Top Ten Chick Lit Novels
A Beginner’s Guide to the Sub-genre of Women’s Fiction and Romance
Apr 19, 2008
Chick Lit is a term used to describe humorous books written by and about women. The novels often focus on dating, shopping, and finding identity for single twenty somethings. If you’re interested in this unique genre and want to know where it all started, this top ten list will highlight and briefly discuss the books that helped popularize Chick Lit.
1. Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding (Penguin, 1999)
Everyone knows the name Bridget Jones. Not only is she the lovably quirky British narrator of the bestselling books, but she’s a movie start, too. (Or at least Renee Zellwegger, who played Bridget Jones, is).
ISBN-13: 978-0140280098
2. Watermelon by Marian Keyes (Avon, 2002)
This is the first in a series by the Irish author about the Walsh sisters. While not as much of a household name as Bridget Jones (at least not in America), this book helped characterize the tone of future Chick Lit novels.
ISBN-13: 978-0060090364
3. Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell (Grand Central Publishing, 1997)
Have there ever been four more memorable female friends? Sometimes people forget that Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte started as characters in a book. You can thank Bushnell for all the future books about shopaholics with witty friends who also live in the city.
ISBN-13: 978-0446673549
4. The Girl’s Guide to Hunting and Fishing by Melissa Bank (Penguin, 2000)
This is a tricky one. First, it isn’t a novel; it’s a collection of linked short stories. Second, it isn’t really Chick Lit. This is literary fiction that just happens to be funny and about a single woman in an urban location. It’s often labeled as Chick Lit and is worth reading regardless of the label.
ISBN-13: 978-0140278828
5. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner (Washington Square Press, 2002)
Mirror, mirror on the wall, which Chick Lit book is funniest of them all? Hooray for a real plus sized protagonist! Hooray for unexpected conclusions and good writing!
ISBN-13: 978-0743418171
6. See Jane Write by Melissa Senate (Red Dress Ink, 2001)
This was the first book published under Red Dress Ink, a conglomerate of Harlequin. If ever there was an example of every Chick Lit cliché (in a good way), here it is.
ISBN-13: 978-0373250110
7. The Devil Wears Prada by Laruen Weisberger (Doubleday, 2003)
The evil boss isn’t a new archetypal character, but Weisberger breathes new life into the “boss from hell.” This is another one popularized by a movie, but worth reading.
ISBN-13: 978-0385509268
8. Good Grief by Lolly Winston (Grand Central Publishing, 2005)
This one is classified under the new subgenre of Chick Lit called Widow Lit. And for such a sad premise, it’s really a lovely and funny novel.
ISBN-13: 978-0446694841
9. The Big Love by Sarah Dunn (Back Bay Books, 2005)
Born again Christians and ex gay lovers? The book is surprising and fresh in a way that helps keep the genre of Chick Lit on its feet. It isn’t at all typical or forgettable (a common complaint of Chick Lit).
ISBN-13: 978-0316010788
10. Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner (Red Dress Ink, 2003)
This is the best example of the non-Chick Lit heroine, though it is marketed as a certain brand of women’s fiction anyway. You might also enjoy reading Lissner’s powerful article defending Chick Lit.
ISBN-10: 1596702435
