being performed and, according to the theory, the cat is both dead and alive because no one has observed it yet. It's not until someone looks that the probability function collapses and a single outcome occurs.
Yeah that is all a bit too much for my head
Kayzee wrote: "Yeah that is all a bit too much for my head"Yes, I've heard it's a bit much for a lot of people. On the other hand, if you understand something about the background you get a deeper appreciation for Libba's handling of the topic.
Haha I tried and I thought I knew the meaning of it but I don't think there is any specifics because its houw we preceive it ourselves... I think lol
Mod
Interesting. I never thought of the fact that the Gonzo we were reading about wasn't really him. I do wonder who he really is now. Did he come out of his shell ever?
I think I'll leave him in my head the way he is lol Dorky Gonzo:P with a bf lol
Angie wrote: "Grace wrote: "Erica wrote: "Did anyone else find this book to be anticlimactic? I liked the quirkiness and the title headings were great, but I think the story was lacking. I wish that Cameron ha..."was there every any indication that Gonzo was ever in a shell? Gonzo's neurosis don't make a showing till they're off on the journey. How do we know that crazy uptight Gonzo isn't just as much a fabrication as everything else?
Polkweed wrote: "was there every any indication that Gonzo was ever in a shell? Gonzo's neurosis don't make a showing till they're off on the journey. How do we know that crazy uptight Gonzo isn't just as much a fabrication as everything else? "You have a point there. There was every indication that Gonzo's mother was the one with the neurotic obsessions about Gonzo's health and the risks from almost everything he encountered in his life. Gonzo was actually annoyed, or impatient at the very least, with his mother's concern. He went along with the many, unecessary hospitalizations because 1. He had no choice since he was a minor and 2. It was the only way to reassure his mother that nothing was wrong when all the tests came out negative. Basically, he did it out of love for his Mom.
Isn't the Gonzo in the hospital already part of the hallucination? I thought he came in after Cameron "wakes up" from crashing, the breathing tube gone. The only time we ever met the real Gonzo is the bathroom at school when Cameron blew him off. We have no idea what the real Gonzo is like.
Annalisa wrote: "Isn't the Gonzo in the hospital already part of the hallucination? I thought he came in after Cameron "wakes up" from crashing, the breathing tube gone."I'm pretty sure that's the real Gonzo. Although Cameron hallucinates occasionally, he's still aware of what's going on around him and he speaks with Gonzo, and the lady across the hall, during his lucid moments. Later, he incorporates them into his hallucinations.
But even the "real" Gonzo is seen through Cameron's unreliable perceptions, in the bathroom where the stoners are discussing Schroedinger's cat, no less.I'm with Kayzee: dorky Gonzo gets a hot boyfriend in my head...
Grace wrote: I'm pretty sure that's the real Gonzo. Although Cameron hallucinates occasionally, he's still aware of what's going on around him and he speaks with Gonzo, and the lady across the hall, during his lucid moments. Later, he incorporates them into his hallucinations. "Cameron hallucinates occasionally in the beginning, but from what I understood, everything after he goes into a coma is hallucination--except the moments he slips back to the hospital, the nurse asking him if he's in there. He speaks to the lady across the hall before he crashes. Gonzo in the hospital is the first scene after he wakes from unconsciousness, feeling well enough to move around, to breathe without the tube, and talk with Gonzo but really, he never woke up. That was where his continual hallucination began. He was already pulling the random moments of his life into the hallucination, including the dwarf he met in the bathroom. I don't even think the Gonzo in the hospital acted liked the Gonzo in the bathroom.
and really neither of those boys would have really gone on an adventure like that would they... Im quite happy about his happily ever after with Delcie :)
Annalisa wrote: "He speaks to the lady across the hall before he crashes. Gonzo in the hospital is the first scene after he wakes from unconsciousness, feeling well enough to move around, to breathe without the tube, and talk with Gonzo but really, he never woke up. That was where his continual hallucination began."I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree on this point. I wonder if someone will eventually earn a PhD by writing a thesis on this interpretation.
Young Adult Book Reading Challenges
Books mentioned in this topic
The Fellowship of the Ring (other topics)Furies of Calderon (other topics)
Changes (other topics)
The Odyssey (other topics)
Beowulf (other topics)
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