Reviewed by Cesca Martin
The book was the winner of the Galaxy Book of the Year Award and I couldn’t believe I was only just sitting down to start it. If you have yet to do so I urge you to rush out and get your own copy now. It is as the blurb tells us, ‘part memoir, part rant’ and simply a stonkingly good, energetic walk through Moran’s life with chapters like ‘I am in love!’, ‘I become furry!’, etc.
This book is so good I felt cross with myself for leaving it this long to read it. SHE IS JUST SO FUNNY. She has a humorous way of writing, a fascinating life, wonderful timing and crazy analogies that just work. There were perhaps a couple of bad-taste moments, and if you don’t like swear words this might not be your cup of tea, but Moran is forgiven because frankly 99% of the time she is totally on the money. I was cackling with glee on a train full of commuters and wouldn’t have been able to stop if I had wanted to. When someone writes a paragraph comparing motherhood to war (“you wear the same clothes day in, day out, you keep saying, hopefully, “It will all be over by Christmas.”) then you just have to sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.
It is a wonderfully, empowering read putting you in full ranty mood and giving you plenty of food for thought. There were so many moments where you are nodding along, practically calling out “Hear, hear”, and so many moments where you are simply empathising with another weird woman just being weird, and a woman. I loved it, I loved it, I loved it and, if I could, would make it compulsory reading for any teenage girl. Viva la revolution *runs off to put on nice lipstick for the revolution (but only because I want to and not because of the patriarchy).* 10/10 for sheer, unstoppable, entertainment value.
10/10
How To Be a Woman website
