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Moo
Author: Jane Smiley

Book Information
Publisher: Ivy Books
Book Type: Paperback
Rating:

ISBN-13: 9780804117685 - ISBN-10: 0804117683
Publication Date: 2/28/1998
Pages: 448


Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover, Audio Cassette, Hardcover

Book Description:
"DELECTABLY ENTERTAINING. . . . An uproariously funny and at the same time hauntingly melancholy portrait of a college community in the Midwest."
--The New York Times
Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, amid cow pastures and waving fields of grain, lies Moo University, a distinguished institution devoted to the art and science of agriculture. Here, among an atmosphere rife with devious plots, mischievous intrigue, lusty liaisons, and academic one-upmanship, Chairman X of the Horticulture Department harbors a secret fantasy to kill the dean; Mrs. Walker, the provost's right hand and campus information queen, knows where all the bodies are buried; Timothy Nonahan, associate professor of English, advocates eavesdropping for his creative writing assignments; and Bob Carlson, a sophomore, feeds and maintains his only friend: a hog named Earl Butz. In this wonderfully written and masterfully plotted novel, Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, offers us a wickedly funny comedy that is also a darkly poignant slice of life.
"FAST, HILARIOUS, AND HEARTBREAKING . . . Not for a minute does Moo lose its perfect satiric pitch or its pacing. . . . Don't skip a page, don't skip a paragraph. It's going to be on the final."
--People
"SMART, IRREVERENT, AND WICKEDLY TENDER . . . Moo suggests a mix of Tom Wolfe's wit and John Updike's satiny reach . . . Engaging."
--The Boston Globe
"ENTERTAINING . . . Displays a wicked wit and an unerring eye for American foibles . . . Stuffed with memorable characters, sparkling with deliciously acid humor, Moo is a rare bird in today's literary menagerie: a great read that also makes you think."
--Chicago Sun-Times


From the Trade Paperback edition.

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Top Member Book Reviews

Karin T. wrote on 8/21/2005...

2 member(s) found this review helpful.

Still trying to figure this one out. Decided reading it again wasn't going to help

(idahoLiz) wrote on 8/14/2008...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

This book takes place at a fictional university, but has characters in it that are all too real. If you've spent any time in a university, you'll like this book. She's an all around great author.

Tara R. (taratiara) wrote on 9/18/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Based on Iowa State University, where she taught for a number of years. Sorta snide and exploitive. Really bites the hand that fed her.

Amy R. (WanderingFeet) wrote on 2/24/2007...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Contained more explicit 'intimate' scenes than I was comfortable with.

Cathy L. (KerrvilleCate) wrote on 6/29/2006...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Smiley is a funny writer and she's got university life pegged - all the dirty little secrets and the not-so-secret sexual liaisons. Her wicked wit entertains all the way through.

S W. (TakingTime) wrote on 2/11/2006...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

a comedy set at a current day fictional Midwestern University, that is ever bit as compelling as any Aesops fable written

Brenda T. wrote on 8/1/2005...

1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Very funny book about mid-American agriculture college life.


Please Rate these Book Reviews

Kim P. (sheltiesheba) wrote on 4/16/2009...


Precious book. Loved it!

Jim J. (texastech) wrote on 12/28/2006...


Selected by the Book of the Month Club.
Delectably entertaining....An uproariously funny and at the same time hauntingly melancholy portrait of a college community in the Midwest.

Bernie N. (Bernie) wrote on 7/20/2006...


Nestled in the heart of the Midwest, amid cow pastures and waving fields of grain, lies Moo University, a distinguished institution devoted to the art and science of agriculture. Here, among an atmosphere rife with devious plots, mischievous intrigue, lusty liaisons, and academic one-upmanship, Chairman X of the Horticulture Department harbors a secret fantasy to kill the dean; Mrs. Walker, the provost's right hand and campus information queen, knows where all the bodies are buried; Timothy Nonahan, associate professor of English, advocates eavesdropping for his creative writing assignments; and Bob Carlson, a sophomore, feeds and maintains his only friend: a hog named Earl Butz.


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