this is not chick lit edited by elizabeth merrick
okay, so i was actually a little bit conflicted about reading this is not chick lit edited by elizabeth merrick. on the one hand, i'm a big fan of some of the writers who contributed, and i'm usually pretty down with a good anthology. on the other, the collection - and the "born out of anger" response book to it this is chick lit has created a huge flap in the literary/publishing world, which i pretty much got sick of before the book even hit the stands. i'd read a lot of it on the internet, and while i can understand the perspective, a few of the comments merrick made, because i don't necessarily agree with her premise.
but, i ended up reading it anyway. ideological disagreements aside, i just really wanted to read the stories. because essentially, that's all that any anthology comes down to. and, like any other anthology, this is not chick lit is a collection of hits and misses. there are definitely some memorable, well-crafted stories here, just as there are some mediocre, skim-over ones. i loved the curtis sittenfeld, judy budnitz, jennifer egan and chimamanda ngozi adichie. other authors i love - like aimee bender - are not showcased at their strongest here and others i didn't care for at all. one or two i even kind of hated, but i won't go too negative here and name names. it's as worthy an anthology as any other out there and i'm glad i finally opted to read it.
i will say that if one is intent on showing the range of contemporary women's lives, it might do one good to pay attention to writers who don't live in new york city. and don't adopt a air of contempt when speaking about literate females as a whole. but i'll end my sentiments here, because i'm verging on being catty.
but, i ended up reading it anyway. ideological disagreements aside, i just really wanted to read the stories. because essentially, that's all that any anthology comes down to. and, like any other anthology, this is not chick lit is a collection of hits and misses. there are definitely some memorable, well-crafted stories here, just as there are some mediocre, skim-over ones. i loved the curtis sittenfeld, judy budnitz, jennifer egan and chimamanda ngozi adichie. other authors i love - like aimee bender - are not showcased at their strongest here and others i didn't care for at all. one or two i even kind of hated, but i won't go too negative here and name names. it's as worthy an anthology as any other out there and i'm glad i finally opted to read it.
i will say that if one is intent on showing the range of contemporary women's lives, it might do one good to pay attention to writers who don't live in new york city. and don't adopt a air of contempt when speaking about literate females as a whole. but i'll end my sentiments here, because i'm verging on being catty.