Holy Cow!

An Indian Adventure

By: Sarah Macdonald

Narrated by: Kate Hosking

Length: 10 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

After backpacking her way around India, Sarah Macdonald decides she hates the country with a passion. When a beggar at the airport reads her palm and insists she will one day return, and for love, she screams "Never!" and gives the country, and him, the finger.

But 11 years later, the prophecy comes true. When the love of Sarah's life is posted to India, she quits her dream job as a national radio presenter to follow him to the most polluted city on earth, New Delhi. It seems like the ultimate sacrifice for love and it almost kills her, literally.

Often hilarious, sometimes hair-raising, and always entertaining, Holy Cow is a rollercoaster ride through a land of chaos and contradiction, from spiritual retreats and crumbling nirvanas to war zones and New Delhi nightclubs, that only a woman on a mission to save her soul, her love life, and her sanity, can survive.

©2002 Sarah Macdonald (P)2003 Bolinda Publishing Pty Ltd

Critic reviews

"A lively, snappy travelogue." (Booklist)

"[Macdonald] brings a reporter's curiosity, interviewing skills, and eye for detail to everything she encounters, and winningly captures 'the drama, the dharma, the innocent exuberance of the festivals, the intensity of the living, the piety in playfulness, and the embrace of living day by day'." (Publishers Weekly) 

"Prepare for a fast-moving and masterful narration by Kate Hosking. Her characterization of the Indian characters is nuanced and fun. The contrast with the distinctive Australian accents of MacDonald and other ex-pats adds to the sense of adventure and excitement and provides a backdrop for spiritual understanding." (AudioFile) 

Inspiring and witty

After listening to this book, I have put India at the top of my "places to visit" list. I didn't realize the book would emphasize religion so much, but this had the unexpected side effect of making me feel as if I'd learned something in addition to enjoying Macdonald's hilarious accounts of her attempts to survive in and eventually master Indian culture.

Brilliant!

Sarah MacDonald is truly a gifted writer. Holy Cow! is a skillfully structured story of her coming of age in India as she investigates, describes, and beings to embody with (sometimes profound) insight and humor a wide variety of India's religions, saints, and spiritual practices and communities. The book is a vibrant comparative religion text. And the narrator's talent is awesome.

Well Written and Well Read

Having been to India a number of times I found this book insightful, funny and honest. It's well written and well read making for a very enjoyable listen.

a great listen!

I read this book prior to getting the audio and have to say that the audio made the book light-up like a Christmas tree! All the Hindu words and pronunciations were brought to life by the narrator, as well as doing a fine job on the author's emotional states as well.
I liked the book but loved the audiobook!

Fun and provocative portrait

This audiobook was delightful. The narrator did a terrific job with the variety of accents (Australian, Indian, American), and the pace was lively. I am not religious, but I enjoyed the thoughtful portrayal of the many religions observed in India. I also felt like I had a better understanding of the country and culture. I have met many Indian immigrants through school and work, and this book gave me some perspective on their life back at home. At times the author is a bit narcissistic, but her good humor and continuous pursuit of self knowledge balance it out.

finding the way

Exceptional audio, wonderful authentic accents. The author's candid descriptions are eloquent, including her own reactions and struggle to understand and practice various disciplines and social norms. I learned much more about today's India and possibly more about myself. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Why didn't I stop sooner?!?

Clearly I was looking for something different than what the other reviewers described. I made it to the middle of the second part. Definitely long enough to feel confident in saying that life is far too short to spend time on this one. I found myself fast forwarding throughout the book to get to the point, and discovered that there was none. Good or bad, we've all had some sort of religious experience at some point in our lives. The sad fact is that they are usually much more interesting to us than they are to the general public. Other people do not necessarily care about them; nor should they.

Enjoyable but not a five star

I enjoyed this book on the whole but from the reviews expected more. It took a good few hours to get into it... but from then on I really enjoyed it and was sorry when it ended. (It lost a star because it took so long to get into.)

