can we talk about chick lit for a minute?
Given some recent books that I've read & movies that I've seen, I am thinking chick lit is not for me. I am in no way trying to bad-mouth the genre or the authors who write it. These books are huge sellers & the ones probably most often made into movies. So, you know, they have to be doing something right. :-)But personally, I don't get it. For instance, in the Bridget Jones movies, I just could not believe how stupid this woman was. Or the office lecher she let use her...knowing full well what he was like ahead of time; it's not like he fooled her into thinking he was a nice guy then turned into a womanizing jerk. Or some of the ridiculous situations she let herself get into. Now, I understand that some of it was meant to be funny. Problem was, it wasn't. Not for me, anyway. I guess I just don't think that humor based on stupid decisions is funny. (But give me a good bathroom joke a la Dumb & Dumber & I'll laugh for hours. Hey, I already said there was no accounting for taste!)
I also don't like the way the heroines of chick lit are portrayed. Stupid decision making aside, a lot of times they seem to sleep with just about every guy who comes down the pike. I'm sorry, but it's true. While watching Le Divorce recently (the Kate Hudson movie, based on a chick lit novel), the woman met a guy at a friend's house & two seconds later was shown in bed with him. Literally two seconds later. Now, I get that there might have been "editing" done to the film, but still. There was no conversation, no heated looks, no dating or getting-to-know-you phase. Just, "Hi, how are you? Whoops, my panties fell off!" And then, a bit later in the movie, she goes out to lunch with an older guy who is a notorious womanizer...& ends up being his mistress in about two seconds flat. (Again, pretty much literally.) They didn't even look like they liked each other. And keep in mind that she's become the one man's mistress while still (supposedly) seeing the first guy.
Nope, nope, nope, I just do not get it. I think this is one of the reasons I like "regular" romance so much. One man, one woman. No matter what happens between them or throughout the story, you know they're only going to sleep with each other & will wind up together in the end. I like that. I need that. It's a story element that speaks to me & that I think I need in order to really enjoy a book or movie.
Again, I am not trying to bash the chick lit genre, I am merely pointing out why it is not one that I gravitate toward...& why straight romance is. I'm sure that not everyone likes the same type of reading material I do. For instance, I am a sucker for a really dark, gritty, gory romantic suspense. I remember reading a Kay Hooper book a few years ago where the cops found a jar of eyeballs in the trunk of the killer's car. Now, anytime I relay this story to someone, they cringe & squirm & beg me to stop talking about it. But do you know what my reaction was when I read that scene? I laughed. Not in a "oh, gee, multiple murder is so darn amusing" way, but in an "oh, cool, I was definitely not expecting that!" way.
I love that stuff, but I've never been a fan of Sex & the City or anything like that. I don't get the obsession with designer clothes & shoes, or the serial dating thing. Like they say, to each his own.
But I'd like to hear your opinions on the chick lit phenomenon. Am I missing something? Do you adore chick lit...& if so, why? Is there some you've enjoyed & some you haven't? Give me some examples, some suggestions...or tell me why you prefer the one woman/one man straight romances (the way I do) better.
I'm all ears...& no designer shoes, unless Nike is considered a designer. :-)
