Chick Lit

What women want—to read

In recent years, chick lit has been the most talked-about—and talked down—fiction genre. Fans think chick lit follows in the footsteps of literary treasures by Jane Austen with its use of social satire and interest in the everyday lives of women. Detractors cite its formulaic nature—quirky protagonist in search of the perfect career, man and pair of shoes—as a backward step for feminism, not to mention trite. But no one can ignore chick lit's popularity: the category racked up $71 million in sales in 2003, according to ABC News. The truth is that chick lit, like any genre, contains both the good and the bad. Here are three new chick-lit novels that will make your beach bag proud.

New series from genre giant

REVIEW BY TRISHA PING

No discussion of chick lit would be complete without mentioning the long-awaited novel from the genre's biggest star—Bridget Jones's Diary author Helen Fielding. Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination features a new heroine, and, on the outside at least, beautiful, urbane Olivia couldn't be more different from the insecure and always-dieting Bridget. But Olivia's image has been carefully engineered: after her family died in a tragic accident, quiet Rachel Pixley of Yorkshire worked out, dyed her hair blonde and reinvented herself as Olivia Joules.

Olivia works as a beauty and travel correspondent, but longs for the chance to write a real news story. When she's sent to cover the launch of a makeup line in Miami, she stumbles upon international intrigue—and a mysterious, strikingly attractive man who may or may not be in league with Osama bin Laden. While the chain of coincidences, accidental discoveries and twists of fate that befall Olivia are a sharp departure from Bridget's more everyday dramas, readers will delight in Fielding's creation of another irrepressible heroine. Olivia's adventures, which include (as those of any proper spy should) interludes with sexy gentlemen and risky operations in exotic locales, make this book the perfect summer escape.


Writing romance

REVIEW BY CAROLINE RICHARDSON

Debt-ridden survivor of a failed marriage, single mother and proud teacher of Advanced Personal Journey at her local community college, Prudence True Parker is a firm believer in the value of stories. However, romance novels, which she considers "lurid bromides" and "foul sop," do not count. In a chance encounter, dying romance novelist Digby Deeds makes Prudence heir to the 40 unfinished plots of his wildly popular Savage Passions series. Increasing financial desperation convinces Prudence to put aside her intellectual pride and accept Digby's bequest, and the stage is set for Melissa Pritchard's entertaining romantic satire, Late Bloomer.

As she begins her first Native-American bodice ripper, Prudence's love life unexpectedly blossoms. She becomes passionately involved with Ray Chasing Hawk, a much-younger Comanche activist. Even though Ray serves as the unwitting muse to Prudence's novel, their relationship is markedly unsuited to the formulaic plot that Prudence types in secret at night. The often-unemployed Ray moves into her home and creates strife between Prudence, her teenaged daughter and her aging mother. Once it is time for close-kept secrets to be revealed, both Ray and Prudence have completed their own journeys of self-discovery, leaving each with the maturity and strength to recognize the cheapness of perfection and the value of forgiveness.


The bonds of friendship

REVIEW BY ARLENE McKANIC

The first thing the reader learns in Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant's engaging new novel, Better Than I Know Myself, is that one of a trio of friends is dead. We don't know which one it is. It's a clever hook to get us to read on, but we quickly become absorbed in the lives of these three complex and talented young women who meet at Barnard College in 1981. They couldn't be more different: Jewell is an actress who became famous playing, Janet Jackson-like, a cute little girl in a sitcom; Carmen, abandoned by her parents and betrayed by her sociopath of a brother, is homeless when she first meets the other girls; and spoiled, irresponsible Regina is resentful of her well-to-do parents. After bonding over Twizzlers in a stalled elevator, the girls develop a friendship that sees them through career reversals, busted relationships and illness. Men—good, bad or indifferent—are always peripheral to the central, unbreakable sisterhood. DeBerry and Grant let humor bubble up even in the direst of situations. "I look like Yoda in a do-rag," laments one of the characters during a bout of chemo-induced baldness. Yes, it's chick lit, but it's summer after all: the right time to spend an afternoon with this enjoyable and occasionally insightful book.


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