Think back to the last time you enjoyed a romantic comedy. Many of us have seen and enjoyed them. So why do so many people complain about the genre of chick lit? It's the same thing.
I often hear similar complaints by people who review these types of books.
"The language is simplistic."
"The romance was silly."
"Nothing is happening here." "It's not serious."
And all sorts of wacky things that imply you have to be super philosophical to have a good book.
Part of the joy of reading, I think, is that it opens up our eyes to new perspectives and other ways of life. Many others consider reading an escape. Chick lit provides a lot of that escape. Sometimes you just want to be someone else for a while and cheer them on.
Others may say, "Well, there's no message in chick lit. There's no point!" I don't think that could be farther from the truth. Many heroines in chick lit show the power of perseverance when they are forced to start their lives over. In many of Jenny Colgan's books, we see women learn to be successful and self-sufficient by opening their own businesses. Hey, even women who are considering going down a new path might check this out to see what building a business is about. Just because it's not a dude, or taking place in the middle ages, or doesn't involve complex morality questions, doesn't mean it's worthless as a book. It's like when people these days decide to stop liking Cinderella because "it's not feminist enough" and fail to remember that it's meant to be, and is, an entertaining story.
Or they might criticize the lack of themes, and I will also have to disprove that one. A recent chicklit book I read dealt with a death in the community and how everyone responded to it. Others will dislike the romances, but that is a key aspect of many women's books. Romances more often bother me when the author forces one into a book that isn't chick lit, because it takes away from the story and might even dumb it down. Yes, some romances are badly written. But that doesn't mean there are many good ones, too.
Maybe it's not the content that bothers people. Some people are often mistaken that really strong and professional-sounding writing always leads to a better book. Not the case. You Will Know Me (not chick lit) had a good premise but was ruined by the author trying to be fancy with language. Sometimes get-to-the-point wording just works better for fun stories. That's not to say that chick lit is always simplistic. Take Pride and Prejudice (which some argue isn't chick lit, but in this case, I'll say that it is...it has many of those elements). There's nothing simplistic about Austen's language. It might be the time period, but it's still "written well" for most people's standards and it explores some important themes (pride and prejudice among them, but also relationships and interaction in general).
Nevertheless, if it manages to tell a good story, I don't think the language style matters. The author shouldn't feel pressure to sound formal and academic.
The bottom line here is that chick lit is important like every other book. I won't imply that every chick lit book has serious themes or isn't written well. Some are plain corny. But some people might like that sort of thing. But just because it isn't fancy or academic doesn't mean it isn't worth a place on the bookshelf. Reading is supposed to be enjoyable, and chick lit does well of making an enjoyable tale.
Try it and see what you think!
My Not So Perfect Life: considers the challenges of identity and starting over
The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris: features family matters and reconciliation
The Hypnotist's Love Story: features the challenges that come from jealousy and moving on
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