Poor Cow (novel)
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.jpg) First edition | |
| Author | Nell Dunn |
|---|---|
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | MacGibbon & Kee |
Publication date | 1967 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 141 pp |
| ISBN | 0860689905 (1988 Virago Press paperback edition) |
| Preceded by | Up the Junction |
| Followed by | Tear His Head Off His Shoulders |
Poor Cow is the first full-length novel by Nell Dunn, first published in 1967 by MacGibbon & Kee.[1] The novel is a study of a working-class girl from the East End of London, struggling through the swinging sixties after making one bad decision too many. The novel was adapted for film in the same year of publication.
Plot[edit]
Working-class Joy, 22 and dreaming of the good life the swinging sixties has promised, discovers the pitfalls of traditional gender roles when her husband Tom is sent to prison for theft, leaving her to look after baby Jonny. She moves in with her Auntie Emm and manages to keep her head above water by working as a barmaid and occasional sex worker. When Joy begins an affair with a friend of her husband, another petty thief, she cannot help but start to dream all over again. It is only when her child goes missing that she finally realises the emptiness of her daydreams.[2]
Adaptations[edit]
Nell Dunn wrote the screenplay for a film version in 1967, directed by Ken Loach and starring Carol White and Terence Stamp.[3]
Critical reception[edit]
On 5 November 2019 BBC News included Poor Cow on its list of the 100 most influential novels.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ "Explore the British Library".
- ^ "Nell Dunn - Poor Cow - Group". hachette.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- ^ "Poor Cow (1967)". IMDb. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- ^ "100 'most inspiring' novels revealed by BBC Arts". BBC News. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
The reveal kickstarts the BBC's year-long celebration of literature.
External links[edit]
- "POOR COW by Nell Dunn | Kirkus". kirkusreviews.com. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- "Nell Dunn - Poor Cow - Group". hachette.co.uk. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
- "Sixties City - Bill Harry's Sixties - articles from the creator of iconic 60s music paper Mersey Beat". Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
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