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katykelly's review
5.0
Insanely readable, eloquent and naturally funny - Caitlin, you'd be my Desert Island partner any day...
I have a soft spot for Ms Moran, she lived round the corner from me in Wolverhampton, a few years older than me, and always manages to includes references to the hometown I look back on with nostalgia and fondness.
But that's a minor attraction to her work for me. Caitlin Moran is a BRILLIANT contemporary commentator, cutting to the heart of moral dilemmas with rude wit, bolshie confidence and considered (and thought-through) opinion.
This collection of her writing is fresh to me, I don't read her newspaper pieces so none was familiar, but I thorough enjoyed reading about Bowie, Cumberbatch et al. Having never experienced a music festival, I feel I know exactly what the experience might be like after laughing through Caitlin's advice on how to prepare for one. And then soon after I cried quite mightily over her thoughts on rape, abortion and women's rights. And of course the heartfelt yet so sparse and tight letter to her daughter at the end. Beautiful writing. She can turn herself to any topic, it seems. Jealousy, thy name is Reviewer.
With choice language at times (afraid you'll have to suck it up if you're not a fan), she makes a lot of sense, and speaks with honesty about her own experiences, good and bad (miscarriages, cystitis) and speaks to the past-20s-women out there (my hand is up here) for whom life is rapidly changing, whether we like it or not.
More than one section caught me up in its beauty, but a chapter on becoming a judge for a literary prize (nice one, Caitlin!) quite stunned me with its wonderfully worded elegy to The Reader:
"A reader is not a simple consumer...a reader is something far more noble, dangerous and exhilarating - they are a co-artist. Your mind is the projection screen every writer steals; it is the firing of your neurones that makes every book come alive. You are the electricity that turns it on..." It goes on, but I won't, you'll have to read it for yourself.
I wondered if I'd find this repetitive after reading all of her other partly-autobiographical adult works, but I didn't one jot. I am yet more in awe of this considerably talented commentator who, to me, talks more sense than any politician out there (she includes some of her policy ideas, and each one rings true).
If you decided to become Prime Minister, Caitlin, you'd have my vote.
Excellent writing, entertaining, uplifting and inspiring.
I have a soft spot for Ms Moran, she lived round the corner from me in Wolverhampton, a few years older than me, and always manages to includes references to the hometown I look back on with nostalgia and fondness.
But that's a minor attraction to her work for me. Caitlin Moran is a BRILLIANT contemporary commentator, cutting to the heart of moral dilemmas with rude wit, bolshie confidence and considered (and thought-through) opinion.
This collection of her writing is fresh to me, I don't read her newspaper pieces so none was familiar, but I thorough enjoyed reading about Bowie, Cumberbatch et al. Having never experienced a music festival, I feel I know exactly what the experience might be like after laughing through Caitlin's advice on how to prepare for one. And then soon after I cried quite mightily over her thoughts on rape, abortion and women's rights. And of course the heartfelt yet so sparse and tight letter to her daughter at the end. Beautiful writing. She can turn herself to any topic, it seems. Jealousy, thy name is Reviewer.
With choice language at times (afraid you'll have to suck it up if you're not a fan), she makes a lot of sense, and speaks with honesty about her own experiences, good and bad (miscarriages, cystitis) and speaks to the past-20s-women out there (my hand is up here) for whom life is rapidly changing, whether we like it or not.
More than one section caught me up in its beauty, but a chapter on becoming a judge for a literary prize (nice one, Caitlin!) quite stunned me with its wonderfully worded elegy to The Reader:
"A reader is not a simple consumer...a reader is something far more noble, dangerous and exhilarating - they are a co-artist. Your mind is the projection screen every writer steals; it is the firing of your neurones that makes every book come alive. You are the electricity that turns it on..." It goes on, but I won't, you'll have to read it for yourself.
I wondered if I'd find this repetitive after reading all of her other partly-autobiographical adult works, but I didn't one jot. I am yet more in awe of this considerably talented commentator who, to me, talks more sense than any politician out there (she includes some of her policy ideas, and each one rings true).
