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This Is Not Chick Lit: Original Stories by America's Best Women Writers
New short stories from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie • Aimee Bender • Judy Budnitz • Jennifer S. Davis • Jennifer Egan • Carolyn Ferrell • Mary Gordon • Cristina Henríquez • Samantha Hunt •Binnie Kirshenbaum • Dika Lam • Caitlin Macy • Francine Prose • Holiday Reinhorn • Roxana Robinson • Curtis Sittenfeld • Lynne Tillman • Martha Witt
Chick lit: A genre of fiction that ofte...more
Chick lit: A genre of fiction that ofte...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
August 1st 2006
by Random House Trade Paperbacks
(first published 2006)
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Admittedly, I picked this up because of my hatred for the titular subgenre - a horrible plot structure wherin skinny, whiny WASPs spend more on shoes than the GDP of several developing countries (what the hell is a strappy Manolo?). And it's especially disheartening to see huge, pink displays of the stuff in bookstores, especially when women authors are turning out the same volume of work as male authors, but getting overwhelmingly overlooked in criticism and awards (See Ursula K. LeGuin's excel...more
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I read this off an on, picking it up and going through a story or two when I had a few spare moments. While I understand that these are some of the most celebrated contemporary female authors, not all the stories were as impressive or thought-provoking as others. Those that stood out as above average were The Thing Around Your Neck, The Seventy-two-Ounce Steak Challenge, The Matthew Effect and Meaning of Ends. The others seemed a bit more obvious to me, and these I found a bit more stimulatin...more
Picked this one up at the library's used book sale and flew through it. I found the title somewhat misleading, as the collection of short stories touts itself as not being anything like what is considered "chick lit," yet most of the stories dealt with love and relationships.
Still, these stories wove a tapestry of fascinating female characters - perplexing, complicated, and not one that could be mistaken as "America's Sweetheart." The story Two Days by Aimee Bend...more
Still, these stories wove a tapestry of fascinating female characters - perplexing, complicated, and not one that could be mistaken as "America's Sweetheart." The story Two Days by Aimee Bend...more
This book was for book group. Prior to reading its introduction I wasn't aware that the genre of "chick lit" even existed. Just totally off my radar, really. Anyhow, so the woman who collected these short stories wanted to spotlight talented female writers who aren't getting a lot of attention because 'chick lit' is drowning them out. She wanted to show the world there are American women writing poignant, meaningful literature, not just beach reads or trashy, formulaic stories. Well, n...more
Maybe I've just been out of college too long for this kind of book. I'm not into chick lit, particularly; and I'm a pretty staunch feminist, but this collection of short stories seemed to me to be a little heavy-handed in the "I'm a woman so my life is miserable" department. It's as if the editor picked stories to complete some kind of checklist: "Immigrant from third world is taken advantage of, check. Limited educational opportunity, check. Young woman sexualized by the media, c...more
This is a quirky little collection that is sometimes hit or miss for me. I definitely like the idea of highlighting female authors who write about more than women who shop and man-hunt in "the big city." I should also give props for the unique ways of storytelling, though sometimes the exposition lost me. We have stories that are written in bits and pieces of (fictional) historical records, stories written in second person, stories that re-tell Joan of Arc as if a modern day documen...more
Sara
rated it
Recommends it for:
Readers of chick lit with a sense of humor about their genre choice
Editor Elizabeth Merrick defines chick lit as follows:
Chick lit is a genre, like the thriller, or the sci-fi novel, or the fantasy epic. Its form and content are, more or less, formulaic: white girl in the big city searches for Prince Charming, all the while shopping, alternately cheating on or adhering to her diet, dodging her boss, and enjoying the occasional teary-eyed lunch with her token Sassy Gay Friend. Chick lit is the daughter of the romance novel and the step-sister to the...more
My friend Don made me a present of this book a few years ago, but recently picked it up again. The stories are just excellent. Particularly "Selling the General." Very vivid and suspenseful with strong characterization. "Gabe" is one I often use in class that gets a very strong reaction. It has a strong voice, humor, pathos and two unforgettable characters. Like all collections, not every story hits one out of the park, but this group is solid. And I love the cover!
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The short story is such a terribly underrated literary form. I always hear that publishers are reluctant to put out books of short stories, which I just don't understand. If people are truly as plagued with short attention spans as everyone says they are, then short stories would be the perfect way to deliver storytelling to more people. When done skillfully, you get all the benefits of the novel, but in 15- and 30-minute chunks.
I very much enjoyed this collection of short stori...more
I very much enjoyed this collection of short stori...more
I picked this up in hopes of having something to read that wasn't fluff and didn't feel like work. I got what I wanted and then some. I like the premise of the collection, to give a peak at some of the women authors of today who do something that isn't typical chick lit. Not all of the stories were great for me, but it's a matter of personal preference.
