There’s no doubt about it—young women tend to take themselves very, very seriously (takes one to know one). That’s why I was very excited about the opportunity to read Lynn Harris’ new book Death by Chick Lit, a totally entertaining, truly absorbing novel with an authentic, relatable narrator (who is neither obsessed with Coach, nor desperate to find a man and make babies) and some unpredictable twists and turns.

Harris has a damn good sense of humor. Her heroine is fuming with jealousy as she sucks down theme drinks at a “friend’s� fabulous book party, until she realized the friend has been murdered. She spends the rest of the book trying to figure out who the killer is, Nancy Drew with a borough writer’s edge. Her adventures take her to a ridiculous baby shower, a couple of swanky apartments, downtown bars, a canal, and everything in between. Think campy, but smart, biting, but poignant, totally New York with a Brooklyn edge.

It was refreshing to read a smart feminist novel that made fun of all the hullabaloo over “chick lit.� Lynn Harris doesn’t know why anyone would be so up in arms about what feminists are reading. After all, do lefty pundits get riled up when one of their own is caught reading John Grisham, or gasp, Michael Crichton?

In the words of Cyndi, sometimes girls just want to have fun. (You get special points if you find all the covert and not so covert feminist references throughout this juicy little read!)

Next week: Confessions of a Video Vixen by Karrine Steffans. Seriously.

4 Comments

August 16, 2007 3:05 PM

[0+]  Feminist Review said:

Sounds similar to This is Not Chick Lit, which wasn't a great book, by the way.

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August 16, 2007 9:45 PM

[0+]  Mina said:

Speaking of chick lit that isn't stereotypical chick lit, I want to read _Wired Love_ by Ella Cheever Thayer. :)

I found out about it because Tom Standage mentions it in _The Victorian Internet_ (which is a good book too).

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August 18, 2007 2:58 AM

[0+]  Queen_Nerd said:

This book sounds cool. I despise chick lit for the most part, except for Bridget Jones and the Princess Diaries. (Don't laugh, I won't be able to hear you anyway.)

But I also love Michael Crighton. Where the hell does that leave me? Hmm...

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August 30, 2007 10:59 PM

[0+]  venarain said:

man, i have to say, i found this book pretty silly. the story line is relatively interesting, but author's style is obnoxiously 'cute' and as far as book written by women about women characters, it rates pretty low. like a 4. unfortunately i don't have anything else to read today... so it'll have to do.

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