From: maggie_bo_at_comcast.net
Date: Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:39:25 +0000 (UTC)

I agree that Going Bovine was a very, veryВ good book, certainly deserv ing of the recognition it's received, but not quite great.В However, gi venВ how ambitious a book it is,В I feel almost petty saying that. В  But . . . honestly, В I too thought it was confusing at times, a nd I definitely agree with Susan's point that the diagnosis part of the sto ry was oddly done, surreal to the pointВ thatВ itВ had anВ is-this-part-of-the-fantasy quality to it.В В  If that was done on purpose, I don't think it worked well.В В  In general, I much prefe rred the fantasy segments of the novel to the beginning, reality-based part .В The imaginative worlds and strange, fascinatingВ charactersВ Bray creates in this novel actually remind me a lot of the Gemma Doyle t rilogy, even though Going BovineВ is billed as a major departure from t hose books.В  But it's a wildly original book, thought-provoking, and l ife-affirming without being the least bit cloying.В

Maggie Bokelman

Eagle View Middle School Librarian

Mechanicsburg, PA
Received on Mon 15 Feb 2010 06:39:25 PM CST