Moo

Rating:
Summary: Great if you've been there
Review: Coming from an ag university, this book hit home. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and look forward to reading more of Jane Smiley. It is a great book, if you've ever been to a Moo U.

Rating:
Summary: fun, and funny, but hardly literature
Review: This book was basically a mildly amusing and fast-paced piece of fluff. I agree with the other reviewers who complained about the unresolved plotlines; it's a decent book but hardly worthy of Jane Smiley.

Rating:
Summary: LOVE THIS BOOK
Review: this book is one of the best i've read... it's funny, has a great story... anyone who has any connection with a university, and particularly with a cow college should read it... tracing perspectives and agendas, she hits the nail on the head.

Rating:
Summary: Lactose -intolerant!
Review: This book starts out wonderful, and it is a lot of fun to keep up with all the characters. It wears off after the first ten chapters. About halfway through, I kept wishing for a large blizzard/avalanche to come through and put these academians out of their misery. For those who want quirky characters and great plotting, I recommend John Irving or Bryce Courtenay.

Rating:
Summary: "BOO" for "MOO"
Review: I picked up the hardcover at the library because of the cool cover and jacket quotes. Although clever in numerous parts(and Smiley is a wonderful wordsmith), I snoozed through the second half of the book until the pig dies. If you want characters AND subplots, stay with John Irving. If you want satire, check out Florence King.

Rating:
Summary: An Interesting depiction of Midwest campus life
Review: My review of this book is mixed. On one hand, I attended Iowa State University where Ms. Smiley is currently in residence and was interested to see what she had borrowed from that school, but on the other hand, I had a hard time finding the overall plot of the book. Each chapter was it's own little story. If you like that kind of writing and you want to read about the Midwest, read this book. If you looking for a cohesive story, well...

Rating:
Summary: Dead On
Review: A fantastic storyline with intriguing characters. Anyone who has ever attended a University will love to see the plots from the dorm to the administration. Reads like a movie in the mind. Loved the ending, too.

Rating:
Summary: good story that could have been a great book, but......
Review: the first time i started to read this book i gave up after 100 pages because i couldn't focus on it. several monthes later i gave it another try and after getting used to the writers style actually started enjoying the book. a little too wordy and as another reviewer said, too many sub-plots. some good satire throughout.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant and hysterical, a great satire on university life!
Review: When it comes to the frustrations of university life and acadamia, Smiley hits it right on the nose! She does an incredible job of giving us the thoughts and impressions of student, faculty and staff! I thoroughly enjoyed the book, passed it along and recommended it to all my friends!

Rating:
Summary: A lightweight
Review: "Moo" is certainly not what I would expect of a Pulitzer Prize-winning author. It's not the humorous tone of the book that's surprising, but rather the number of characters and the unresolved plotlines (what ever happened to the guy that was writing the short stories, for example) that make this narrative a bit unwieldy. The book really needed a good editor, because there's some great stuff in it, and when Ms. Smiley gets her satirical jabs in, they're pretty incisive. A far more interesting, ambitious book along these lines is John Barth's "Giles' Goat Boy." I'd recommend that ahead of such a lightweight entertainment as "Moo."