Self-Tanner for the Soul

How I Ran Away to Europe and Found My Inner Glow (When Life Got Dark)

By: Cat Marnell

Narrated by: Cat Marnell

Length: 6 hrs

Publisher's Summary

From Cat Marnell, author of the New York Times best-selling memoir How to Murder Your Life, an irresistibly candid and magical travelogue of soul-seeking and self-healing

The spring of 2017 should have been the greatest time of Cat Marnell’s life. She was 34 and living the New York glamour life downtown, with a thriving career and a best-selling memoir. Instead, it was one of the worst. She’d gone through a protracted and traumatic breakup, nearly run out of money, and, during a month-long binge, "done something horrible" to herself that she couldn’t undo.

Her troubles mounting, Marnell makes a radically simple choice: She decides to leave her problems behind. She puts her belongings into storage and uses the last of her book advance to buy a one-way plane ticket to Europe. For the next four months, Marnell is a woman on the move. With nothing but a suitcase (Sammy) and a bag of wigs to her name, and no agenda other than to follow her heart (and maybe the Libertines' Pete Doherty), Marnell embarks on a profound personal journey, from late-night "Wizard Walks" in mysterious cities to almost drowning in a river - all while learning to face down her demons.

Whimsical, infectious, and utterly life-affirming, Self-Tanner for the Soul reminds us all of the life-changing magic of running away.

©2019 Cat Marnell (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC.

Substance free and self indulgent

There is no “inner glow” radiating from this story. Unless the inner glow she found was from raising her ego by listening to her read her own journal entires out loud.

This book actually made me sad. Marnell starts off reading it like a girl at my high school cafeteria table who is sharing super juicy gossip about on the nuns.
Her tone slows down slightly into a self absorbed “I can’t believe how funny and beautiful I think I am and everything is lovely and you are so very lucky I am even telling you these things”

What I learned, wigs are heavy. Addiction still keeps her going with amphetamines and booze. We don’t know why she is carrying so many wigs because she doesn’t feel like talking about it. Her hardest days were when she got into the water to float and her things got wet, when she packed her Adderall in check-on luggage and had mild withdrawal that she did not fully explain, and when she realized she was out of money, but lols, that fix is just a call away to her mom and manager because she has money floating around that she doesn’t know about because her book was an international success.
Het aloof demeanor left me sad. The woman is not in a good space and it seems under contract for this book. She phoned it in, there was no realness or raw honesty as in her previous book. This is a waste of $20 for what is nothing more than verbal Instagram.

Oh, and for those of you who are down or sad, or lives are falling apart travel! And those of you who cannot afford traveling the world for months, Marnell’s narrow minded and self indulgent advice is to simply work out and get your mind off things.

Just No

Sorry this is terrible, slow, monotonous and a huge disappointment to me personally. That said her first book was a true work of Art. So obviously she is a major talent. This one she phoned in.

Not sure what the point is

I was gripped by Cat Marnell's first book, How to Murder Your Life, and have listened to it several times. Her life and her choices are really unbelievable, and listening to her talk about the jams she repeatedly gets herself into (and out of, by some miracle) is an adrenaline rush for those of us who would define "living on the edge" as hearing about how other people murder their life...safely...from the comfort of our sheltered homes. But this audiobook is not good because it doesn't bring the shock factor that we've come to expect from Marnell. There are no real stories, no arcs, no lessons learned (or not learned), it just feels like a lot of repetitive streams of consciousness that never quite go anywhere. Cat runs of out money, she stays in crappy hostels, she gets in a lot of cars with people who aren't really professional drivers, many gross, old (her words) European men oogle her and want to sleep with her -rinse, repeat. Oh, she also has an obsession with Pete Dougherty and starts the book off by following him around on several tour stops, which amounts to very little. And maybe the real problem with this story is...it's not a story. Cat's reputation and brand is shock factor, and without that this audiobook is rather forgettable.

It was fun... for a while.

I basically get a huge kick out of Cat Marnell and truly enjoyed her first book. This one -- which I would recommend to die-hard Cat Marnell fans only -- started out as an entertaining romp but got a little tiresome about halfway through. By the end of the book I was rolling my eyes and was wondering how/why she was even getting paid for this dialed-in, repetitive, diary-format narrative. She checks into a new city, goes out on a "wizard walk," gets loaded on wine, and misses her flights and buses -- lather, rinse, repeat. It becomes less and less "dope" and more and more.... well, dopey. If the nonstop wacky antics of a precocious teenager in her late 30s is your thing, you'll like this, but it gets seriously old seriously quickly, dude.

The world’s only 13-year-old 35-year-old

I kind of liked How to Murder Your life for the shock factor but this is (don’t ask me how) even more insufferable and self-indulgent and even less interesting than the first one. Skip it. There’s no growth, surprises or anything actually juicy left from this grownup adolescent.

it was just ok for me

Now dont get me wrong I love Cat, I have listened to How to Murder Your Life like 20 times! With that being said, I found this book to be boring as shit with the same thing being said over and over in every place. She walked around, went to a bar, ate some food, looked at the moon. Oh she missed a lot of busses, went to the same concerts over and over in different places and swam. She was able to experience things that not many will be able to do and yet her descriptions were not good at all, I didnt feel like I was there with her like I did in the first book. I'm not sure if it was because she was on drugs or because she wasnt on drugs but I found this book to be a lot of rambling repetition and most likely written only to fulfill a contract. It just didnt feel like her heart was in it. Even her speaking voice was flat. Sorry Cat, I still love you and will listen to the next book, but this one just didnt do it for me. Maybe I just had too high of hopes.

honest, real and entertaining

loved listening to cat marnells journey throughout Europe. makes me want to plan a trip! the honesty and vulnerability was admirable.

