This week, author Curtis Sittenfeld's new book
American Wife hits book stores near you. The book is inspired by the life of Laura Bush, and a few weeks ago, when I was about halfway through American Wife, I chatted with Sittenfeld about the
controversial aspects of the book, how this epic American tale is a departure from her previous two books, and what's going on with the movie version of
Prep!
Buzz: This character, Alice Blackwell, is intriguing and sexy, and generally those terms are considered mutually exclusive from the first lady.
My friend
Citizen sparked a lively conversation yesterday around an upcoming book by
Prep author Curtis Sittenfeld titled
American Wife. The novel follows a character named Alice Blackwell who is based on Laura Bush, and many of the first lady's real-life experiences are included.
I was intrigued by the strong reactions that spread across the Web yesterday, especially after Radar posted several
sex scenes from the book that earned the unpublished novel descriptors like
"steamy" and
"tawdry."
Some folks feel strongly that this was disrespectful to Laura Bush, and that Sittenfeld should have left her alone.
After I
reviewed The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, user
jadenirvana put in a request for more books that fall into the elusive "thinking girl's chick lit" category. I thought that sounded like a great
Buzzworthy Challenge — after all, that's one of my favorite book genres, too.
I usually bristle at the phrase "chick lit" (much like
"chick flick") because I think it's come to refer to lighthearted beach reads that lack any real depth or substance.