A number of reviews here state that the stories in this collection still deal with love/romance/findingmen/wantingmen and thus they ar...more
A number of reviews here state that the stories in this collection still deal with love/romance/findingmen/wantingmen and thus they ar...more
I love to read short story collections — they're easily digestible little nuggets and the short story may be my favorite form of fiction.
But I'm used to reading collections by a single author, an author I've already established that I like. This is the first anthology I've read, and herein lies the problem — some of the stories were really, really good. Several made my throat close up and my eyes water. But there were several that just felt corny, gimmicky or forced. I can't really s...more
But I'm used to reading collections by a single author, an author I've already established that I like. This is the first anthology I've read, and herein lies the problem — some of the stories were really, really good. Several made my throat close up and my eyes water. But there were several that just felt corny, gimmicky or forced. I can't really s...more
I'm putting this down in the middle because most of the stories are not good.
I hate women's literature, I find it offensive that literature by women can't just be literature. I think that while it can helpful to actively diversify what you read, a lot of shit that just isn't good gets included in "minority lit" categories. Not to say that the canon doesn't need reworking or that any minority group has less to offer literary culture than the mainstream, but incorporation...more
I hate women's literature, I find it offensive that literature by women can't just be literature. I think that while it can helpful to actively diversify what you read, a lot of shit that just isn't good gets included in "minority lit" categories. Not to say that the canon doesn't need reworking or that any minority group has less to offer literary culture than the mainstream, but incorporation...more
Screaming at the reader that "GIRLS CAN WRITE GOOD (important/thought-provoking/edgy) STUFF TOO!!!!!" this compilation of short stories is not what I would hand to a disbeliever in the power of lady writers. Some of the stories are fantastic and a few are good, but a couple are just boring/dumb/annoying. Is this really THE BEST out there? However, I picked up this book to find some good new female writers and I come away from This Is Not Chick Lit with a long list of new to-read author...more
Ignore the defensive first half of the title (which really makes no sense at all, when the collection's introduction is titled "Why Chick Lit Matters") and focus on the the subtitle, because that's what this anthology is - well written fiction by some very talented people, who are female. There's a broad range of stories and styles: some coming close to the genre the title says it is not, some so far away that there's barely a female in the story, let alone a relationship issue, and i...more
I picked this up because I was intrigued by the title, and I will admit, because I was partially trying to balance out the Shopaholic books I had just read-- but I was really happy I did, because I loved it! Not all of the short stories were my favorites, but the ones I liked, I absolutely loved. I would imagine this would be a great collection to share with a friend to have someone to discuss with, the nice thing is the collection is a good balance of humor and more serious topics (sometimes ...more
Note to self: if you're feeling disillusioned by modern fiction, don't, for the love of god, go flouncing on down to the library to check out even more modern fiction to read.
This book makes me despair: this is the best that the ladywriters of America have to offer? It's sad, but these stories feel and read lifelessly -- as if animated by a special kind of vegetable consciousness. To judge by the proferred stories, there is not a budding Toni Morrison, Marilynne Robinson, Dorothy Park...more
This book makes me despair: this is the best that the ladywriters of America have to offer? It's sad, but these stories feel and read lifelessly -- as if animated by a special kind of vegetable consciousness. To judge by the proferred stories, there is not a budding Toni Morrison, Marilynne Robinson, Dorothy Park...more
A good if not great collection. Contains a good variety of short stories, from the historical fantasy of "Documents of Passion Love" by Carolyn Ferrell to the offbeat but slightly disturbing "Selling the General" by Jennifer Egan, no two stories are the same. My favorite was "Volunteers are Shining Stars" by Curtis Sittenfeld, whose narrator at first seems a smart, kind, self-aware volunteer at a shelter for battered women and their children, but who ends up being a...more
The premise of this book - that chick lit is inferior and limiting and needs to be rebelled against - ticked me off so much that I had a hard time getting over the title and actually reading the stories. Genre fiction can be fun, reading is good, literary snobbishness annoys me.
When I finally got over my aversion to the cover, however, I found a strong collection of short stories inside. Most of the literary short stories I come across these days are boring tales of middle-aged peopl...more
When I finally got over my aversion to the cover, however, I found a strong collection of short stories inside. Most of the literary short stories I come across these days are boring tales of middle-aged peopl...more
I should have known when I saw "Elle" quoted on the cover that this book would be deeply disappointing. A great premise, certainly: a collection of stories by women that do not fit into the "girl in a big city finds Mr. Right" formula of chick lit, it tries to paint a truer, more complex portrait.
