Sisters in Women's Fiction

When I do workshops on women's fiction, I always discuss the kinds of books that make up the genre, and different trends. Something we see a LOT of in WF is books featuring sisters, so for a recent "Core Collection" feature in the March 1, 2016 issue of Booklist, I shared some great reading suggestions from authors such as Angela Benson, Jennifer Weiner, Kristin Hannah, Jen Lancaster, and more!

What are some of your favorite WF books featuring sisters?

Core Collection: Sisters in Women’s Fiction.

Humorist Linda Sunshine is quoted as saying, “If you don’t understand how a woman could both love her sister dearly and want to wring her neck at the same time, then you were probably an only child.” What is it about the relationship between sisters that makes such rich fodder for women’s fiction? After all, a reader doesn’t have to have a sister in order to relate.

One of the main things that draw readers to women’s fiction is a sense of recognition or the ability to relate to the characters. It’s pleasurable and comforting to escape into a story that you connect with on a certain level. So perhaps the popularity of fiction featuring sisters has something to do with readers being able to see themselves in one sister or another. Below is a list of must-have women’s-fiction titles featuring sisters, perfect for just about any women’s-fiction fan...

To read more and get the annotated list, head to the feature, "Core Collection: Sisters in Women's Fiction" on Booklist Online!

Ensemble Women's Fiction

When I do workshops on women's fiction, I always discuss the kinds of books that make up the genre. One of the most popular is "Ensemble Fiction." I recently wrote about it in the March 15, 2015 issue of Booklist, take a look to learn more and to get some GREAT reading suggestions.

Core Collection: Ensemble Women’s Fiction.
By Rebecca Vnuk.

First published March 15, 2015 (Booklist).

When it comes to women’s fiction, one of the tricky things about offering read-alikes is that because it’s such a broad reading interest, the appeal of one title might not translate to another title. It can be helpful to break down different types of women’s fiction into subcategories. The top three that always come to my mind are ensemble fiction (featuring groups of women), chick lit (the younger crowd), and issue-driven novels (think any Oprah Book Club title).

The category with the widest appeal is ensemble fiction. These stories feature a cast of characters—there may or may not be one main character—all sharing starring roles. Readers enjoy these ensemble stories because they can easily find a character within the group that they identify with, or they can see their friends in one character or another. As a devoted reader of the genre, I can attest that when I read women’s fiction, I want to see myself or the people I know on the pages of these books—and if not that, then a character leading the life I’d like to have!

In the past 10 years or so, there has been a huge influx of women’s fiction books with large casts of characters—books about sisters, books about college friends, books about reading groups, books about coworkers (I’m waiting patiently for the book about librarians . . .).

To read more, and get the annotated list, head to the feature, "Core Collection: Ensemble Women's Fiction" on Booklist Online!

My take on the Franzen Flap of 2010

Forgive the lapse of posts recently, but I just had my second child and life's been, um, busy.  Hardly enough time to read, let alone write!  But I have been meaning for weeks now to weigh in on the fuss about Jonathan Franzen and his new book.

To recap, Jonathan Franzen published a new book this summer and landed not only 2 NYT book reviews but the cover of Time as well.  Then Jennifer Weiner and Jodi Picoult got lots of press for protesting.

My take?  I am firmly on their side.  My reaction to seeing the cover, even before the #franzenfreude started, was "WTF, why does this dude get the cover of  Time??". 

I'm pretty tired of literary fiction by men getting all the attention.  Case in point: nearly every book blog I read this summer gushed about One Day by David Nicholls.  I got very tired of the pandering, and eventually angry, because I read it and HATED it.  I thought the characters, particularly the male protagonist, were downright unlikeable.  And other than a few comic scenes, the novel was dull, dull, dull - with a total cop-out of an ending.  But everyone else was giving him the blog equivalent of a blow job.

Frankly, One Day is a pale imitation of a women's fiction novel, written by a man.  It's a quasi-romance.  It tries to get into the characters' heads.  And in my opinion failed miserably.  (I'll be honest - I'm not a big fan of Nick Hornby, either.)

And you know damn well that if One Day had been written by a woman... it would NEVER have gotten so much attention.  I think that's what makes me the maddest.

The Article that started it all...

Here's a link to the chick lit article I wrote for Library Journal back in 2005, which was my entryway to becoming a library expert on women's fiction (editors at Libraries Unlimited had come across my article and that led them to asking me to write the 2 books for them!)


Hip Lit for Hip Chicks

Older titles, but still relevant info.

"Chick lit offers fun, entertaining reading—don't go looking for timeless prose, philosophical musings, or unpredictable plots here!—but that does not completely explain its allure. The genre's aim of eliciting a response of "I'm exactly like that" or "That just happened to me!" has really struck a chord with women in their twenties and thirties who want to be reassured that they are not alone in screwing up their lives—or that screwing up doesn't preclude a happy ending."  Read More...

NYT Talks Chick Lit

More Gumption, Less Gucci
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/fashion/13CHICK.html?pagewanted=1&ref=books

"And yet, even the most lurid accounts of conspicuous consumption have never been entirely escapist, said Mallory Young, the editor, with Suzanne Ferriss, of “Chick Lit: The New Woman’s Fiction” (Routledge, 2005). “Chick lit usually responds through comedy to real situations confronting real women,”Ms. Young maintains. Unlike romance novels, chick lit “recognizes and responds to the world outside,” she said. "

NPR talks Chick Lit

Interesting piece on NPR about how the recession is affecting Chick Lit... or is it?

Is the Recession Hurting Women's Fiction? Or Just Hurting Shoe Fiction?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/monkeysee/2009/08/is_the_recession_hurting_women.html

"Because shoe fiction was never a reality-based genre, ever. EVER. If you were ever inclined to sit down and read Confessions Of A Shopaholic in the first place, you're not going to turn it down and choose Confessions Of A Costco Bulk Purchaser Of Cheerios instead."