Women's Fiction

Offering a fresh perspective on women's fiction for a broad reading audience—fans as well as librarians—this book defines and maps the genre, and describes hundreds of relevant titles.Women's Fiction: A Guide to Popular Reading Interests celebrates the books in this broad genre—titles that explore the lives of female protagonists, with a focus on their relationships with family, friends, and lovers. After a brief introductory history and a chapter that defines the characteristics of women's fiction, the author showcases annotations and suggestions of approximately 300 titles by more than 100 authors. She explains how women's fiction differs from romance fiction, enabling readers to appreciate this rich body of literature that encompasses titles as diverse as Meg Cabot's lighthearted chick lit to the more serious novels of Elizabeth Berg and Maeve Binchy. The book identifies some of the most popular and enduring women's fiction authors and titles, and provides invaluable reading lists and readalike suggestions that will be appreciated by both librarians and general readers.

Rebecca Vnuk is editor for reference and collection management at Booklist Publications. An acclaimed expert on readers' advisory, her published works include Libraries Unlimited's Read On...Women's Fiction: Reading Lists for Every Taste and Women's Fiction Authors: A Research Guide.Nanette Donohue is technical services manager at the Champaign Public Library in Champaign, IL. Donohue has reviewed fiction for Library Journal since 2005.