Discussion Post: A Look at Chick-Lit

Discussion Post:
A Look at Chick-Lit



A couple of weeks ago, I discussed the fact that I never read NA. Ever. I explained the tropes that drive me crazy and so on and so forth. The discussion can be found here. My original plan for the post was a side by side comparison of NA with chick-lit, but almost immediately realized that not only would the post be way too long (and I do understand you all have other things going on in your lives), but that a comparison wasn't the way to go as (again) I've never actually read any NA. Besides, chick-lit holds a special place in my heart, so it deserves its own post.

As I've stated in the past, I got my BA in English several years ago. After I graduated from college, I got a job at a small bookstore and immediately dived into books I didn't HAVE to read. Being an English major pretty much takes away any pleasure reading. I would still do a little bit, but when you are giving huge Victorian novels and Shakespeare and Faulkner and Chaucer and all those other dead white men's novels and told to read them in a week (if you are lucky) and, oh yeah, write a paper about them, too, the desire to read dissipates. It just does. So finally getting out of school and then getting a job at a bookstore was like a dream come true. 

 

The books that pulled me the most was this new genre labelled chick-lit which were so different from the books I'd been forced to read.  New authors were just emerging. The ones that quickly became my favorites included: Meg Cabot, Sophie Kinsella, Jennifer Weiner, Jane Green, Sarah Mlynowski, and Emily Giffin. The now defunct Red Dress Ink Publishing Company were putting out one or two new novels a month. I couldn't get enough of these candy-colored covers and their deliciously fun stories. Besides the above named authors--whose books I still seek out today--the chick-lit genre quickly developed its own tropes. Because that is just what happens when a genre gets popular.

Quick rant: I absolutely hate the term chick-lit which completely undermines these writers as the skillful authors they are who should be given the same respect as we give all authors. It is disgusting that books that are aimed at women are slapped with bright pink covers and belittled. This could be a post on it's own, and since this post is supposed to be a joyful one--mini rant over. For now.

Chick-lit genre tropes:

• Girl in her early 20s, usually just out of college and in some entry level position
• Said girl loses her job
• Said girl gets dumped by her long-term boyfriend
• Said girl finds love again, but only after a series of hilarious missteps

Is chick-lit predictable? Of course it is, BUT there is just something to be said about the genre. Besides, just like any other genre, you have to weed through some sub-par books to find the gems. A good chick-lit book has a lot in common with those cute, contemporary YA books so many of us are fond of. In fact, it seems like the cute YA book has all but replaced chick-lit as a genre. When chick-lit first became popular the YA genre was almost non-existent. Sure there was Judy Bloom and The Sweet Valley High books, but it was nothing like what it is today.

What I love about the chick-lit genre:

• The early 20s is an interesting time in a woman's life. Shit is getting real. You no longer have the safety net that is college. You are completely responsible for your life. You probably have a job and an apartment (which means you also have bills and responsibilities).
• The stories are fluffy and fun. Not only are they fun, they are also usually funny.
• There is always a happy ending. Even if the girl doesn't get the guy (although she almost always does), you leave the heroine completely assured that life is going to continue to get better and better for her.

The thing that stuck out the most to me in the comments was when the commenter would say that they don't read adult books period. While I lean toward YA, I still pick up books by the above named authors (who are really writing more "women's lit" now), and will still give new up-and-coming chick-lit authors a try. (I also pick the occasional adult mystery or thriller--like Gone Girl--and the occasional adult memoir or non-fiction book, too. There are just so many books out there to limit yourself to a single genre.)

Here are some of my favorites:

Workplace

Fashionistas by Lynn Messina

A behind-the-scenes look at a fashion magazine. Full of scheming, back-stabbing espionage. 

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell

The beloved author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirls debut novel was this work-place romance full of missed connections and two friends exchanging hilarious emails. 

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

This book. I love this funny, fluffy story that follows a sweet girl named Emma who finds out that the man she spilled ALL her secrets to on a turbulence-filled flight is actually the CEO of her company. 

Sisters

 

In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner

Sisters Rose and Maggie have never had much in common, but after a major betrayal and forced co-habitation, the two begin to heal.

The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

It's kind of a stretch to call this one chick-lit, but it shares a spirit. Three adult sisters find themselves back in their family home after separate incidents. They are nick-named the "weird sisters" by their Shakespearean professor father after the witches in MacBeth.

The Solomon Sisters Wise Up by Melissa Senate

Three sisters find themselves back in their father's house (sensing a theme?) for various reasons. This is a fun, quick read from the aforementioned Red Dress Ink.

She Myself and I by Whitney Gaskell

Three sisters try to support one another while one is going through a divorce, one is pregnant, and the youngest, wild one starts an affair with a married man. 

Friends

Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

There are usually some pretty strong opinions about this book (and its companion Something Blue) that follows long-term best friends Darcy and Rachel. Emily Giffin's writing is superb. While I haven't loved her last couple of offerings, her writing in this one, especially, is second to none.

J.A.P. Chronicles  by Isabel Rose

Follows the lives of 7 women who once went to an elite Jewish camp as children. 

The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

Huge helpings of Southern charm in a story that follows a stubborn women, her group of friends, and her daughter. 

Fishbowl by Sarah Mlynowski

Three young strangers share an apartment for the summer and are forced to join together after a small fire erupts in their apartment.

Mystery

The Pact by Jennifer Sturman

This is the first of a four-book series that follows a girl named Rachel Benjamin. I was so bummed when Red Dress Ink went out of business and this series ceased to be.

Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

This series follows former pop-star Heather Wells (a hybrid of Britney Spears and Debbie Gibson) who now works at an imaginary New York City university in the "Death Dorm."

Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner

A self-professed regular, "grubby" mom stumbles on the dead body of one of the perfect mothers who regularly snubbed her. This one is my favorite from Ms. Weiner.

Love You to Death by Melissa Senate

A young woman scrambles to clear her name after her ex-boyfriend is found dead and two of her other old boyfriends claim brushes with murder, too.

Grad School 

Monkey Business by Sarah Mlynowski

Follows 4 students who are getting their Masters in Business.

Testing Kate by Whitney Gaskell

Follows a woman in her late 30s who decides to quit her job, break-up with her long-term boyfriend, and move to New Orleans to tackle law school.

English as a Second Language by Megan Crane

After her smug ex-boyfriend tells her she will never get into graduate school in England, a young woman decides to prove him wrong.

Purely Fun and Swoon Worthy

Jemima J  by Jane Green

A young, English woman who has always been overweight and is hopelessly in love with a man at her work, transforms herself and flies to California. I adore this novel. 

Boy Next Door by Meg Cabot

The "Boy" series by Ms. Cabot includes this and Boy Meets Girl and Every Boy Has One. All 3 are epistolary novels that are written mostly in emails. So cute.

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding

Two words: Mark Darcy. 

Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella

A woman in her late 20s wakes up in the hospital and is shocked to find that she is perfectly groomed and married. As she tries to piece together the last 3 years of her suddenly perfect life she realizes that perfection may be overrated. 

As always, I'd love to hear from you. Are you a fan of the chick-lit genre? Or do you think it is all meaningless fluff? Any recommendations? Let me know!