How to Be Famous audiobook

This is not a drill.I repeat: NOT A DRILL.Yes, Caitlin Moran has written a sequel to the sublime How to Build a Girl . I never expected this, never asked for this … and I definitely don’t deserve it, but young women do. This sequel is arguably better, brighter, more brilliant than the first book. I devoured it in a day, and I already want to go back and re-read it, underline it, find quotations, make my friends read it to hear their opinions. This is a book I want to share and evangelize and enjoy again and again, but it is uncompromising and unflinching in its feminism … yet it also contains so much joy.Spoilers for the first book! Content warnings for this book: lots and lots of drug use, explicit sex (if you are sex-repulsed you are not going to like this), sexual harassment/misconduct, discussions of eating disorders/purging/fatphobia.How to Be Famous picks up where the first book leaves off: 19-year-old Johanna Morrigan, writing under the pen name Dolly Wilde, reviews music shows and lives in London. She is, in her own words, a raunchy “Lady Sex Adventurer”—but really, of course, she is still young and learning her way through the sometimes terrifying and disappointingly misogynistic world of the London music scene. Johanna refuses to sleep with a comedian, then gives him a second chance—but when she snubs him yet again, he takes revenge. Soon Johanna finds herself in a situation too many prominent women face: being publicly shamed for her sexual behaviour (which is really no one else’s business).Once again, I’m struck by how much I like Johanna as a character. She is a raw and honest narrator, telling the story with some distance from her younger self but still exposing us to her younger self’s earnestness. Once more she lives this split life: on one hand, she is Dolly Wilde, fearless music journalist and Lady Sex Adventurer; on the other hand, she is still Johanna Morrigan, nineteen-year-old girl trying to figure out what the hell this life is all about. This is particularly noticeable when she talks, at length, about her feelings for John Kite. As much as Johanna evinces this confident, sexually liberated exterior, deep down she is still inexperienced, still trying to figure out who she wants to be—and there’s nothing wrong with that.Indeed, one of the most poignant moments in the book for me comes when Johanna finds herself in the position to take a friend’s virginity, to teach him and show him the ropes, and she discovers how enticing a prospect this is for her. Suddenly, the sex act is not about showing how good she is at pleasing a man; it’s this collaborative experience. Johanna is basically a microcosm for portraying the epochal shift that feminism underwent over the decades, from perceiving “liberation” as “we can or should have as much sex as we want, when we want” to “we can have as much sex when we want, with whom we want, entirely on our terms”. Moran recapitulates this much more resoundingly later in the book. In between then, of course, we have the juxtaposition of Johanna’s unsatisfactory experiences with Jerry Sharp.Although set in the mid-nineties, this book will obviously resonate with the current #MeToo and #TimesUp movements. Johanna discovers firsthand the inequity of being a woman who has casual sex. In addition to the professional fallout from refusing Tony (in the first book), there’s the way Jerry Sharp essentially goes out of his way to target her—something that sounds all too credible to me, unfortunately, just from what I read, and will no doubt feel even more familiar to some women readers. Moran masterfully manages the emotional upheaval that Johanna endures, the ups and downs culminating in a fantastic nadir, a flight, and then of course the redemptive realization that she would rather fight (but how?).This is where How to Be Famous departs from some of the more gritty takes on rape culture that I’ve read over the years: it has a happy ending, and Johanna gets some measure of closure or retaliation. Despite dealing with a very serious subject, it nevertheless remains hopeful and buoyant and defiant in that way. And I want to be clear: I’m not saying that’s better than books that adhere to a less optimistic storyline. The whole point is that we deserve all sorts of narratives about this topic. We need narratives that portray the brutal, uncaring realities about rape culture. We also deserve narratives about how it is possible to fight and to win against men who abuse their privilege. Just as How to Build a Girl made me excited for teenage girls to read it because it talks so honestly about some of the feelings they might wrestle with, I’m excited that How to Be Famous exists for young women. It shows them that you can be strong and still be scared, and upset, and at a loss at times. You can fight back and still be terrified and unsure of yourself. Media often simplify narratives, raising up some people as paragons and casting down others as unworthy—and it is never that simple. It is always more complicated. Moran captures that in Johanna’s behaviour here.This book feels a lot more focused, in terms of plot, than the first one, which is another reason I find it even better. That being said, don’t mistake this book for solely a novel about sexual misconduct. There’s so much more happening in here, so many fascinating feminist subplots. Let’s just briefly list them: Johanna and her dad, the way she’s acting as this proxy mother figure (and at odds with her own mother); the hilarious conversations between Johanna and her brother Krissi, which always warmed my heart; the ruminations, once again, on the effects of poverty on one’s psychology and actions—see the scene with Johanna and her brother Lupin; Suzanne and the record deal and the way Suzanne has a lot of ideas but is scared to commit them to a recording; and, of course, the quixotic love story between Johanna and John Kite. There is just so much happening in this book it actually beggars belief. I definitely need to re-read it at some point because there are so many rich little nuances I probably missed as I tore through it this once.If you want something that is honest and uncompromising in its portrayal of women’s sexuality, yet also fun and optimistic and hopefully empowering (not really my lane here), How to Be Famous might be that. You don’t have to read the first book, but I would highly recommend it. This is not just a worthy sequel: it’s an exquisite pleasure, a story I never thought I’d get—and honestly one that I wasn’t really clamouring for, yet now I’m so happy to have it. Again, this book isn’t really for me per se … I’m so excited to share it with my female friends, to see what they recognize of their own experiences in this, to have fascinating conversations with them. But it definitely helped me, helped expand my empathy and my understanding, which is why I would recommend it to a general audience. Moran’s writing is humorous and humane, and I always want more of that in my life.

