Depressed about Caitlin Moran

[shinynewusername]

I loved How to be a Woman but all her work since seems to have recycled the same ideas and it sounds as if her "new" book will be more of the same.


AIBU to feel she is ripping her public off?

[Tiggeryoubastard]

She can't rip them off without their consent. If you don't like don't buy it. I find her a tedious one trick
Pony.

[MrsBertMacklin]

I'd say it's more a case of publishers capitalising on her popularity, while giving her time to write new material?

And she is primarily known as a columnist, one who writes for a paywall site, so it will be new material for lots of people.

[ssd]

I thought how to be a woman was a pile of regurgitated shit so maybe I shouldn't post here.

[ImperialBlether]

Me too. One trick pony. She also reminds me of someone who's drunk and mouths off and expects to be forgiven for it. Even when she's not drunk.

[BikeRunSki]

How to be a Woman
How to Build a Girl
Raised by Wolves

All virtually interchangeable, why would you expect her latest missive to be anything new?

[ThirtyNineWeeks]

She's a smug knob.

[acasualobserver]

She is engaging and plausible but never very far-reaching. I think she would be funny in the pub.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

She is immensely irritating. Is it possible for her to be photographed without that gurning " I'm mad I am" expression.

[gooseberryroolz]

I've gone off her too.

[BalloonSlayer]

I used to love her but now feel like she is the Uncle Albert of writing.

"When I was a home ed overweight teenager living on the dole in Wolverhampton"

What again?

(and she got Saturday Night Fever confused with Grease in her last book)

[Amara123]

Totally overrated! I think she does this weird ooh I'm an attractive feminist kind of schtick. Very repetitive and her ideas are not very deep or nuanced.

[DameXanaduBramble]

She's part of that group I try to avoid, all think they're ever so clever and funny, like a stupid school clique.

[SchnitzelVonKrumm]

Oh god I can't stand her. She's the new Kathy Lette, endlessly repeating the same completely predictable gags while shrieking LOOK AT ME, I'M FUNNY! AND A FEMINIST! I'M A FUNNY FEMINIST!

[feebeecat]

Last time I was in same pub as her - admittedly a long time ago - she wasn't funny. More over eager Andrex puppy on speed. But yeah, totally "mad" trying too hard

[JolseBaby]

Yup.

I liked How to be a Woman

Was less impressed by How to Build a Girl as it seemed to be largely autobiographical, bearing in mind she'd shared great swathes of what in HTBAW.

Didn't bother with Raised by Wolves as it seemed to be the same idea recycled again.

I think CM is very bright and very talented. I also think she is comfortable and complacent. She's had her column with the Times since she was 19; when was the last time she really stretched herself out of her comfort zone and did something different? Interestingly, the furore over the Lena Durham thing pulled her off her laurels - I thought her responses were quite good and more nuanced than her usual SHOUTY CAPS stuff.

[ClarenceTheLion]

I like her articles - Morathology is a keeper, IMO. And I liked How To Be A Woman, though I do have problems with her personal bias (Lady Gaga who took her out for the evening is amazing and a wonderful role model, but Madonna (Lady Gaga's sire) who didn't butter her up is a terrible role model, and not a word about how awful women's magazines are - she had three columns in women's mags at the time...) but How to Build A Girl was shit. I think it even had actual chunks of HTBAW text in it?

I'm going to wait for the reviews on the new book before I consider it. Or have a book shop flick through at least. No more Amazon blind buying (they make you pay for returns now!)

[ClarenceTheLion]

*Moranthology

[RaskolnikovsGarret]

I've gone off her too. Used to like her but think she's too try hard now.

[Helmetbymidnight]

I think she's a really clever wordsmith and can be v funny. Her celebrity watch makes me laugh.

She's interesting just a bit ubiquitous I reckon.

[MrsBertMacklin]

She's a good writer, I hope she'll produce some original book material soon.

Not sure why a post about an author and columnist not producing new material has descended into slagging off her personality?

[deregistered]

I don't want to be unkind as she might read this thread, but I have never understood the appeal of Caitlin Moran. She's frustratingly unfunny, far too studied and try hard with a childish writing style (and not in a good way) . Friends urged me to read How To Be A Woman. I couldn't wait! It was drivel - no new ideas, no exciting thoughts, I kept thinking 'is this a joke?'

In a word: cringe.

Of course if this latest book doesn't sell very well, if there is more negative public opinion like there is on this thread she will claim she is a victim of her own success or that it's the sisterhood turning in on itself, conditioned by society...

[TheHiphopopotamus]

I used to love her but now feel like she is the Uncle Albert of writing

Yup.

She's part of that group I try to avoid, all think they're ever so clever and funny, like a stupid school clique

And this. Lauren Laverne and Grace Dent and the rest (although I think Grace Dent is ten times funnier than CM and seems to have less of a Twitter presence these days).

[gunting]

I didn't really get the appeal and gave How to be a woman a go.

I think I made it to the third chapter and got bored of wanking anecdotes.

She seems like the feminist equivalent of a 'cool girl'

Definitely not worth getting depressed about, op.

[JenniferYellowHat1980]

YANBU. How to Build a Girl is just a tedious fictionalised version of How to be a Woman. Moranthology - entertaining up to a point - the point at which you notice it's just regurgitated, self-absorbed, name-dropping dullness.

[shinynewusername]

Not sure why a post about an author and columnist not producing new material has descended into slagging off her personality

Agree. I think most successful authors are borderline psychopaths because you have to be prepared to mine your own life and that of your family for material . But that is not really the point. It is disappointing that her publishers are content to let her recycle old material, which is bound to lose her readers, when they should be pushing her to develop her voice. With so many great writers available free online, readers are not going to stay loyal if they keep getting taken for a ride.