So obsessed with Cat Marnell

When I heard that Cat’s newest “book” was only available in audio form, I was a little annoyed. But there is literally no other way to tell this story! Cat reading her journal entries is absolutely perfect. She is so fascinating, charming, and brilliant-I felt like I was listening to a friend tell me about her adventures. I cannot wait to see or hear what she does next.

Cat Marnell is back and charming as ever!

When I saw that Cat Marnell had come out with a travel memoir, I was over the moon! I find her bubbly stream-of-consciousness writing style to be delightful, and Self-Tanner For the Soul was no exception. However, I felt this book lacked any sort of direction or insight, a departure from How To Murder Your Life. Definitely still worth a listen if you’re looking for something light and simple!

Sit Back & Enjoy The Journey

This was an absolute wonderful experience.
It's like you are rite there, on the bus, in the cab/uber. At the nightclub. All over the map for four amazing months!
Don't miss the trip its definitely one of a kind! I could picture damn near everything Kat was was experiencing, now that is one hell of a writer ❤️
Take this journey, it definitely lite a fire inside of me - one that has me looking inward & maybe I can't travel our of the country for four months, however I can do something, anything to change my life an make it more WIZARD🌟 Like.✨💫💙

Oooft

I liked cat’s last book, although do remember a sense of guilt in devouring it. A ticket to the car crash. I think I’ve changed: I found this audible original bratty, wearisome, utterly egocentric... and cloyingly insightless. Cat has no idea of the privilege she is swathed in. She doesn’t appear to have grown, matured, or developed in terms of writing style. I’m afraid I lost interest a little way in.

I don’t really know what the point of this was

I really loved her first book and read it multiple times in quick succession. This was just...a ramble that didn’t go anywhere, didn’t draw any conclusions and didn’t really tell us anything about her life. It was mainly - I’m in this country, I’m tired, I missed a flight. Not really sure I understand why this was a project. Looking forward to her next book which might make more sense

It’s no “how to murder your life”

After her first book, I thought this was going to be similarly good. I was wrong.

This is self-loathing repetitive toxic drivel. Cat Marnell comes across as a spoilt rich brat who can’t get over herself and spends the entire time whining about either being tired or bored or just not feeling the vibe, like some entitled child, whilst travelling around some of the most beautiful places on Earth, which she doesn’t appreciate.

I don’t understand what the point of this book was. But it was a complete waste of time and money.

I really wanted to like this

for once I agree with many of the reviews here. I love Cat Marnell's writing, how to murder your life and her columns are fantastic. this book however, is for me, neither one thing nor the other. it lacks description, sparkle, and soul. it reads lile a summative account of a travel schedule where Marnell alludes briefly to interesting points then fails to go on to write about them at all. it glosses over anything that might be interssting and details instead very boring, brief and repetitive accounts of moving from city to city. inane drivel, and not in the fabulous shiny way Marnell usually drivels inanely in her writing (drivel I usually love). such a shame. it gets 2 stars from me only for Marnell herself having been a part of it. i look forward to her next book.

it felt like I was there

it was an interesting recount of a lost girl finding herself, whilst getting lost in Europe

Looooove it. More please from Cat Marnell!

The ultimate hot mess and a brilliant audiobook narrator. This made me want to pack my bags, ignore my problems and go travelling around Europe for several months.

A let down

I really liked the first book - how to murder your life - but unfortunately this one didn’t resonate well with me. I was expecting some pretty interesting travel tales but most of it was very very dull. I’m glad Cat got her life together but I personally have more exciting travel stories I could share haha. Wouldn’t recommend unless perhaps you’ve never been abroad at all.

Only slightly less bonkers than her first book

If, like me, you loved How to Murder Your Life, you'll also race through this travel diary, which sees crazy Cat and her pillowcase full of wigs storming through Europe in search of twinkly lights, white wine and castles. It will make you equally excited and terrified about the prospect of travelling alone as a woman.

Good to hear Cats voice again!

It is good to hear Cats voice again! Its great to see that she is so much better!

This isn't a self help book or a travel guide. This more of a Wizard trying to remember how to be a Wizard! Lessons for all of us

Found the book to be quite sad, Cat seems so lonely at times. Don't let that put you off though! She is learning how to live with herself again! No real joy without sacrifice, and she is totally grateful for being alive and on this trip!

Highly recommend if you loved how to murder your life! You will defo enjoy hearing about Cat's adventure through Europe!

Wish there was more! Can't wait for her next book! Filled with joy knowing she's doing better in life!

Excellent!

She does it again, such an interesting interesting and intelligent way to write about your life. Literally finished in one day. So funny