I'm only giving this book 2 stars because it wasn't what I was expecting. When a review of the book (which was included on the front and back covers) calls a book "funny" and "sexy", I expect a book to be at least witty and at least have moments of flirtation and fun.

This book will be funny and sexy when funny means depressing and sexy means rape.

I liked how the author told the stores of Jane and Akiko - I like how they begin to get involved with each other, but not too much. By the end of the book I'm finally happy for Akiko (she kind of has a She's Come Undone storyline that goes crappy, crappy, crappy, even crappier, crappiest and then happy happiest at the end.)

If you are looking for something funny and sexy, please keep looking.

if you are looking for something well-written and a story that with bother you for hours to come (might even make your blood boil for a while) then this is the book for you.

(Also - to be fair, there are some pretty bloody details about cattle slaughterhouses. Oh yea, and rape. You've been warned.)

A book that is literally and figuratively, "food for thought." Good, fictitious, social commentary on the meat industry in the USA and how it's viewed by foreign eyes.

I preferred [b:All Over Creation|917346|All Over Creation|Ruth L. Ozeki|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1179438201s/917346.jpg|1089223] as it's humor offset the horrors of food production. It felt as if she was going into too many directions and something was lost. However, I will still recommend. Makes me want to become a vegan. Now if I just had any willpower . . .

This one fucked me up

It is hard to believe this was Ruth Ozeki's first novel. It was fantastic. I would have preferred to read it in hard copy so I could flip back and forth. But the reader for this audiobook was really great. There was a ton of dialogue and she managed to create and maintain a different voice and accent for each person. I feel like I might have rated a paper copy 5 stars but I would give the reader of this audiobook 5 stars also.

About the novel...it is very anti-factory farming and a ton of data are woven through the plot. I didn't find it preachy (although I've been a vegetarian for half my life, so my tolerance for negative information about meat production might be higher than the average person's). I found the characters complex, real, well developed, and very human in their flaws. The fertility issues, the mother-daughter dynamics, the abusive relationship, the staff loyalty, and even the relationships with strangers around the country were all poignant and believable.

I recommend this recording if you're looking for an audiobook.

My Bank Holiday read! An amazing book! A story like no other. I love the contrasting cultures and the big issues it deals with - selling your soul for money, factory farming and the damage to our health and the environment, domestic abuse, fertility, gender roles! I know a few people who have become vegetarian after reading this. I certainly will continue to chose my meat carefully and eat little and less frequently.

3½ stars.