How to Build a Girl

By: Caitlin Moran

Narrated by: Louise Brealey

Length: 9 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

What do you do in your teenage years when you realize what your parents taught you wasn't enough? You must go out and find books and poetry and pop songs and bad heroes - and build yourself.

It's 1990. Johanna Morrigan, 14, has shamed herself so badly on local TV that she decides that there's no point in being Johanna anymore and reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde - fast-talking, hard-drinking gothic hero and full-time Lady Sex Adventurer. She will save her poverty-stricken Bohemian family by becoming a writer - like Jo in Little Women, or the Brontës - but without the dying-young bit.

By 16, she's smoking cigarettes, getting drunk, and working for a music paper. She's writing pornographic letters to rock stars, having all the kinds of sex with all the kinds of men, and eviscerating bands in reviews of 600 words or less.

But what happens when Johanna realizes she's built Dolly with a fatal flaw? Is a box full of records, a wall full of posters, and a head full of paperbacks enough to build a girl after all?

Imagine The Bell Jar - written by Rizzo from Grease. How to Build a Girl is a funny, poignant, and heartbreakingly evocative story of self-discovery and invention, as only Caitlin Moran could tell it.

©2014 Casa Bevron, Ltd. (P)2014 Random House UK

loved it

Ah, the 90s when the only way to figure out if someone could be a new friend was asking, 'what kind of music do you listen to?'
this story nailed it
and the narrator/ voice artist was fantastic! every voice, conversation, expression... she brought so much to the performance. she really made the characters and personalities stand out. I haven't heard another audio book that felt expertly acted instead of just read.

Caitlin Moran, where were you when I was a teen?!!

One of the best audio productions I've heard in a long time. Second only to Ms. Moran's narration, this book entertains, educates, and leaves one wanting to hear more about Johanna Morrigan. I nearly drove off the road while driving to work and listening. I was laughing so hard and trying not to pee my pants.

How very English.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

To the right friend, yes. I don't think this book is for everyone but I really did enjoy the story.

Who was your favorite character and why?

It might have been Kenny (her boss). He just seemed like he didn't give her what she wanted to hear but what she needed to hear.

What does Louise Brealey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

She did the Irish, English and Scottish accents very well. It really made the story come to life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It had a few moments where it made me think "Come on Johana. You're better than that" or "poor girl has zero self esteem" and "Ha! I have no idea what kind of food they are talking about but it sounds vile."

Any additional comments?

If you're in the mood for a teenager reinventing herself and going about it in the London music scene....this is your book.

I loved every moment ❤

loved it. Very good. Every woman should read this book. We've all been there.

Incredible and Honest

Would you consider the audio edition of How to Build a Girl to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version so I don't know.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The main character was incredible. She was so funny and honest.

What does Louise Brealey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her accents and character voices were superb!

If you could take any character from How to Build a Girl out to dinner, who would it be and why?

John - he seemed like a fun guy to know.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book. It was so poignant and the time period was when I grew up so I got it. I thought this was one of the best books Ive read in a long time.

Brilliant!!

This is a brilliant, very well told story! I was a little apprehensive (Being a Big fan of the other books) about the voice work being done by someone else... but it is so beautifully written, and told, that I felt as if I personally knew the characters individually. Spectacular read! Loved it!

Love Caitlin

It was a bit of a drag, but she's such a great feminist writer... I'm not mad.
I might even read it again.

Loved it

The narrator was fantastic. Did a great job on all the different voices. The story was a fun, smart romp through a teenage mind and bad decisions with an optimistic ending. Very well- written.

When you see yourself in print, and its okay

What made the experience of listening to How to Build a Girl the most enjoyable?

The humor and compassion with which the entire story was conveyed made it always approachable, and easy to return to. And speaking as a woman who was a young teen in the 90s, the portrait of the time (even though it is in England) and place (lower middle class with a worthless but somehow not useless father) was hopeful and though simpler, on the cusp of great change was perfectly crystalized and presented. Reading this was to be transported back to look at a younger self, and realizing that though that younger self is an absurd creature, she is also splendid.

What other book might you compare How to Build a Girl to and why?

How To Be A Woman. This book expands on the Caitlen Moran character in HTBaW without being a simple retelling of Moran's life...it imagines a slightly more breathless approach, one in keeping with a teenage narrator.

What does Louise Brealey bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The nuance of spoken British slang.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

Buy this for the young (college-aged) women in your life. It'll help them realize that you need not be perfect to achieve dreams. In fact, flaws can be memorable.

Wasn't expecting to like it, but I loved it

I read this for a book club and by the description thought it would be depressing and that I wouldn't relate with the characters. Instead I found it funny, inspiring and a brilliant riot of words. I really loved it.