I have to say, I'm an unabashed fan of a good chick lit novel. In their heyday (say, the late 90's, early aughts), I gobbled down so many of these book I feel like they have to have had a huge affect on my writing. The writers I loved were Marian Keyes (SUSHI FOR BEGINNNERS--what a good book!), Anna Maxted (RUNNING IN HEELS), and above all else, Jane Green. Chick Lit has such a bad rap--that all the books are about is finding a man amidst all the awkward pratfalls of being a working girl. In college, I remember my best friend from high school came to visit me and took a look through my bookshelves. "OMG," she said. "You are WAY too smart to be reading these books." Not quite an insult, definitely not a compliment. I laughed, but it must have stuck, because I am remembering it so clearly now!

While the books I remember reading back then were often light in tone, and had bright pink covers, and certainly did contain their fair share of bumbling, bungled romances, I remember that they were also sometimes very brave in the subject matter they approached. In one of the Jane Green novels I loved (BOOKENDS), a character tests positive for HIV. Anna Maxted included a storyline about a woman being seriously abused by her boyfriend. All of these books were witty and touching, their authors having a deftness of hand that I still really admire. Chick Lit has been so maligned that I don't even think we call it that anymore. I think it would be a shame if we not only lost that name for this genre--if we actually lost the genre, too, assuming that it was just a trend that didn't explore anything important about the modern experience of love and life. It definitely did!

Anyway, now I am seeing this softer, more generalized term "Women's Fiction" being thrown around, and I suppose that would include books that used to get called Chick Lit. But when I think of women's fiction, I think of Alice Munro, Carol Shields, some of Margaret Atwood's stuff, Joyce Carol Oates. I think of painstakingly well-crafted sentences, lofty, esoteric themes, and zero laughing. Also, plenty of men read these authors, so it seems odd to call it "Women's Fiction." Is it for us or by us? Or worse, is the implication that if it is by us, it is for us only? That would also be a shame, since these are all ambitious writers who deserve a wide audience.

 So is Women's Fiction just literary fiction written by women, published under the assumption that men won't be interested, or does it also have to do with the happenings inside the novel? I'd love to discuss this with BC members (of all genders!!!).

One book I read this year that almost straddled the line between Chick Lit and Women's Fiction (landing marginally but definitively onto the "Women's Fiction" side of the divide) was THE INTERESTINGS by Meg Wolitzer. The book was really the story of a lifelong best friendship, with husbands and career and children and money thrown in, much like a Chick Lit novel. It was so clever and funny. At the same time, the characters had longings that felt universal in scope, and I was often baffled by Wolitzer had pulled off such an intricate way of telling the story. (She moves back and forth in time, so that you learn little pieces about each character's story that all add up beautifully in the end.)

Anyway--very curious to see what others think, especially since working with and between genres is such a big part of Book Country!

--edited by Lucy Silag on 7/9/2013, 12:34 PM--

I recently read two books that I would call "Women's fiction", although one is primarily autobiographical. Both concerned girls/women growing up in difficult circumstances and coming to terms with their past. The first is  Blueness of a Clear Sky by Hildegard Weiler. This recounts her experiences as a refugee at age 5-7 during World War II and coping with post traumatic symptoms as an adult. The second is Bohemian Girl by Terese Svoboda. It's the story of a trapper's daughter who is sold into slavery, eventually escapes and finds her way in the world. I also think of Sarah Waters books as women's fiction. So I do think that humor is allowed! The main difference in my mind between women's fiction and general fiction is that the female gender experience is in some way central to the perspective of the story. So I think in my mind it could be written by a man, however, unlike Madame Bovary or Anna Karenina, women's fiction allows the possibility that a woman can have a satisfactory life in spite of the vagaries of culture and the world; that she does not have to conform to earn a living, respect and even a modicum of joy. Romance and marriage is not the fulcrum of her existence. Getting to "the top" probably isn't either. 

I've really enjoyed chick lit greatly. I define it as somewhat light, much more focused on irony and humorous situations. Usually only the 2-3 major characters are developed in any depth, the back story of emotional confict is simpler, i.e. shopaholic, sexually uncomfortable, commitment-phobe, etc. The romance and sex are present but not overly drawn or a huge focus. Sometimes I especially appreciate when a more light hearted book tackles issues like being in debt, body image, HIV, etc. because I think it gives a space to think about them more openly without the reader having to commit to an opinion or stance on the issue. So these books can open up a new way to think about issues with non-threatening characters. 

I find my "women's fiction" more emotionally healing on a deeper level. Reading these darker and more complex books challenges me to accept and mourn the deep wounds so many have, while reinforcing that growth, healing and joy continue to be possible after suffering.

i  think women's fiction is a broad umbrella term that is inclusive of romance and chick lit. it can be writtten by a man, but the mc will be a woman.

i struggle with this term- i've been forced to use it for marketing purposes- because it has the potential to alienate male readers and sends the message that fiction should be by and about men. if it isn't we call it something else.

the upside is that because book buyers are predominently women, this genre sells.