Not That Kind of Girl

A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned"

By: Lena Dunham

Narrated by: Lena Dunham

For readers or listeners of Nora Ephron, Tina Fey, and David Sedaris, this hilarious, poignant, and extremely frank collection of personal essays confirms Lena Dunham - the acclaimed creator, producer, and star of HBO's Girls - as one of the brightest and most original writers working today.

"If I can take what I've learned in this life and make one treacherous relationship or degrading job easier for you, perhaps even prevent you from becoming temporarily vegan, then every misstep of mine will have been worthwhile. This book contains stories about wonderful nights with terrible boys and terrible days with wonderful friends, about ambition and the two existential crises I had before the age of twenty. About fashion and its many discontents. About publicly sharing your body, having to prove yourself in a meeting full of fifty-year-old men, and the health fears (tinnitus, lamp dust, infertility) that keep me up at night. I'm already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you with this book, but also my future glory in having stopped you from trying an expensive juice cleanse or having the kind of sexual encounter where you keep your sneakers on. No, I am not a sexpert, a psychologist, or a registered dietician. I am not a married mother of three or the owner of a successful hosiery franchise. But I am a girl with a keen interest in self-actualization, sending hopeful dispatches from the front lines of that struggle."

©2014 Lena Dunham (P)2014 Random House Audio

Not What I expected but great and relatable.

First off, I had to go to Natures Classroom and play the Underground Railroad game too. So yea it's real. Anyway moving on, this book was not the comical crazy nakedness I expected from Lena. It was pure and conversational and elate able to myself in every way. I find her honesty fierce and brave and I want to be more like her although I feel now I am almost exactly like her. I want to have her confidence and pure honesty to just say this is my life and it's weird and awesome and raunchy in a real way that has happened to everyone. But it's mixed with the adventures only a NYC girl and wealthier group can afford. Same life just without the nanny or the Paris trips. We are really all the same sometimes it's just some details are left out.

Not as lovely as Girls.

I'm a huuuge fan of Lena, and everything she does. But this book fell a little short for me. I'm surprised, because I was so ready to be in love with it. I'll stick to her screen work.

This book made me hate Lena Dunham a little

What did you like best about Not That Kind of Girl? What did you like least?

The book was well done. It flowed really well and didn't bore me. It made Lena Dunham seem a little more spoiled and pretentious than I had originally thought. She writes about things that are interesting but almost like she drifted through life and just happened to become a famous, celebrated screenwriter/ actress. She sounds like she always had people to fall back on and that all the problems she had were those of the 1%. I did enjoy hearing about her story but it occasionally came of as whining about how her life was so hard to find a therapist that understood her and the struggle she faced by with wanting to be friends with her therapists daughter but mot being able to be.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I didn't expect the book to end this way. It left me feeling like there should have been some sort of conclusion or wrap up

What about Lena Dunham’s performance did you like?

She gave each character their own presence beyond just a different voice

What else would you have wanted to know about Lena Dunham’s life?

She was pretty open about everything. I'm not very interested in knowing anything else

It Had It's Moments

What did you like best about Not That Kind of Girl? What did you like least?

The stories were funny and interesting and it felt intimate listening to Lena Dunham read them.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Lena Dunham. I admire her for writing about herself and for creating her own productions to star in. She seems unique and quirky and at the same time like an "every-girl" that we can all relate to.

What aspect of Lena Dunham’s performance would you have changed?

Sometimes her reading was spot-on and sometimes it was stilted. I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to narrate this book but I feel like I want to go back in time and ask her for a retake on certain readings, get her some soup and a warm sweater, make sure she's feeling her best while she reads.

What else would you have wanted to know about Lena Dunham’s life?

I was happy with what I learned overall. When she has more to tell, I'm sure she will.

Lackluster but Decent

Lena has had a full life. I wish that there was more depth into her neurosis and emotional states rather than stories of sharing a bed with her sister or being at summer camp. her narration was a bit lackluster, being that I just finished Bossy Pants and Yes Please, I have a higher expectation for author read books.

Funny, but unbelievable

As a fan of "Girls", I was excited to dive into this book. It was not what I expected. I always thought Lena was a creative woman with a strong message, but upon listening, I learned Lena's character on the show is very much like her in real life. She was born privileged which doesn't lead to the life experiences someone who works their way to the top has. I found myself asking several times "who has a life like this?" The bizarre and also self brought on situations she describes made me laugh at times, but mostly just shake my head in awe. I liked hearing her tell her story, as she is a great storyteller, but it definitely made me feel differently towards her. She isn't this enlightened woman I was expecting. She over shares in a way that isn't really adding to the story, as if everything is important to get, but it was still interesting to listen to.

To self involved

I appreciated her full honesty to share and writing in detail and thoughtfulness. But by the end I was like yeah ok already, how self involved can a person be. It gets redundant listening to the well off whiny girl "poor me" and all her anxiety. It seeps through she hasn't had to work at all - except to sit down and write down how how she wants wants to feel more, be more experience more. Ummmm.... don't we all. And having the discipline to sit and write it all down isn't a heavy lift for her, since it was all about HER.

Intimate, Egregious, Meraki.

Lena's stories in this book put me inside the mind and heart of different me. I felt transported but everything still felt familiar. She's a voice that can capture and explain the horror and romance of growing up in our own specific time and place and be unapologetically candid about the significant and the insignificant woes of a young woman in the 21st century. Thank you for sharing with us.

Exceptional!

This was a profound take on growing up as a girl and I was mesmerized the whole way through. Thank you Lena!

Good, some slow parts

I enjoyed most of this book. There is a food diary section that seems to go on forever... I fast-forwarded through it because it just got monotonous. Despite that, the stories are entertaining.