Unfortunately, most of the stories do not live up to the promise. In most, the characters are thinly drawn (my biggest pet peeve), and many of the stories were pretentio...more
Unfortunately, most of the stories do not live up to the promise. In most, the characters are thinly drawn (my biggest pet peeve), and many of the stories were pretentio...more
Lindsay
rated it
Recommends it for:
fans of strong female writers, non-chick-lit seekers
Recommended to Lindsay by:
NPR
Shelves:
theamys,
shortstories
This was a fun collection of short stories to read...it certainly is not "chick lit." It turned me on to a slew of new (to me) authors I can't wait check out. I thought the approaches of Carolyn Ferrell and Judy Budnitz were particularly creative, got me excited about starting up my first Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie book, and of course I'm eternally devoted to Aimee Bender--although the story selected for this book is not as fanciful as those in her other collections. My favorite is po...more
This is probably one of those few titles where someone on the train doesn't have to ask me what the book is not about. Although I did get the few "so, what is it?" Elizabeth Merrick has compiled a fantastic collection of short stories by contemporary women writers. There was only one that I skipped over, one that was boring, and I was dissapointed by Mary Gordon's "The Epiphany Branch," which is indeed about NYPL's Epiphany Branch. It just started to sound like Mary Gordo...more
"Chick lit's formula numbs our senses. Literature, by contrast, grants us access to countless cultures, places, and inner lives...Chick lit shuts down our consciousness. Literature expands our imaginations." (Taken from the Intro)
By the same token, the editor of this book also states, "We all need occasional cotton-candy entertainment to transport us from our increasingly overworked and overstimulated lives...The problem is, rather, that the chick lit deluge has hel...more
By the same token, the editor of this book also states, "We all need occasional cotton-candy entertainment to transport us from our increasingly overworked and overstimulated lives...The problem is, rather, that the chick lit deluge has hel...more
This is a wonderful intro to a whole range of emerging female writers, so if you are like me and you search out new writers before committing to a whole novel, then this is a great anthology to use. Some stand-out stories are: "The Thing Around Your Neck" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, whose Half a Yellow Sun I'm putting on m TBR list; Holiday Rheinhold's curiously callous tale, "Gabe"; the amusing family drama "The 72-ounce Steak Challenge" by Dika Lam; and Roxana R...more
I chose This Is Not Chick Lit for book club because we don't usually pick anthologies, and I wanted us to read some contemporary women authors. I was also curious to see if the whole "chick lit" thing would provoke discussion. Indeed, a lively discussion was had. Most of us felt that although chick lit may not be high literature, it has its place and shouldn't be relegated to the Harlequin romance section, and that chick lit, as a genre, offers more than its stereotype. We also discuss...more
as many of you know, i am a lover of 'chick-lit.' but really, only to a point. that's why i think this book beckoned me. i loved the variety of authors and stories; there was no uniform theme/plot, but the stories were similar in the fact they were just great stories that weren't the young city girl shopping in high end boutiques and searching for mr. right. these were REAL stories, no fluff. i particularly enjoyed the stories by Jennifer Egan, Caitlin Macy & Chiamanda Ngozi Adichie (can't belie...more
My sister picked this book up at the library based solely on the cover and I thought it would be a great bus book. I generally don't gravitate towards short stories, so I don't have much to compare the stories to in terms of quality. I have to stick with the 'liked it/didn't like it' level of assessment.
That being said, I really liked this collection of stories; there were diverse characters and situations. I liked that some of the main characters were not sympathetic, yet I still w...more
That being said, I really liked this collection of stories; there were diverse characters and situations. I liked that some of the main characters were not sympathetic, yet I still w...more
Most of the stories were meh, but I LOVED the last story, only 4 pages long but it resonated with me like CRAZY. Overall, not a bad collection. I am a little irritated that women have to qualify their work as NOT chick lit, though; I am by no means a feminist, I most often find myself preferring music, movies, art created by men. Novels, however, do not have a clear winner, so this book might as well be called "Pretty good stories that happen to have been written by women"
Kate
rated it
Recommends it for:
women who don't wear makeup every day :)
Recommended to Kate by:
Lindsay Beckmann, of course...
Shelves:
i-really-need-to-read-more-fiction
You need to read this book. Particularly if you're a woman who reads Bust, or Venus, or has a feminist bone in her body. Not because this is a "feminist" book in the traditional sense, but because every story in it bucks the "chick-lit" tradition of high-heel wearing, Manhattan socialites (Yes, I do love Sex in the City and Lipstick Jungle, but they belong on TV, not in a book, so you can look at the cute boys and envy the outfits.) Lindsay recommended this book to me, and I ...more
This is where I discovered Cristina Henriquez, in a story called "Gabriella, My Heart." Henriquez is fantastic, as is her story collection Come Together, Fall Apart.
Other standouts (not as great as Henriquez, but good): Curtis Sittenfeld ("Volunteers are Shining Stars"), Jennifer Egan ("Selling the General"), and Caitlin Macy ("The Red Coat").
Other standouts (not as great as Henriquez, but good): Curtis Sittenfeld ("Volunteers are Shining Stars"), Jennifer Egan ("Selling the General"), and Caitlin Macy ("The Red Coat").
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