Review: More Than a Woman by Caitlin Moran

A decade ago, Caitlin Moran thought she had it all figured out. Her instant best seller How to Be a Woman was a game-changing take on feminism, the patriarchy and the general ‘hoo-ha’ of becoming a woman. Back then, she firmly believed ‘the difficult bit’ was over and her 40s were going to be a doddle.

If only she had known: when middle age arrives, a whole new bunch of tough questions need answering. Why isn’t there such a thing as a ‘Mum Bod’? How did sex get boring? What are men really thinking? Where did all that stuff in the kitchen drawers come from? Can feminists have Botox? Why has wine turned against you? How can you tell the difference between a teenage micro-breakdown and the real thing? Has feminism gone too far? And, as always, who's looking after the children?

Now with ageing parents, teenage daughters, a bigger bum and a to-do list without end, Caitlin Moran is back with More Than a Woman: a guide to growing older, a manifesto for change and a celebration of all those middle-aged women who keep the world turning.

Review: Well I adored this book. I loved everything about it so this is kind of a hard review to write because I just feel like you should read it and I know you're going to enjoy it. 

I did the audio of this book and it was wonderful because it was read by the author and it meant that all the comic timing was in all the right places and when things started to get a bit serious, her tone got serious too. Emotions brought this book to life and if you can get hold of the audiobook I really recommend it. 

I loved How To Be A Woman so much that it is listed as one of my favourite books of all time. I feel like I should read it at least once a year and not just having read it a couple of time and so a follow up to that book was bound to be a win for me. I love the fact that this book starts out with the author talking to her past self about how everything has changed, or not as the case may be was just so wonderfully funny and poetic. 

One of my favourite sections of the book, aside from all of it, was when she discusses how there is no decent way to express female arousal. When reading books or listening to discussions about male arousal there is a whole host of ways to talk about it but when it comes to female arousal, what do we have? I was laughing out loud, in the gym listening to this and have replayed that chapter for many many people. 

As you'll have gathered by now, I love Caitlin Moran's writing, I will read and then reread anything she writes and I can't recommend this book highly enough, it was wonderful and funny and you should really and truly read it, on audiobook if possible!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US

 

Review: How to Be Famous by Caitlin Moran

I’m Johanna Morrigan, and I live in London in 1995, at the epicentre of Britpop. I might only be nineteen, but I’m wise enough to know that everyone around me is handling fame very, very badly.

My unrequited love, John Kite, has scored an unexpected Number One album, then exploded into a Booze And Drugs HellTM – as rockstars do. And my new best friend – the maverick feminist Suzanne Banks, of The Branks – has amazing hair, but writer’s block and a rampant pill problem. So I’ve decided I should become a Fame Doctor. I’m going to use my new monthly column for The Face to write about every ridiculous, surreal, amazing aspect of a million people knowing your name.

But when my two-night-stand with edgy comedian Jerry Sharp goes wrong, people start to know my name for all the wrong reasons. ‘He’s a vampire. He destroys bright young girls. Also, he’s a total dick’ Suzanne warned me. But by that point, I’d already had sex with him. Bad sex. 

Now I’m one of the girls he’s trying to destroy. 

He needs to be stopped.

But how can one woman stop a bad, famous, powerful man?

 

Review: There are so many things I loved about this novel and, for a sequel, I think I loved it even more than the first one. 

Firstly, I loved revisitng Dolly, or Johanna, again because she is an awesome character. I love that she knows so much about the world as well as knowing so little about the world at the same time. The fact that she is a younger character gives her that innocence and naivety, but her exploits from the first novel mean that she knows a thing or two about the way the world of live music and music journalism works. 

Secondly I love the massive amount of feminist manifesto in this novel. I loved that Johanna asks why there are so few women at an award show, that so few women are represented in her field and why men's response to her at the time, and the other women around her, is to do with their physical attributes and the possibility of sex. 

Thirdly, I love the fact that this is set in London but has a whole host of characters who are not Londoners. I think that Johanna looks at the world differently because she is from the Midlands and didn't grow up in a middle class household. Some of the other characters are from Wales, Scotland and other parts of England and I think that this is much more Representative of the media industry in London, it really is a a melting pot of accents and backgrounds and this author has shown that here!

And lastly of course I loved the storyline. So much happens and so much that you can't even imagine happening as well, except that you can because it is music in London in the 90s. Its great and made me laugh out loud loads, as well as making me think and making me cheer. Obviously there are tons of awesome 90s references and I can't wait to read whatever Caitlin Moran comes out with next. She just rocks and I will read anything that she writes!

To order your copy now, just click the link: UK or US