"Girls should smile, when they think about their sex lives. That is the greatest wish I have for them."I requested this as an ARC, just assuming it would be more of Caitlin's essays, which I really enjoy. Once approved, I saw that it was actually classified as YA fiction, and fully prepared myself to give it a try and then to inform Netgalley that unfortunately this is not my thing. To my surprise I really enjoyed it, packed with the author's trademark, irreverent sense of humour it swept me away to 1990's London and the rise of Britpop. Her books may not be for everyone - filled with LOTS of sex, drugs and rock n roll (not to mention the swearing), but what you need to know is that she can write. This little story is full of amazing ideas, energy and real issues. There were many giggles, but also some ugly crying when we got to the crux of the story. At its core this is an ode to teenage girls and young women. I loved her article explaining why teenage girls are the most important fans of all. She also takes a look at sexual inequality and things like slut shaming and sex videos, which is probably even more valid now than in the 1990's.Make no mistake, this book is far from perfect - for one thing, the hero John Kite is just way too perfect to be believable, but it was so different than anything I've ever read that I just got sucked up in this whirlwind story. I would like both my children to read this when they're older (but being Afrikaans, and thus a bit conservative I'm not sure what that age should be? Maybe 25 😃)

Much like the first book in the series— How to Build a Girl—this was incredibly raunchy and hilarious. Moran doesn't sugarcoat anything, and it's very refreshing. Yes, at times it's awfully lewd, but Johanna is such a fantastically crafted heroine you can't help but fall in love with all aspects of her personality, including her extreme openness about...well everything. The last 10% or so was a bit too on the nose for me; I wouldn't have minded a bit more nuance in the storytelling. But overall a fun ride and one that had me turning the pages, reading the entire thing in 1 day. Definitely looking forward to the final installment in this series. (Be warned if you pick this book up it has very explicit material in it.)

4.5 Stars for How to be Famous (audiobook) by Caitlin Moran read by Louise Brealey. This is such a great series. I hope there is more books to come. The author does a great job of empowering women without being anti men. I’m also really enjoying the narration. I’ll look for some more books read by Louise Brealey. She has a great voice.

Once again, it's as if Caitlin Moran has read my teenage diaries and used them as a base for a fictional story. I connect heart and soul with every sentence and it's always such an emotional, heartfelt experience. Love love love it.

This is a fucking brilliant love letter to girls and all their power and possibility. It's also an ode to art and music and food and sex and all the things that make life worth living. I checked this out from the library to read it, but I am now going to buy my very own copy to own and keep on the special shelf of favorite books that's next to my bed. These are the books I want to revisit, even just in part, the ones that I consider friends. This book is one of my dear friends, and I think Johanna/Dolly would appreciate that.

It is difficult for me to express the absolute perfection that is this book. It's funny and ridiculous and messy, but it's also incisive and gorgeous. It hits me right in the middle of my heart and captures a sense of purpose and delight that I've never quite known how to express. A friend told me she loves Moran because the author puts words to feelings she's never been able to quantify, and I couldn't agree more.

