Comments on: A Window Opens

By: Catherine

Catherine — Fri, 02 Oct 2015 17:46:37 +0000

In reply to Cynthia Robertson. Your question wasn't silly at all- I did tag it that way but then thought about it and it doesn't really fit that mold (or my interpretation of it). You just made me think about it which is always great. But I still don't have an answer. :( Women's fiction is the right term for this novel!

By: Cynthia Robertson

Cynthia Robertson — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 23:18:26 +0000

In reply to Catherine.

Ugh! I just reread my comment, and I meant TOO light to be literary. (I hate to make typos on comments.)
Anyway, if it was mis-tagged, then my question is kinda silly here. I agree about chick-lit being mostly to entertain, and not having much deeper substance.
Thanks for your reply! 🙂

By: Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:55:22 +0000

In reply to Sarah's Book Shelves. Sarah, for you, it's a quick skim that will make you laugh because her wit is sharp but you could quit at 3/4 through and be all right.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:53:41 +0000

In reply to Tara @ Running 'N' Reading. That was exactly it, Tara! I wanted her to kick ass and take names; find a solution to the problem and instead she kind of bailed.

By: Catherine

Catherine — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:52:50 +0000

In reply to Cynthia Robertson.

Cynthia, that was mis-tag on my part but your question is a good one! I use chick-lit for really fluffy, superficial fiction that does nothing more than entertain me. I know plenty of people who think the term is derogatory towards women but I’m not sure what is a better term. What does Women’s Fiction mean to you because maybe I should use that. And yes, lighter works, often with humor at their core, tend not to feel literary to me.

Egan is sharp and I liked her humor but, yes, mommy books don’t work for me. I always want the protagonist to choose her career! Which is why I don’t have kids, I guess. 😉

By: Cynthia Robertson

Cynthia Robertson — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 22:35:58 +0000

Question for ya, Catherine: I noticed you tagged this one as Chick-lit. Is it still Chick-lit if the main protag is married? What separates a novel like this from Women’s fic? Or even Literary? Is it to ‘light’ to be straight Literary?
Just curious about your thoughts on this, since you read so much, and across a broad spectrum.
I’ve seen this one else-where and thought it sounded good. But yeah, I can see where it veering off into mommy-land would be a disappointment (for me, as well).

By: Andi

Andi — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 19:25:29 +0000

Glad to see some more good things about this book. It’s staring at me every day.

By: Tara @ Running 'N' Reading

Tara @ Running 'N' Reading — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 16:58:40 +0000

Catherine, I’m so glad to hear that I was not alone in my assessment/feelings of this book! I had really high expectations for this one which, undoubtedly, were met as I began the novel; the further I got into it, though, I became disappointed for what sounds to be like a similar reason. I was really, REALLY interested to hear more about Scroll and the dynamics there, but Egan veered off into the familiar territory that bores me easily. Great review!

By: Sarah's Book Shelves

Sarah's Book Shelves — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 11:50:19 +0000

I’ve been waffling about whether to read this…it sounded appealing (esp the online vs. brick/mortar stuff), then Tara at Running N Reading DNF’d it, now you are so-so. Hmm. Maybe I’ll keep it in my back pocket for when I need something light. I do like snarky writing and did like Days of Awe 🙂

By: Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors

Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors — Wed, 30 Sep 2015 11:31:12 +0000

I love your analogy at the end of this review! Perfectly summarized! 🙂