YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY

Last week, we talked about whether a new Sense and Sensibility was a good thing and scored a big fat yay from my co-ed Keris and a slightly more reluctant yay from our editor-in-chief Gemma.

This week, I'm getting controversial. Waterstones recently published its top 100 books of the last twenty-five years as decided by 5000 of the book chain's staff ... and only TWENTY-SEVEN of them are by women! Whaaa...?Man

Is it possible that they're right: do men write better books than women?

Tell us what you think: is it a Yay or a Nay - and WHY?

Yay or Nay archives.

[Don't forget it's Yay or Nay day at Hippyshopper, Bridalwave, Corrie Blog, Catwalk Queen, Kiss and Makeup, The Bag Lady, Shoewawa and Shiny Shiny, too!]

[Picture courtesy of Getty Images].

YAY OR NAY WEDNESDAY - Comments

  • Melanie

    I agree with Megan. I tend to get more emotion from women&#39s writing. Not to say that there aren&#39t excellent men writers with emotional depth to their work but I would be interested to know the gender ratio of the judges. And also, I&#39d like to see the process used to wheedle votes from 5000 people into the final 100. LOL, I&#39m so skeptical sometimes....

  • I agree with Linda - there&#39s an inherent prejudice against women writers and I suppose people think they&#39re on safer ground nominating a male writer.

    I can think of great women writers a lot more readily than great males, so it&#39s a nay for me too.

  • Maz

    Well, I am usually hopelessly addicted and dedicated to reading biographies but the last book I read, a novel, &#39Dear Zoe&#39 was written by a man. I thought it started off really well and was pleasantly surprised that he seemed to be so au fait with the psyche of an adolescent girl. I was hooked. However, I was really disappointed that it degenerated into a bit of a sex fantasy (for the author, undoubtedly) half way through. For me, it didn&#39t work and a 15 year old girl suddenly appeared to have the maturity of a 25 year old. I know others loved the book but it was spoiled for me. Why do men (I&#39m not saying all men - but many of them) have to always somehow turn the subject round to sex? I realise that some women do too but it doesn&#39t always work. So, anyway, that means, for me, with much rambling beforehand, it&#39s a big fat NAY!!!

  • I think it has more to do with how the books are marketed - look at the furore you provoked by daring to say you liked chick-lit, if people are starting from a position of prejudice against women writers, it&#39s a big jump to entertain any notion that they may even better. But my own view is that some men are crap and some women are too, so it&#39s no good asking me. Good day.

  • megan

    I have only read two amazing books by a guy: She&#39s Come Undone, and Empire Falls

    All the other books i have read have been by women i get more of a sense of emotion there is more explored when a women writes a book

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