If you decided to become Prime Minister, Caitlin, you'd have my vote.
Excellent writing, entertaining, uplifting and inspiring.
amlibera's review
4.0
Love Caitlin Moran, love her point of view and her sense of humor. This collection of essays doesn't quite reach the heights of How to Be a Woman but is still highly enjoyable and thought provoking.
nikshelby's review
5.0
I don't remember how I found this essay anthology from Caitlin Moran. However, I am glad I did. She felt like someone I'd like to buy a pint for at the pub (she's from the UK), and chat about everything in the world - silly and serious. This book felt like it was her side of the conversation, and my questions and thoughts were between the lines.
Some random quotes:
>>> "I started to think, 'Maybe there's something to learn here. Maybe you don't need to be the 'right' kind of person to write about big things. Maybe anyone thoughtful, and making an effort, can contribute to the debate. Maybe there are thousands of us who are not thinking, and not writing, and not talking - just because we think we are the wrong kind of person. So - I am going to write about politics now. Firstly, because I think I should; and secondly, because I'm old enough now not to care if people think I can't. I love getting older. You might lose skin elasticity, but you also lose the amount of fucks you give. It's awesome."
>>> Milton Friedman "Only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable."
>>> "There is one huge, untapped resource which would allow a light-speed jump in progress - and it's us. We are the big, obvious resource of our age...This, then, is the ultimate argument for the urgency and necessity of equality. For equality isn't some fabulous luxury we treat ourselves to when we're rich enough - the legislation and infrastructure we get round to after we secure our economies, or wrangle foreign policy. Equality isn't humanity's cashmere bed socks. It's not a present we treat ourselves to, like champagne. It's a fundamental necessity, like water."
>>> "The systems borked. The good news is, we have a billion ways to improve it. US. For we are the point of democracy. We are democracy. We are the conversation. We are the climate. We set the tone - we make the spaces where conversations turn into ideas, which then turn into action. We are the drivers - not just at the polling booth, every few years, but in the choices we make every day in what we buy, what we eat, the language we use, the ideas we share, the comments we make, and the connections we make across the world."
>>> "So much of the groundwork for change is done simply through human creativity, joy, and a willingness to consider future and parallel worlds. The BBC made the show {Doctor Who}, and we watched it, and in a small way - while we were at play, while we were happy - the world was changed."
Some random quotes:
>>> "I started to think, 'Maybe there's something to learn here. Maybe you don't need to be the 'right' kind of person to write about big things. Maybe anyone thoughtful, and making an effort, can contribute to the debate. Maybe there are thousands of us who are not thinking, and not writing, and not talking - just because we think we are the wrong kind of person. So - I am going to write about politics now. Firstly, because I think I should; and secondly, because I'm old enough now not to care if people think I can't. I love getting older. You might lose skin elasticity, but you also lose the amount of fucks you give. It's awesome."
>>> Milton Friedman "Only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable."
>>> "There is one huge, untapped resource which would allow a light-speed jump in progress - and it's us. We are the big, obvious resource of our age...This, then, is the ultimate argument for the urgency and necessity of equality. For equality isn't some fabulous luxury we treat ourselves to when we're rich enough - the legislation and infrastructure we get round to after we secure our economies, or wrangle foreign policy. Equality isn't humanity's cashmere bed socks. It's not a present we treat ourselves to, like champagne. It's a fundamental necessity, like water."
>>> "The systems borked. The good news is, we have a billion ways to improve it. US. For we are the point of democracy. We are democracy. We are the conversation. We are the climate. We set the tone - we make the spaces where conversations turn into ideas, which then turn into action. We are the drivers - not just at the polling booth, every few years, but in the choices we make every day in what we buy, what we eat, the language we use, the ideas we share, the comments we make, and the connections we make across the world."
