Girl Next Cubicle: March 2011

Chick Lit Challenge for March: Dating Big Bird by Laura Zigman

Mar 31

I picked up this book because I found the title intriguing and kind of quirky. Dating Big Bird? I suddenly conjured images of the fluffy yellow mascot I used to fawn over on TV, except in my mind he’s all grown up and has become a ladies’ man. Of course, the book wasn’t about that, but about a single woman’s quest to find the perfect mate, the right guy who would help her create a cute little girl or boy. There was actually an explanation in the story regarding the use of the ‘Big Bird’ character, but it has totally escaped me.

Ellen is over thirty-five, single, and does the marketing for one of the biggest designers in the country. Her biggest goal—which I was reminded of practically on every page—

is to have a child of her own, or else she would probably steal her sister’s young daughter Nicole. Her steady date, Malcolm, has had a traumatic past that has made him averse to sex; so what’s a girl to do? She eventually decides to go with a sperm donor, gets pregnant, and, to satisfy chick lit’s requisite happy ending, reunites with an enlightened Malcolm.

I applaud the author for tackling a serious issue in a light-hearted style, but honestly I found the narrative boring. Every action and movement was about the feasibility of getting pregnant, which kind of got old halfway through. I would have wanted to see how the different aspects of Ellen’s life—work, love, family—come together to help her achieve her objective, but these just sort of provided the background and environment. I think the only part that had me turning pages faster was when she had the brainchild of gifting her intimidating—and pregnant—boss with a necklace that carried the title ‘Mammo”, which symbolized all empowered mothers. Ellen herself is not that interesting; her colleagues had better personalities and wittier lines. Then again, if you’d like really light reading—don’t get your hopes up if you expect it to reveal deeper insights—and are at that stage when having a baby would be the best thing ever, read this book.

I’ve read somewhere that the author’s earlier work, Animal Husbandry, is quite good. J

Chick Flick Review #1: Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams

Mar 24

OK, so I figured rom-coms are just like chick lit, and might as well blog about everything "chick". I saw this film directed by Roger Michell and starring Rachel McAdams (loved her first in Mean Girls as Regina George) and serious top-notch actors Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford.

It was everything I thought it would be--standard formula of girl-meets-career-meets-guy--but somehow unlike other chick flicks, the focus was more on career than love life. Becky Fuller (McAdams), promising yet gullible news show producer, embarked on a new and definitely unpredictable life with Daybreak, a mediocre breakfast show that needed major push. In the process she meets Mike Pomeroy (Ford), former top news anchor, with whom she goes on to make the show popular and credible--of course with a lot of mishaps and little nuisances. Keaton as Colleen Peck, the show's veteran host, was completely charming and funny. In the end, Becky takes home the credit for a job well done, as well as the heart of a fellow network producer known for being every girl's dream. Overall, it was a fun movie--completely of chick flick template--but heartwarming at the same time. it wasn't all about just love and butterflies; most of it showed independence, focus, and self-confidence. The to-the-second environment of broadcasting was also captured sufficiently, including typical personalities that come with it.

I wouldn't mind watching this again, with a huge bowl of popcorn. :)

Chick Lit Review #10: Amazing Grace by Tara FT Sering

Mar 07

I’ve been a fan of Tara Sering since her first Summit novel, which came free with a Cosmo issue way back when. I have all her chick lit novels, as well as her ‘serious’ work, Reconnaissance, so I had to dig into this relatively new one of hers with Anvil’s Asian Chic line. Amazing Grace, obviously a pun on the popular reality show, is about Grace and her action-packed quest to run after her fiancé Mike in three countries, just to claim the promise he made. She believed Mike was The One, who had given her The Ring, so nothing was about to stop her from fulfilling her scheduled goal of living the happily wedded life. Sure, it sounds like fodder for one too many chick lit stories—eerily like Claire Betita’s Girl Meets World—but the way Amazing Grace plays out is nothing like it.

One thing the novel has going for it is the way Sering painted the environment, the characters, the purpose. Despite the required romantic angle seen through the eyes (and timetable) of a woman in her mid- to late-20s, everything else is unbelievably, astonishingly real, without going the route of inundating the story with nuances here and there just to make it believable. There are several things that actually make Sering’s work difficult (for a writer, at least) and obstacle-ridden: 75% of the story takes place in foreign locales, and it is written in the second person. I wasn’t surprised to find that Sering did not disappoint—her trademark use of ‘you’ throughout succeeded in making me feel like I am Grace, in a hurry to settle down, and will do anything to latch on to the man who fit all my husband-related requirements. Love is part of this equation, of course, and is ultimately the reason for the Asian adventure. Traversing through Singapore, Bangkok, and Hong Kong with my sister Lena and her Singaporean friend Han to finally confront Mike about his plans for our life together (and why he was slowly becoming unreachable, despite the ever-accessible social media) was utterly suspenseful yet enjoyable, and left me palpitating. How Sering concludes the journey is unexpected for a novel of this genre, as Grace had to realize that her man was not made of sterner stuff needed to face the world he created for himself. It’s not the usual girl-gets-guy ending, and some may pass this novel over with this knowledge, but believe me—it is a much more satisfying conclusion that shifts from romance to self-love in the best way possible. It says a lot about a woman’s passion, and keeping her sense of self intact in the process.

I didn’t mean to make it sound so serious, because this novel is extremely fun and hilarious. But it’s intelligent at the same time, and Sering’s use of language is just one of the joys you’ll experience while reading. So go get it and read it now, and you’ll definitely see how chicks rule. Guess what I did after reading the last (it’s got a semi-postmodern epilogue) page? I turned it around and read it again.