I wanted to love it. Really. And in the beginning, I did. I was sat there, thinking, "Yes! This is it! You've got it so right!" But, seemingly, the book is inconsistent, and as a result, as was my view of it. One of the key problems for me was that I felt Moran was making generalisations where generalisations couldn't or shouldn't be made. She would make a statement, claiming that "every woman does this", but I scratched my head and had to think, "really? I don't do that. I don't think my friends do that. Actually, does anyone I know do that? Huh." I suppose I was expecting to be able to relate to her experiences, where her life seems pretty unique in that she grew up as one of eight siblings, was home educated and began her career aged just 15. There's no doubt that her experiences were often hilariously described (essentially its best parts are those where she's being funny). But on the whole the book is hit and miss for me. This might partly be because points are made and not effectively justified: apparently Katie Price is not okay but Lady Gaga is? Pole dancing lessons but not strip clubs? And there doesn't seem to be room for a contrasting opinion, which is a slightly frustrating. There are also some contradictions, and contradictings views where you're trying to make a convincing point make the argument a whole lot weaker. Whilst we're dwelling on the shortfalls of the book, other niggling things include: the fact that many of the points are repeated until the ideas feel a bit exhausted; the fact that it doesn't feel like it's been edited with a sharp eye what with the repetitions and the occasional typo; the assumption that all women have had identical or very similar experiences and consequently views, but paradoxically there are two very separate camps with no grey area in between, e.g. the 'normal' down to earth girls who are sick at the thought of shopping for fun (i.e. "people Moran knows") vs. the Manolo Blahnik-clutching, Chanel handbag-wielding 'shopping is my cardio' type.

On the contrary, the book is well worth reading, even if it's not a revolution. There are some insightful points made, particularly in the 'Abortion' chapter. This was beautifully written, and made one of the strongest points for its case that I've read. The strongest parts about the book were its humour and its ability to touch on rarely tapped-into subjects and consequently to confront such modern taboos on behalf of a large and far reaching audience. Whatever the book does, or doesn't, do for you, it's bound to make you think carefully or resurface opinions you didn't know you had, whether it be about feminism, the patriarchy, media, sex and the rest. That's the nature of the controversial book. You might hate it, but at least it's thought provoking. Though I've only given it 3 stars, I would give it extra love for approaching a topic that's been buried for a while; feminism isn't really the zeitgeist right now, and consequently young women of my generation seem a bit disillusioned. But 'How To Be a Woman' (even if it isn't as instructive as the title purports) has thrust it under the limelight on a tall pavillion, which is where it needs to stay.