A review by enchantingreads_rosyreviews
Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

funny hopeful informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

... real people were both good and bad, all mixed up together, only the screen made everyone into basic silhouettes. The resulting image could appear either way depending on which way you turned it, which details you showed.

This book is quirky comedy at its finest. But more than that, this book comments on single motherhood, addiction, double standards for women, self-worth & so much more. It’s funny in exactly how I live my life: my great grandma always said you have to laugh through it or cry through it. Margo is very much a “laugh through it” kind of person & I love her for it! Getting geeky for a second, this book was fascinating to read; yes, because of the storyline, but also because of the way it was written. Rufi jumps narrative voice from 1st, 2nd, & 3rd person that enhances her exploration of the story’s deeper themes (motherhood, misogyny, artist vs. audience relationship, etc.). And this approach doesn’t weigh the story down, turning it into an emotional, dramatic piece. No. Instead, the lightness of Margo’s character comes through in her voice since she narrates the entire story (from the 3 different perspectives) to make this a witty comedy. The tongue-in-cheek description of these beautifully flawed, authentic characters made this such a wonderful, cozy read that I absolutely loved! Plus, the relationships that develop throughout this story are heart-warming & endearing.

Was Bodhi Mark’s kid too? Mark had not risked his life to bring him into the world, literally split himself open and been stitched back together. Mark had not stayed up nights nursing, lying in bed, tiny pinching hands kneading sore breasts. Mark had not been puked on, had not, once, miraculously caught spit-up midair with a burp cloth. Mark had not trimmed Bodhi’s nails or given him a bath or kissed his tiny feet or made him laugh. How on earth could Bodhi be his?

I loved having Elle Fanning narrate this book. Not because she had fantastic voices or accents (she didn't really alter her voice at all, she simply read the book to us), but because she's gonna play Margo in the Apple TV+ adaptation into a series. She's literally the only voice I've ever known for Margo & sometime in the future, I'm going to be able to see her bring Margo to life on the screen! Her voice is also pleasant to listen to & she definitely acted the lines out so the comedic timing, quirky nature of the writing, exasperated single mom & overall excitement from the characters was very much present in the audiobook. It was a great listen & a fantastic read!

She’d thought, somehow, that keeping the baby would make people regard her with more kindness. But women frowned at her and Bodhi in the grocery store. The eyes of men skittered over her like she was invisible. She seemed to walk everywhere in a cloud of shame. She was a stupid slut for having a baby, and if she’d had an abortion, she also would have been a stupid slut. It was a game you could not win. They had tried to warn her: her mother, Mark, even Becca. But when they talked about the opportunities she would be missing, she’d thought they meant a four-year college. She hadn’t understood they meant that every single person she met, every new friend, every love interest, every employer, every landlord, would judge her for having made what they all claimed was the “right” choice.

I also have to say something personal. I was raised by a single mom. A single mom who did have a small village behind her to offer assistance, but also deals with a restricting disability. This book made me love my mom even more. There's a joke in the book about a baby ruining your life & while it's true, it's not meant in a malicious way. A baby upends your entire life & changes every single aspect of it. This book highlights the wonderful, overwhelming, challenging, enriching, lonely, & loving journey of single motherhood & if you were raised by a warrior mom like me, then this book will make you so proud.

Before she'd had Bodhi, she'd known her mother loved her, but she hadn't understood how expensive that love was, how much a mother paid for it.

But I also knew, nursing Bodhi to sleep each night, that my world would never be without love again. Love was not something, I realized, that came to you from outside. I had always thought that love was supposed to come from other people, and somehow, I was failing to catch the crumbs of it, failing to eat them, and I went around belly empty and desperate. I didn’t know the love was supposed to come from within me, and that as long as I loved others, the strength and warmth of that love would fill me, make me strong.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings