Storylines in women’s fiction have fluctuated as much as an estrogen cycle throughout the last several years.
Once upon a time, 50-cent trashy Harlequin romance novels were all the rage.
Then came the era that launched Oprah’s Book Club, when female bestsellers focused on the trials and tribulations of married women. The struggles of the suburban housewife surpassed the romantic romps of half-clad girls stranded on desert islands with their star-crossed lovers.
Then along came a little book called “Bridget Jones’s Diary.”
Helen Fielding’s novel about Jones and her struggles to find a man, a job and a tiny waistline resulted in skyrocketing readership. Readers moved away from the suburban housewife era and were ready for a taste of single girl life. Goodbye, “A Map of the World,” hello “The Nanny Diaries.”
This trend is not limited to books. The success of television shows such as “Sex and the City” and movies such as “Sweet Home Alabama” also mirrors this trend.
Nationally, the average marrying age for women is 26, the highest it ever has been. Females are gettin’ hitched later and establishing careers earlier.
It’s only natural that popular fiction would mirror reality. The problem is, the writers of these books seem a bit unsure of what they are trying to accomplish.
“Bridget Jones’s Diary” sold because of its silly, flirty heroine who flittered through life, dealing with the serious in a trivial, humorous manner.
However, the crop of Fielding-wannabes has not quite mastered the formula. They begin writing a “beach book” — easy reads for soaking up the sun — and still try to cover serious topics, reducing the single girls to stock characters. It’s Mary Tyler Moore on crack.
Take “Good in Bed” by Jennifer Weiner, for example. The novel was billed as “the American Bridget Jones,” but the novel is too depressing to match Bridget.
The main character, Cannie Shapiro, struggles to accept her relationship breakup, lose weight and sell her screenplay. Sounds close enough to Bridget, right?
However, Cannie’s problems stem from a horrible relationship with her father that makes for some Kleenex-oriented reading. Also, Cannie winds up accidentally pregnant, has a terrible accident and almost loses her baby. That’s definitely a little heavier than Bridget, whose biggest problem was figuring out how to snag the office hottie.
Weight problems are another area where writers make the reading a little too serious. Bridget dieted on the side, while “Jemima J,” the Jane Green novel’s eponymous character, has serious psychological issues that contribute to her weight problems as she tries to become a modern day Cinderella and hook up with (you guessed it) the office hottie. Readers laughed at Bridget’s weight troubles; they pity Jemima’s.
Also, these novels set out to define women as independent beings who don’t need a man and wind up doing the exact opposite. These single girls are giggly, girly and desperate to find or reclaim the man in their lives.
Take “Running in Heels,” for example. In Anna Maxted’s book, Natalie deals with her best friend’s marriage by starving herself, having gratuitous sex and becoming addicted to coke. Most single women are capable of watching their friends get married without turning nuts on anyone.
While these books are fun and entertaining, too much blending of media doesn’t mix. If authors stick to one formula or the other, the single girl genre “just might make it after all.”