Chick Lit Defined

[library_mama]

Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding Chicklit is one of those genre terms that one hears bandied about of late – OK, at least I hear it bandied about – and this book is the one generally credited with starting the genre. The genre should feature a young but not too young hip, single woman in search of a fulfilling life and true love, with plenty of funny misadventures along the way. Yep, Fielding wrote the book. Obviously our 30-something heroine is looking for love, and we know she's going to find it. She's tired of all of her parents friends asking after her love life, hoping for a more inspiring career than publishing, trying to stop mooning over her boss, and trying to convince her best friend to dump Vile Richard. What makes this book stand out is the beautiful characterizations – not cardboardy, but not so deeply conflicted as to become maudlin. The characters, and the plot, feel like the color on real life was just turned up a couple of notches. It's more realistic and believable than your average romance novel (OK, maybe not the subplot with her mother's shady lover), but far enough removed from reality to be tons of fun.

As a side note, I listened to this book, narrated by the same woman who narrates the Victorian Amelia Peabody mysteries. Very bizarre to have the same (excellent) voice belong to a proper Victorian archaeologist and Bridget, who's anything but.

Comments

[sloanlamb.livejournal.com]

I agree that she definately is the beginning of this very silly genre. (I guess I can't say silly since I've certainly found very entertaining books here, I just think fiction covered it well enough).

I have to say her work is very difficult for me to get through, its just annoying, that much whining (Bridget Jones...) about weight or what to give up today was awful, I think this worked much better as a film it took some of that out. I'm not saying it wasn't interesting commentary and heck I used to listen to it at work but say it a few times and move on. I just wanted to slap some sense into Bridget.

I couldn't even finish Edge of Reason...either to read or listen to.
Do I have to turn in my chick badge? ;)
Tiff (shamelessly usurping poor Sloan's address)

[sapphireone.livejournal.com]

I don't think you have to turn in your chick badge, no. Silly! You're right, it's a silly genre, but I confess to often preferring silly to Deep and Depressing, as more serious "Women's Fiction" often is. And yes, Bridget's whining over being 128 lbs is awfully silly. I haven't tried the second one - and watched the movie so long ago that I can't really remember how it compared - but I think I found Bridget's little notes about weight and addictions less tedious than Becky's just not being able to resist any trendy, expensive thing in the Shopaholic series. Maybe because I'm just not a shopping addict.