Chick Lit

[Deleted]

I just finished a whole slew of Chick Lit books, none of which were particularly good. Citizen Girl was annoying. I don't know why these women think it's cool to write like they do, with the lead characters named Girl. Or Nan. And the boss named Guy. To me, that's unimaginative and boring. I can only imagine when their next book will be like.

Bergdorf Blondes was ok, but nothing fantastic. The lead was annoying, as are most characters like her. I don't get the mentaility of a socialite, so it's hard for me to get into the characters.

I read this other one called Flip-Flopped by Jill Smolinski. Again, it was just alright. Takes place in Hawaii and while the female lead isn't annoying, it was still hard for me to get into it. It was predictable (aren't they all?), but the writing was decent.

I'm back on my Stephanie Plum kick. I checked out 7-11 (plus Visions of Sugar Plums) from the library on Saturday and have already finished 7. She just makes me laugh and they're easy reading.

[Margo]

I think I'm ready for a chick lit binge. I'm thinking of trying The Devil Wears Prada. My problem with chick lit is that a lot of books feature characters in their 30s whose problems and daily lives are very different from mine (I'm 22). I love classic books with characters of any age, but that's why they're classics - you don't need to be able to completely relate to a character to appreciate the book. But chick lit in general does not contain literature masterpieces, and a lot of it does depend on you identifying with the main character.

I loved the Bridget Jones' diary, even though Bridget and I might as well live in different worlds. I enjoyed the Nanny Diaries. Hopefully I'll find something similar that I'll like regardless of what the main character is like.

[kafka]

I just finished Thirty Nothing by Lisa Jewell and it was exceedingly annoying. I actually got so irritated that I skipped 150 pages. And it really made no difference to the plot (or to the migraine which the stupid characters inspired). In fact, they were as annoying 50 pages to the end as they were 50 pages in. Maybe more so.

I almost always finish a book and I rarely skip big chunks of it, but I simply had to in this case. This, and The Devil Wears Prada which I read 2 months ago, really got on my last nerve. They're the only two books in recent memory that I simply couldn't bear to rough it out. Ugh.

[Deleted]

I just finished Thirty Nothing by Lisa Jewell and it was exceedingly annoying. I actually got so irritated that I skipped 150 pages. And it really made no difference to the plot (or to the migraine which the stupid characters inspired). In fact, they were as annoying 50 pages to the end as they were 50 pages in. Maybe more so.

Oh yikes! I really enjoyed Ralph's Party and had high hopes for Thirtynothing but it was just so annoying. I think Jewell wanted to create "3-dimensional" characters so she made sure to give them some foibles or annoying attributes but instead of being likable and flawed they were just annoying.

I didn't give up on Jewell, though, and she has written some decent novels since. One-Hit Wonder - surprisingly good - and A Friend of the Family both deal with bigger issues than standard chick lit. I don't even know if AFOTF can really be considered to be chick lit but it is worth a try, imo.

[bossyboots]

I liked Jewell's A Friend of the Family and *hated* Thirtynothing. A lot. Ralph's Party was okay.

Has Jennifer Weiner's Goodnight Nobody been mentioned lately? I sort of enjoyed that one -- at least the ending wasn't totally predictable. Not that I mind a predictable ending when I'm in a certain kind of mood but...you know how it is.

[Deleted]

I didn't like Goodnight Nobody. I feel like the mystery was too hard for the author to weave throughout the plot. Plus, this was the first of her heroines that I really couldn't stand. She seemed like such a judgemental bitch. Like "These ladies in Connecticut are thin! That means they must be bitchy. I'm fat! Fat = nice!" Plus the non-stop whining about how much she missed the city. Well, grow a pair and tell your husband. Sheesh. I just couldn't take that one.

Right now I'm reading Everyone Worth Knowing by the author of The Devil Wears Prada. It's pretty slow so far. I'm wondering what the point of this is.

[kafka]

bossyboots said:

I liked Jewell's A Friend of the Family and *hated* Thirtynothing. A lot. Ralph's Party was okay.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who thought Thirtynothing was absolutely awful. And, like you, I thought Ralph's Party was just okay. Well, a bit less than okay, but tolerable.

thursdaynext said:

I didn't give up on Jewell, though, and she has written some decent novels since. One-Hit Wonder - surprisingly good - and A Friend of the Family both deal with bigger issues than standard chick lit. I don't even know if AFOTF can really be considered to be chick lit but it is worth a try, imo.

I liked One-Hit Wonder, probably because it did deal with issues outside of the Chick Lit genre. It was exceedingly original in its use of suicide as an underlying theme, but it handled it well, which can't have been easy. I may look into A Friend of the Family as a result of your recommendation, but my peevishness from Thirtynothing will have to wear off first.

jensational said:

Right now I'm reading Everyone Worth Knowing by the author of The Devil Wears Prada. It's pretty slow so far. I'm wondering what the point of this is.

That's how I felt about Devil Wears Prada. After a while, the outrageous boss stories just got boring and I was wondering what the overall point was. Clearly, Lauren Weisberger's style is the problem.

[hobbes]

I've recently completed Slightly Single by Wendy Markham, and wow, did I hate that book. I know there are 2 (?) books that follow this, but I will not be checking them out. The female lead was incredibly annoying and weak. The amount of whining and self-pity was amazing.

However, I did read and enjoy Something Borrowed and Something Blue very much. Especially Something Blue, which I wasn't expecting, considering how I had grown to hate Darcy.

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jensational said:

Right now I'm reading Everyone Worth Knowing by the author of The Devil Wears Prada. It's pretty slow so far. I'm wondering what the point of this is.

I read this on the plane going to and from Baltimore and I actually liked it. I liked it better than The Devil Wears Prada, but I think I'm in the minority of people who actually liked TDWP too.

EWK was better than some of the other crap I've read lately.

[Deleted]

Looks like I'm in the minority, but I LOVE anything by Sarah Mlynowski or Melissa Senate. I think Melissa has a new mystery that just came out this week. But this book's my absolute favorite: A Total Waste of Makeup. I absolutely loved it. I think I'm reading it for the 4th time right now. I can't wait for her to write another one...it was just so funny and relatable and there were so many little things that just made me laugh! I like Jennifer Weiner, too, just slightly less than these others. I think RDI has really gone downhill since the early stuff with Sarah M. and Melissa S, unfortunately.