The Secret Life of Cows

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The Secret Life of Cows

By: Rosamund Young

Narrated by: Rosamund Young

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About this listen

The rediscovered gem following a farmer's thoughtful and moving observations of her herd and the intelligence of cows.

Cows are as varied as people. They can be highly intelligent or slow to understand; vain, considerate, proud, shy or inventive. Although much of a cow's day is spent eating, they always find time for extracurricular activities such as babysitting, playing hide-and-seek, blackberry picking or fighting a tree. This is an affectionate record of a hitherto secret world.

Rosamund YoungRosamund YoungBolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Biological Sciences

Science

Thought-Provoking

Biological Sciences Science Thought-Provoking

Critic reviews

"A little masterpiece of animal sentience." ( The Oldie)

"Inspiring and important." ( Country Life)

Most relevant

This fascinating look at the inner lives of farm animals has made me completely revise my opinion of current farming and food production practices. As a long-time pet owner I am already aware of the differing personalities and intelligences possessed by a variety of dogs, cats and rabbits so I was not surprised to learn that farm animals posses those attributes too. I loved hearing the fascinating stories of individual animals but this book is not written as a story but rather a succession of anecdotes that are sometimes muddled, include wearisome lists of names and farming terms that are not explained but overall are fascinating.

Unfortunately the reader, who is also the author, has a harsh voice which is not pleasant to listen to. She also lacks the skill to deliver the narrative with the feeling it often deserves and reads as if she is delivering a lecture, which detracts from empathy the subject matter often warrants.

The Secret Life of Cows is a fascinating and important book that shows the listener how very wrong both factory farming and even the usual farming practices are. Hopefully everyone who reads or listens to it will change their eating habits to buy fewer, better quality animal products. Personally, already vegetarian, from now on I will only drink milk, eat eggs and cheese that come from organically farmed, free range animals.