Thank you so much to Harper Books for providing my free copy of HOW TO BE FAMOUS by Caitlin Moran - all opinions are my own.This is the follow up to Moran’s HOW TO BUILD A GIRL and it did not disappoint. Johanna Morrigan or rather her alter ego, Dolly Wilde is such an engaging, complex, yet relatable character. Dolly is an eighteen-year-old in the mid-nineties, living in London, and writing for a music magazine. She’s extremely infatuated with her musician friend, John Kite. However, she has a fortuitous one-night-stand or maybe two that ends in a very scandalous way. I really enjoyed reading a story surrounded by the Britpop music scene with concerts, late nights, and after parties. I graduated high school in the nineties, recognizing all these bands and pop culture references, so this was especially nostalgic.Luckily when I got this book, I quickly ran to the bookstore to get a copy of her previous novel. I loved them both, but this one I loved even more. Moran is a talented writer with such honesty and grit that you just instantly fall in love. Dolly’s character is effusive, clever, witty, and often inappropriate, so what’s not to like? HOW TO BE FAMOUS is the perfect blend of coming-of-age, feminism, and humor - like laugh out loud, highlight half the book, funny. Moran captures the backstage scene of sex, drugs, and rock and roll with precision. I loved that her characters were written with such raw emotion and sharp dialogue. You definitely don’t need to read HOW TO BUILD A GIRL first, but I’d recommend it for the full experience. My motto is buy them both...it’s more fun that way.

How to Be Famous felt so relevant to me because there was an episode in my life where I religiously followed a band everywhere. It was fun, and a bit insane.Johanna is living the dream: she's young, lives in London, goes to concerts and writes about musicians. In my opinion, she's totally winning the "London game", but she's still inexperienced about love and sex. I know this is a love story, but to me, romantic love came second. The most important part was Johanna's standing up for herself: quitting a job where she wasn't appreciated, giving hell to a bastard, and just being her hilarious, amazing self. Both Johanna and Suzanne are wonderful feminist icons, and I wish they could be my friends.Even though it's set in 1994-5, the problems Johanna faces are too real, too contemporary. We actually have a glimpse of the Me Too movement, and it made me happy that young women reading this book will learn about the many sides of sex and consent.I've practically highlighted the entire book, but my favorite quote was:"Baby just got her Angry Wings! Oh, babe—it's always a festal day, when a woman finally gets angry for the first time. I'm so happy for you."Big thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review purposes.

This was even better than the first one - moving, joyful, heart-shaking, wonderful. I wanted the "villain" to be punished more than he was, and my ship didn't sail, but I loved the whole thing anyway, and I love Johanna 💛

Probably one of the best if not the best coming of age story of a female protagonist I have ever read. The ending astounded me. It says things that everyone should be forced to see in print and recognize the truth of it...how important young girls are and how their enthusiasm can change lives.

"Han pasado un par de años, y Johana se ha mudado a Londres, se codea con famosos, ha practicado sexo, se pasa el día de bar en bar, y hasta se ha enamorado. Se podría decir que de momento ha hecho realidad sus sueños de chica de pueblo.El problema es que ser una chica de diecinueve años es más complicado de lo que parece. Es muy difícil manejar tu propia sexualidad cuando no tienes más idea que las anécdotas que se escuchan en los bares, casi siempre de boca de los hombres, y dando por sentado que hay ciertas cosas que son absolutamente normales. Es complicado pretender ser adulta.Pero ¿qué pasa cuando algo no cuadra, y te niegas a aceptar que ha de ser así? ¿Qué hacer para salvar la reputación cuando se emprende una campaña de desprestigio personal como venganza?La maravillosa Caitlin Moran nos deleita una vez más con una fantástica y divertidísima novela en la que, entre chistes y anécdotas, pone de relieve lo difícil que es ser una mujer en un mundo de hombres -en este caso, la industria musical-, y las dificultades que nos encontramos en el camino hacia el descubrimiento personal." Marta López Blanco

Thank you to Netgalley, Ebury Publishing & Caitlin Moran for my ARC of How to Be Famous. Anyone who knows me, knows that Caitlin Moran is one of my favourite people in the whole world who I don't actually know in person. After picking up How to Be a Woman in a charity shop years ago I fell fast and hard for her blunt, brilliant and hilarious but serious approach to feminism. How to be Famous is the sequel to Moran's How to Build a Girl another of my firm favourites. So I was expecting great things, and it definitely delivered. We catch up with the main character Johanna or 'Dolly' as she's now known. Now 19, Jo has made it in the world of being a music journalist but after sleeping with her boss and being treated badly for it, she decides its time to see what the rest of the world has to offer. It's 1995 and Brit Pop is at large, feminism is only just starting to rear its head and Dolly is having to navigate the problems that are now thrown her way. From public sex shaming, drugs, rock n' Roll, sleeping with a friend, watching her best friend and love interest take the world by storm and managing misogyny in the workplace, it's a hard world for a 19 year old girl to be. But somehow this bittersweet novel is also extremely funny and fun! It's like you're learning things but having fun at the same time. What I love most about Moran's books, fictional and none fictional is that they make you sit up and say hold on that's exactly the way women are treated in this world and it's not bloody on! I really hope that there is more to come in this series, I can't wait to see what Dolly does next!