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Margo's Got Money Troubles

The unputdownable and hilarious novel that inspired the Apple TV series

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Margo's Got Money Troubles

By: Rufi Thorpe
Narrated by: Elle Fanning
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About this listen

 'I read the first paragraph and was immediately hooked'
Jacqueline Wilson

'Enormously entertaining and lovable'
Nick Hornby, New York Times

'Nonjudgmental, original and very funny; the book is warm and generous too. I loved it'
India Knight, Sunday Times STYLE

** Big Little Lies creator David E. Kelley is to adapt for A24 - a TV show starring Nicole Kidman and Elle & Dakota Fanning **

Margo Millet's got money troubles. As the child of a Hooter's waitress and an ex-Pro-Wrestler, she's always known she'd have to make it on her own. When she finds herself pregnant by her college professor - who is very keen not to be involved - she realizes she will need cash fast.

At twenty, alone with a baby, what Margo lacks in options she makes up for in ingenuity, and soon she has a plan: she'll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, producing content and writing storylines unlike anything else out there. Help arrives in the form of her live-action role-playing flatmate Suzie, and her father, Jinx - a recovering addict and veteran of the wrestling world, who has experience of making an audience fall in love.

Before she knows it, Margo is an online phenomenon. Could this be the answer to all of Margo's problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price?

'An expansive, offbeat, gorgeous exploration of resilience, forgiveness and multi-generational parenthood'
Pandora Sykes

'A hilarious novel about making the most of what you've got'
Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here©2024 Rufi Thorpe (P)2024 Hodder & Stoughton Limited Coming of Age Editors Select Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Money Funny Witty

Editorial Review

A humorous and wholly original story about single-motherhood
Per the title, Margo’s got, well, money troubles. A single mom at 20, Margo’s fired from her waitressing job when she can’t find childcare. Now struggling with rent and the cost of living in California on unemployment, she moves in with her father Jinx, an ex-pro wrestler, and launches an OnlyFans account using his advice on how to craft a character. I’m a mama to four boys and my living room often resembles a WWE ring, so Margo speared her way into my heart. Despite the premise, humor infuses the narrative, and author Rufi Thorpe plays with point of view in a wholly original way that kept me both entertained and on my toes. Narrated by actress Elle Fanning, who has been tapped to star in the TV adaptation alongside Nicole Kidman, I can already envision the mannerisms she’ll bring to Margo via the nuance she delivers in this performance. — Katie O., Audible Editor

Critic Reviews

The warmth of Thorpe's tone, together with the thoroughness of her imagination and the artfulness of her pacing, means that skepticism is kept at bay. She sells us on both the characters and the plot . . . [in] this enormously entertaining and lovable book (Nick Hornby)
Endearingly chaotic, this coming-of-age tale is certain to score a passionate fanbase (Lauren Puckett-Pope, Best Books of Summer)
The most captivating narrative of motherhood, sex work, point of view, and regret. I'm obsessed! (Leila Mottley, author of Nightcrawling)
When I finished it, I couldn't quite believe it was over, that is how much I was completely rapt by Margo's Got Money Troubles. A brilliantly unique story, fallible and lovable characters and moments so human and hilarious that I laughed out loud multiple times. I can't quite believe this is only the first book I've read by Rufi Thorpe, because after reading her latest novel, it's clear that I need to go back and read everything she's ever written. She is a genius, after all. (Ore Agbaje-Williams, author of The Three of Us)
An audacious, wildly funny, completely unpredictable novel by a writer so singular that it's hard to compare her to anyone else . . . An absolutely brilliant book (Kevin Wilson, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing to See Here)
When she can't afford the rent, single mum Margo turns to OnlyFans, with help from her ex-pro wrestler father, flatmate and a community of the platform's content creators. Funny and self-aware.
A hilarious novel about making the most of what you've got. Sharp and funny by turns, this is an exceptionally tender look at young motherhood and love that also involves professional wrestling, and yes, OnlyFans. I gobbled it up. (Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here)
Long after the last page of Margo's Got Money Troubles, I think of certain lines and burst out laughing. In public. This novel is damn funny, but also touching and smart and surprising and beguiling and just completely bad ass. Rufi Thorpe is truly one of one! (Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies)
Margo's Got Money Troubles is just so good: the humor, the pathos, the redemption - every sentence, every twist of plot is wildly original and unexpected. When has such a lovable heroine ever been created? (Stephanie Danler, New York Times bestselling author of Sweetbitter)
A thrilling, uproarious, and above all affirming exploration of one young woman's fight to make it in a world that's rooting against her. Margo is an unforgettable heroine, so real she walked right off the page and into my heart. (Kirstin Chen, New York Times bestselling author of Counterfeit)
All stars
Most relevant
Very thought provoking and beautifully narrated. A heartfelt portrayal of what it is like to be a mother.

Thoroughly enjoyed!

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I liked the subject being explored but I didn’t find any of the characters particularly appealing or have much empathy for them. I didn’t dislike it but I wouldn’t recommend it either .

Interesting subject matter

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Great book and awesome performance, absolutely nothing like the cover art so please ignore and buy the book!

So much better than the cover art!

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Loved this book. Such an easy listen. The narration by Fanning really brought the character alive.

Great book and fantastic narrator

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The unconventional life of Margo the Ghost is an interesting and fun story about how bold choices shape you. That the support of people who love you can help you to find your way, in unexpected ways.

Margo the Ghost

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