Reviews
Moran's semiautobiographical tale of a young writer finding her way in the mid-90s London rock scene pops and fizzes with the energy of those cool Britannia times--but her smart, nervy take on female selfhood and sexuality feels bracingly of now., "Wonderfully original...Hilarious summer fare with a feminist twist." -- People "A joyous, yelping novel about learning to love things without apology or irony... Moran reminds us that playing it cool is a waste of time." -- NPR "Hilarious." -- Esquire "Who better than Caitlin Moran to bring fame down to earth with a bump?" -- Helen Fielding, AARP Magazine "Moran's rollicking second novel characteristically combines nonstop witticisms with razor-sharp, pointed, and timely cultural critique.... Her characters are madcap and lovable but nuanced enough to feel real." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Moran's semiautobiographical tale of a young writer finding her way in the mid-90s London rock scene pops and fizzes with the energy of those cool Britannia times--but her smart, nervy take on female selfhood and sexuality feels bracingly of now." -- Entertainment Weekly "High-spirited and hilarious .... Half feminist comedy, half romance novel--a genre whose time has come." -- Kirkus "Moran's funny, female-centric writing is a treasure ... this feels just right for 2018." -- Booklist "A rollicking fantasy...How to be Famous rewrites a familiar near-past heroically, dispensing justice and leaving a rosy, satisfied afterglow." -- The Guardian "Glorious and life-enhancing... Funny, philosophical, and poignant in equal measure." -- Nina Stibbe, AARP Magazine "How to Be Famous bursts open the coming-of-age drama and leaves, in its wake, a hilarious, utterly original, unabashedly feminist comedy. Just read it." -- Refinery29 "Laugh-out-loud funny, sweetly romantic and fiercly angry. Often all at once." -- London Times "A subversive celebration of strong, smart young women." -- The Seattle Times "Sparkly and joyous...Moran writes with a fierce and tender protectiveness of teenage girls like Johanna, who are chewed up and spat out by the glamorous adult worlds they are trying to make their way into." -- Vox "Buckle up for the magical mystery tour that is life with Dolly Wilde...Stylewise, Ms. Moran is a breath of fresh air in the often stuffy, overly serious world of women's fiction. Her sentences cackle with sass but also reveal the vulnerability that lies beneath many a modern woman's confident exterior.... The heart of Ms. Moran's feminist fairy tale, however is its celebration of woman as they are, and not how society would have them be." -- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette "Funny, warm, insightful... Moran has always been a gloriously acute and funny writer, and the combination of memoir and make-believe here gives her plenty of scope to exercise her considerable ability to entertain." -- Financial Times, How to Be Famous bursts open the coming-of-age drama and leaves, in its wake, a hilarious, utterly original, unabashedly feminist comedy. Just read it., Rallying cries will always have a place in a yet-unfinished movement like feminism, but sometimes storytelling is more effective. The fictional Johanna Morrigan never drops the F-word, but readers can see she's asking all the right questions., High-spirited and hilarious .... Half feminist comedy, half romance novel--a genre whose time has come., A joyous, yelping novel about learning to love things without apology or irony... Moran reminds us that playting it cool is a waste of time., Funny, warm, insightful... Moran has always been a gloriously acute and funny writer, and the combination of memoir and make-believe here gives her plenty of scope to exercise her considerable ability to entertain., A rollicking fantasy...How to be Famous rewrites a familiar near-past heroically, dispensing justice and leaving a rosy, satisfied afterglow., Vivid and full of truths.... There's a point in midlife, when you're already built, as it were, when the average coming-of-age story starts to feel completely uninteresting. But Moran is so lively, dazzlingly insightful and fun that 'How to Build a Girl' transcends any age restrictions.