Wanderlust

I listen to this book when I wish I were travelling but don't have the time or money. The first chapter made me wonder what I had gotten myself into, as she rages about how much she hates India. If you can get past this you'll realize that this is to juxtapose next to the spiritual journey the author later undertakes to better understand where her hate and anger come from. And the author is honest about how her western judgments of India soften and turn inside out the longer she is there and the more she tries to understand. This was a really brave but totally fun effort of a westerner trying to come to terms with her assumptions about a culture wildly different (but in some surprising ways similar) that her own. Her descriptions of holi still colour my dreams!

Holy Cow

one of the most entertaining ,funny and sensitive book I listen too for a long time. I was laughing and crying through it all.

Worth a read

Having travelled to India and worked there (got to love that driving), if only for a short time with my job, I found myself chuckling away merrily to this a great deal. It perfectly portrays the chaos that surrounded my visit there and I found constant parallels between the authors experiences and my own.
For some reason though I found it really hard to get through and took nearly a month to listen to it. Some of this was my doing but some of it was the story is pretty much one level throughout and samey.
I'm not sure about the religious stuff, Im sure some will take offence although I don't see any malice, just observation.
Well worth the read and the time.

Disappointing

Having also been to India I was disappointed when listening to this book.
It leaves out so much of the joy of this unique country, but maybe I'm biased.
Worth listening to however.

similar to Shantaram? I don't think so!

It started off so well, thought it was going to be fun, but it was just boring!! I lost the will to live listening to this book, it felt like a very long lesson in Religious instruction

Should have read this years ago!

I remember seeing Holy Cow on the bookshop shelves back in 2002 when it was first published. I remember being drawn to it by its funky (possibly offensive) front cover. I remember reading the blurb on the back cover and thinking, “I have to read this, it sounds right up my street”. However, I didn’t read it. Don’t know why? Just never got around to it I suppose.
Fast forward seventeen years, and I find myself looking for some Indian travel writing. After some searching, I come across Sarah Macdonald’s Holy Cow. I read the blurb again and bought it.
It’s no literary masterpiece but I just couldn’t put it down. It’s definitely not meant to be taken too seriously. I suspect some parts were altered for effect of laughs. I don’t remember a dull moment to be honest. I do remember a fair bit of laughing.
The book starts off quite cynical and Sarah already has a very negative view of India from a previous trip. However, she shortly starts to explore various types of spirituality that can be found in and around India. Before long the writer starts to become more open-minded regarding the different religions and embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
I can understand how some readers may find parts of the book offensive, especially the first chapter with the very cynical outlook at India and culture. But if you persevere, the writer expresses a much more open-minded outlook as she grows and tries to find positives in her surroundings.
I thoroughly enjoyed Holy Cow and would love to pick it up again one day.

Fab book you can really relate to if you visit India

Fab book you can really relate to if you visit India. Highly worth the listen.

I love it already and I'm only halfway into chap 1

love the authors voice (beautifully brought to life by narrator too) the way she tells it is fast paced witty and palpable.

Great introduction to India

I am going to India for my first visit and this book was recommended as an introduction. It seems to give a good description of the country, the people and the different cultures and religions. I feel I have a better understanding of what to expect from everyday life. There really are a lot of experiences in this book too. A great insight.

A good read.

If you have been to India you will love this book. If you are going then its a good read before hand. Or take it if you are to go! It brings Indian with all its colour, tastes, and issues back to your mind. And leads you into another life. A world away.

This womans voice is agony

Couldnt sound less interested and makes the whole experience sound mundane and a pain in the arse. She has one accent for every single Indian person male or female. People tell me its a fun enjoyable book but I scraped by the first 4 hours over a 6 week period when usually go through one this long in 2 days with my job but iv given up. I cant stand her.

Thumbs Up

If you're looking for a fun easy-to-listen-to story and are interested in India and its myriad cultures and religions this may be for you. The narration is consistant and expressive, which makes visualisation an easy feat.