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    Barbara the Slut and Other People
    Barbara the Slut and Other People
    Barbara the Slut and Other People
    Audiobook5 hours

    Barbara the Slut and Other People

    Written by Lauren Holmes

    Narrated by Jorjeana Marie

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Fearless, candid, and incredibly funny, Lauren Holmes is a newcomer who writes like a master. She tackles eros and intimacy with a deceptively light touch, a keen awareness of how their nervous systems tangle and sometimes short-circuit, and a genius for revealing our most vulnerable, spirited selves.

    In "Desert Hearts," a woman takes a job selling sex toys in San Francisco rather than embark on the law career she pursued only for the sake of her father. In "Pearl and the Swiss Guy Fall in Love," a woman realizes she much prefers the company of her pit bull-and herself-to the neurotic foreign fling who won't decamp from her apartment. In "How Am I Supposed to Talk to You?" a daughter hauls a suitcase of lingerie to Mexico for her flighty, estranged mother to resell there, wondering whether her personal mission-to come out-is worth the same effort. And in "Barbara the Slut," a young woman with an autistic brother, a Princeton acceptance letter, and a love of sex navigates her high school's toxic, slut-shaming culture with open eyes.

    With heart, sass, and pitch-perfect characters, Barbara the Slut is a head-turning debut from a writer with a limitless career before her.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateAug 31, 2015
    ISBN9781494587093
    Barbara the Slut and Other People
    Author

    Lauren Holmes

    Lauren Holmes grew up in upstate New York. She received a BA from Wellesley College and an MFA from Hunter College, where she was a Hertog Fellow and a teaching fellow. Her work has appeared in Granta, where she was a 2014 New Voice, and in Guernica. Holmes lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

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    Reviews for Barbara the Slut and Other People

    3.5/5

    57 ratings6 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I had no preconceived notions about this book; I just knew that is was a collection of short stories and picked it out, so I had no expectations high or low. The stories are mostly centered around college students or recent college graduates, with a couple of exceptions. The theme seems to be that all of these characters are still figuring themselves out and pivotal moments in their young lives are shown. I found a few stories to be funny, some were so-so, and some were just dry, but overall it's an easy read with realistic situations and would make a nice beach read.

      My favorites were "Desert Hearts", where a law school graduate ends up working in a sex toy store, much to the chagrin of her overbearing father; "New Humans", which chronicles a young couple's relationship through a wacky dog's eyes; and of course "Barbara the Slut", which is about high school slut-shaming and general bullying. Out of all of the stories, "New Girls" seemed the most out of place in this book of young adults and sex because it's about a 6th grader adjusting a new country. It didn't fit. Most of the stories don't have much in the way of resolution or epiphany. I would say it's a decent read, although not likely to be reread.
    • 2/5
      You should probably just skip this one.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed the humorous, breezy tone of the stories and connected with several of the twenty-something characters. I was surprised that I didn't really like the title story, as that's usually one of the best ones in a collection, but I found Barbara's bragging about Princeton really irritating. I felt like there was another layer there that could have been explored deeper, but it was left a little thin, in my view. But maybe that's just because her, like many of the characters, are just starting out their lives and will deepen with time.
    • 5/5
      The title of the book is one of several well conceived and written stories in the book. I was really impressed with the wide variety of subjects and characters portrayed in the entertaining survey including one told from the perspective of a dog. Whenever I finished one story I couldn't wait to see what Ms. Holmes had in store for me in the next one. Some are sexy, some are thought provoking and just a bit troubling. All in all I eagerly look forward to seeing what this author has up her sleeve in her next book.
    • 1/5
      This is a book of short stories, more precisely, vignettes of life. However, the stories were meaningless. They had no overarching purpose in their telling. I read half of them and then decided to spend my time elsewhere. I do not recommend this book.
    • 5/5
      With a title like this Barbara the Slut, you have to buy the book. Sadly the title is not a good representation of the book. This book is easily in the top five books of short stories I have read. I would love to give this more than 5 stars. All but two of these stories were A+ and the other 2 were A. This author can really write a short story! Every story sucked me in right away. I Can't wait for more from such a talented writer.