‘A smorgasbord of unlikability’: the authors helping ‘sad girl lit’ grow up

In this post-Fleabag world, publishing has become obsessed with the inner turmoils of messy millennials – but isn’t it time they pulled themselves together? Meet the novelists subverting the clichesYou’ve probably come across this woman: she is unfulfilled in her career, has been abandoned by at least one man, she is aimless and lamenting the obstacles in her life (of which, in reality, there don’t appear to be many). She is not just miserable, she’s a mess; self-absorbed and full of self-loathing.If you’ve read a book by a woman, about a woman, that has been published in the last five years, then it’s overwhelmingly likely that this woman was the protagonist. The narrative likely circled around this character’s sadness, her passive struggle to overcome it, and little else. Typically, such stories have notes of darkness but will rarely deliver the actual thing. Usually the main character (like the author) will be middle-class, if not incredibly wealthy. Almost always she will be white. The book’s cover will probably feature a devastated-looking woman with her hair covering her face or her head cradled in her hands. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'

[ The Guardian | 2023-08-08 15:19:43 UTC ]
News tagged with: #ve read #main character #rarely deliver #novelists

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Lit Hub Daily: August 26, 2022

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[ Literrary Hub | 2022-08-26 10:30:00 UTC ]
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The ‘good criminals’ who help treat opioid addicts

"Dopesick" author Beth Macy profiles the volunteers and outreach workers who bring hope, not judgment, to drug users. Continue reading at The Washington Post

[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-26 10:00:20 UTC ]
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Purchasing Mentorist Pro before August 24 will help a charity in need

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Poison pens: leading writers call for overhaul of UK’s Society of Authors

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[ The Guardian | 2022-08-21 09:00:05 UTC ]
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Ali Hazelwood’s sort-of-secret life as a best-selling author

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[ The Washington Post | 2022-08-20 12:00:22 UTC ]
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Lit Hub Daily: August 19, 2022

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Why Publishing Sitcoms Help Me Maintain Hope and Humor for the Future of the Industry

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From child gossip columnist to acclaimed author: K-Ming Chang’s search for the truth

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Lit Agents Say S&S Acquisition Would be Bad for Business

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‘More zeros than I’ve seen in my life’: the author who got a six-figure deal via ‘BookTok’

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How to Help Libraries Affected by the Kentucky and Missouri Floodings

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Cecile Pineda, wide-ranging Latina author, dies at 89

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The Horse Whisperer author Nicholas Evans dies at 72

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Lit Hub Weekly: August 8-12, 2022

Meeting language at its most elemental place: Belinda Huijuan Tang reflects on re-learning Chinese. | Lit Hub Memoir What do animals understand about death? | Lit Hub Science “When people try too hard to pin it down, they often ruin everything that makes poetry magical.” Chris Martin on poetry,... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

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‘The Boys’ author Katie Hafner on her path from journalist to novelist

Going from nonfiction to fiction can be both liberating and paralyzing, Hafner explains. Continue reading at The Washington Post

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