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The First Bad Man

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The First Bad Man

By: Miranda July
Narrated by: Miranda July
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About this listen

A Guardian literary highlight for 2015
A Huffington Post 'One to Watch' in 2015
An Amazon Rising Star 2015

"Astounding" (Lena Dunham, creator of Girls and author of Not That Kind of Girl)

"The First Bad Man brings together all of July's talents - it's a book that must be read, a book that must be purchased - in duplicate - one for you, one for a friend. Don't think you can loan this book - you'll never get it back" (A. M. Homes, author of This Book Will Save Your Life and May We Be Forgiven)

The first novel by the filmmaker, artist and bestselling author Miranda July confirms her as a spectacularly original, iconic, and important voice today, and a writer for all time. The First Bad Man is dazzling and unforgettable.

©2015 Miranda July (P)2015 Canongate Books Ltd
Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Women's Fiction Comedy

Critic Reviews

"Astounding" (Lena Dunham, creator of Girls and author of Not That Kind of Girl)
"The First Bad Man brings together all of July's talents - it's a book that must be read, a book that must be purchased - in duplicate - one for you, one for a friend. Don't think you can loan this book - you'll never get it back" (A. M. Homes, author of This Book Will Save Your Life and May We Be Forgiven)
"The novel exploded my expectations and became unlike anything I've ever read...hilarious...A wry, smart companion on any day. It's warm, it has a heartbeat and a pulse. This is a book that is painfully alive." (The New York Times Book Review)
"Astounding...she will make you laugh, cringe and recognise yourself in a woman you never planned to be...Never has a novel spoken so deeply to my sexuality, my spirituality, my secret self. I know I am not alone." (Lena Dunham)
"I am in awe of Miranda July...The First Bad Man brings together all of July's talents - it's a book that must be read, a book that must be purchased - in duplicate - one for you, one for a friend. Don't think you can loan this book - you'll never get it back." (A.M. Homes, author of This Book Will Save Your Life and May Be Forgiven)
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it kept me going as I wanted to know what happened but JEEZE. The protagonist is perhaps the most passive person in the world and the sex is weird

One of the strangest books I've experienced

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Perfectly written and read by a shy genius. Read everything she has written & all she will write

Brilliant

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Quite simply the most enjoyable book I have ever listened to or read. Crazily twisted without ramming it in your face. More like subtly breaking your finger off... Still funny after 3 reads. I hope she puts out another one soon.

More please

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I love Miranda July’s writing. It’s so great to hear a female story, one I can sometimes relate to and is also so funny and unique. Bizarre at many moments. Incredible characters. Brilliant.

Loved it. Kooky, feminine and surprising at many turns

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Miranda July grabs those fleeting yet numerous thoughts we have that we disregard as ridiculous or unsavoury and creates art with them. She has a stunning way of weaving together life's oddities into stories that feel like home, that home that exists inside us that we dare not show to the world.

This book had me sneaking an earphone in while on the phone to my mother. I could not put it down. I could not imagine it narrated by anyone else other than Miranda herself.

This is my number one book of 2015. What a brilliantly strange and wonderful mind.

A MUST listen

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Seriously the best. Funny, dark, strange, surreal, magical and sad. All of my favourite things and masterfully narated by July herself. A MUST LISTEN.

Best Audio Book Ever!

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I was expecting something different - well written and narrated, but a strange storyline and ending.

Strange

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