Poor Cow

Poor Cow Synopsis

THE BESTSELLING NOVEL BY NELL DUNN

'Her art is ignited by voice . . . as you hear it, is unquestionable' ALI SMITH, GUARDIAN

'Touching, truthful and fresh' MARGARET DRABBLE

'Nell Dunn's hilarious, heartbreaking Poor Cow, about a single mother in sixties London' PARIS REVIEW

Joy - also called Blossom, Sunshine and Blondie by the men in her life - walks down Fulham Broadway carrying her week-old baby, Jonny. She is twenty-one with bleached hair, high suede shoes and a head full of dreams. Her husband Tom is a thief and on the proceeds of a job they move to a luxury flat - 'the world was our oyster and we chose Ruislip'. Then Tom is sent to prison, leaving Joy and Jonny to move in with Auntie Emm. This is Joy's story: an exuberant, pink-lipsticked, tale of London life, love and young motherhood in the sixties . . .

Poor Cow explores the life of a young working-class girl in the swinging sixties as she navigates the consequences of her decisions.

Nell Dunn's 1967 novel was also made into a film directed by Ken Loach.