>>> "So much of the groundwork for change is done simply through human creativity, joy, and a willingness to consider future and parallel worlds. The BBC made the show {Doctor Who}, and we watched it, and in a small way - while we were at play, while we were happy - the world was changed."
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
While I originally picked this up on a whim because I had enjoyed [b:Moranthology|17308291|Moranthology|Caitlin Moran|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1361749251s/17308291.jpg|21403525], I was able to use this for one of the advanced prompts ("A bestseller from 2016") for the 2017 PopSugar Ultimate Reading Challenge. This collection of essays is more political than the previous collection I read. I found the selections thought-provoking and witty, which is what I enjoyed about that earlier collection. While humor permeates the collection, several of the essays deal with topics that are quite heavy and Moran treats them with the respect and care they deserve. She is very open about the fact her politics swing liberal and that she's a proud feminist. If you aren't like-minded, that might be off-putting. However, a lot of her views are driven by the idea that we should be treating our fellow beings with more kindness and respect, which I think most of us want and support, regardless of our own political leaning.
felicitycot's review
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
There’s a lot to enjoy about Caitlin Morans collection of essays here. Although some of them are close to 10 years old, they are still sound, interesting and funny. The personable style of writing feels like a chat with a mate over a quick glass of wine, or a shared taxi ride home. Will definitely look out for more of her writing.
glindaaa's review
4.0
Alright let's start this. I have read How to be a Woman and I liked Moran her way of writing and her sarcastic tone of what she has to tell. I like the idea of meeting her at one point but well maybe one day. What I also like is that she is British, I prefer that over American (I still like Americans don't worry) but she told me a lot of things about London and the rest of the UK and I go there a lot for holidays and it felt so familiar that it wasn't very difficult to read, it was definitely again time wise why it took me so long.
Some things were too British to me, I didn't understand what she meant as I had no idea what it was or what it was about. But now I do know in case I read upon it some where else. I didn't have much with the reviews at first because I didn't watch those series, movies or whatever she was talking about and that made it difficult to like that part of her column but I read them all! I have watched some of the reviews she gave and than it was very interesting, so maybe at some point I have read/watched the things she talked about too and I can read that part of the column/book again.
Her book is motivational and not full of complaining, she explains why she has her opinion and even tells that she for example doesn't have a solution or thinks this should be a solution because of pretty good reasons. She wasn't whiny, she was motivational! Which made it definitely not bad to read because I liked her ideas. As I said before when I started this I immediately felt a connection as she started to talk about politics and I was relieved someone (with a bigger voice than I) felt the same about Democracy, Politics, LGBT and so on and made it clear why.
I said this was motivational but it also motivated me. The Feminist part as well as the Future part and that is something that I want to keep with me (so glad this book is mine ha) and I can reread it again and again, because it's small columns you can read a few from time to time, without having to read the whole book all at once. Thanks Moran, you made my Sunday.
Some things were too British to me, I didn't understand what she meant as I had no idea what it was or what it was about. But now I do know in case I read upon it some where else. I didn't have much with the reviews at first because I didn't watch those series, movies or whatever she was talking about and that made it difficult to like that part of her column but I read them all! I have watched some of the reviews she gave and than it was very interesting, so maybe at some point I have read/watched the things she talked about too and I can read that part of the column/book again.
Her book is motivational and not full of complaining, she explains why she has her opinion and even tells that she for example doesn't have a solution or thinks this should be a solution because of pretty good reasons. She wasn't whiny, she was motivational! Which made it definitely not bad to read because I liked her ideas. As I said before when I started this I immediately felt a connection as she started to talk about politics and I was relieved someone (with a bigger voice than I) felt the same about Democracy, Politics, LGBT and so on and made it clear why.
I said this was motivational but it also motivated me. The Feminist part as well as the Future part and that is something that I want to keep with me (so glad this book is mine ha) and I can reread it again and again, because it's small columns you can read a few from time to time, without having to read the whole book all at once. Thanks Moran, you made my Sunday.