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British v American chick lit

Just read this on a blog called Bookworm Room:

As you know, one of my big complaints about British chick lit is that the “heroines” are usually needy alcoholics, something that stands in stark contrast to American chick lit, where the heroines usually live good, clean lives.

Me and the Bookworm must be reading different books since I was just thinking the opposite. *Sweeping generalisation alert* I find British chick lit to be a bit more wholesome and a tad more old-fashioned than American chick lit, which is often snarkier and edgier. What do you think?

Related: US versus UK covers

British v American chick lit - Comments

Keris

Thanks, Shanna! That&#39s an interesting point about Brit v US culture. I hadn&#39t noticed that, but you&#39re probably right. You know how we Brits hate success! ;)

I don&#39t think you need to go inspirational just for sweet heroines, it was Bookworm&#39s other comments that made me think she might be happier there. :)

Shanna Swendson

This discussion reminds me of a conversation I once had with a British friend about the differences between British and American entertainment, in general. American entertainment is often more aspirational -- people want to read about or watch people who are in a position they aspire to, which means the books/TV shows are usually more glamorous than real life. American soap operas are about wealthy families, usually. In chick lit, we get the hyper ambitious heroines and lots of label name-dropping. British entertainment tends to be more about celebrating where you are, with it being about people who are at or below the social class of the mainstream. So you get soap operas like East Enders about the working class and chick lit with underdog heroines.

Of course, there are exceptions.

I also don&#39t think you have to go inspirational to get sweet heroines. My list of fave Brit chick lit authors includes:

Wendy Holden (stuff going on around heroine isn&#39t always nice, but the heroine is usually a nice girl, even if she does make mistakes)

Gemma Townley

Katie Fforde

Fiona Walker

Elizabeth Young

And if you want a heroine who&#39s really sweet, there are always my books. :-)

Danielle

*Please pardon my typos above - need more coffee methinks! ;)

Danielle

Funnily enough, I&#39ve read plenty of chick-lit books and none of them whatsoever have been about alcoholics. As Keris said, there&#39s a difference between being an actual alcoholic and someone who just likes drinking (big, BIG difference.). Considering that a lot of chick-lit is aimed at women in their 20s, isn&#39t this a normal thing? I like a drink, as do my 20-something friends, and to NOT see a heroine knock back a vodka or two would be quite unrealistic.

Please tell me which British books you&#39ve read that are about full-on alchoholics, besides Rachel&#39s Holiday, as I&#39d be really interested to know.

The same goes for cigarettes. Actually, the last book I read about a smoker was Bridget Jones a few years ago.

Are you sure you&#39re not just taking the infamous Bridget&#39s traits and basing your opinion on that? It seems that way. Maybe I&#39m wrong, but if you could point out those books, I&#39ll happily change my opinion.

&#39...American chick lit, where the heroines usually live good, clean lives.&#39 I&#39m sure I&#39ve read books about drug-taking heroines and call-girls too, but I might just have to go through my collection to double-check.

I agree with Diane Danielson - quite a few I&#39ve read from the US name-drop heavily. And go to countless parties and meet famous people wearing a new Prada dress etc. So much so that it becomes tedious. But even so, I can&#39t make an overall generalistion of this simply because not all books and their characters are the same, and what I&#39ve picked up is usually what&#39s newly available in bookstores here. I read Shanna&#39s book, Enchanted Inc, last week on hols and it was amazing. I&#39m sure there are more that are just as brilliant.

Personally I find English heroines to be a bit more down to earth and witty. And if characters didn&#39t have flaws, they&#39d make very boring stories indeed!

Keris

Sorry - wanted to comment sooner, but my keyboard&#39s been on the blink. That&#39s for all the great comments so far though!

And welcome, Bookworm!

>They just seem to be about soggy alcoholics, or >otherwise fairly dysfunctional young women, all >the while looking for a savior.

There&#39s a difference between an alcoholic and someone who likes a drink. The only chick lit book I can think of about an alcoholic is Rachel&#39s Holiday and that&#39s one of the best chick lit books of all time.

As for looking for a saviour, again, there&#39s a difference between looking for a soul mate (which a lot of the heroines of chick lit books are doing and I don&#39t have a problem with) and looking for a saviour.

>I&#39d love it if you could recommend some wholesome >British chick lit, with a strong or charming >female character, who is not alcoholic, who >doesn&#39t smoke endless fags, who isn&#39t irritatingly >neurotic, who doesn&#39t have friends who are falling >apart at the seems, who isn&#39t needy, and who isn&#39t >living a life that seems rather squalid to this >middle class American. Armed with that >information, I&#39ll happily backtrack on my initial >sense about what&#39s coming out of England.

To be honest, it sounds like you&#39d prefer women&#39s fiction to chick lit since that list features many of the defining characteristics of the genre!

Except that I can&#39t remember the last time I read a British chick lit book with a heroine who smokes, so I&#39m not sure what it is you&#39re reading. Like Lucie says you might want to try inspirational chick lit.

Anyone else got any recommendations?

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British v American chick lit

British v American chick lit - Comments

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