Chick Lit in Chinese?

[maggieh]

Inspiration needed please.    I'm going to Beijing in a couple of weeks and would like to stock up on a few books. I'm fed up of slogging through misery memoires.   Are there any contemporary novelists out there I can try?   Easy to read books that are fun, modern and not too depressing.    I don't mean the Chinese language has to be easy - I mean the genre.  

 

Books I have genuinely enjoyed are by:  韩寒， 龙应台 and 六六 - so is there anyone I can try?

 

Doesn't really have to be chick lit of course - just something not too heavy.

 

thanks everyone. 

 

 

 

[Geiko]

Hi, Maggieh!

So far I've read and enjoyed:

• 奋斗 by 石康.  I haven't read anything from 六六, but I guess it might be similar to 蜗居 (both have been adapted into TV series, I think).
• 离歌 by 饶雪漫. I picked this book from the library because there was Ivy Chen on the cover  It was like watching a Taiwanese drama (there were sad moments, but nothing too melodramatic, IIRC).
• 全世爱 by 苏小懒. A personal diary with many dialogues about how the author met her husband-to-be and how they fell in love.

I haven't read yet but plan to, and can be considered chick lit:

• 杜拉拉升职记 by 李可.
• 你总有爱我的一天 by 张小娴.
• I've heard that 笛安 writes young adult novels, so it could be interesting to have a look at her books.

[maggieh]

Hello Geiko - oh thanks so much for this - that's a great help.    Actually that reminded me I do have a copy of 杜拉拉升职记 around the place somewhere so probably I should dig that out.    I'll let you know if I find anything else of interest in Beijing too.      Thanks again!   

[imron]

Actually that reminded me I do have a copy of 杜拉拉升职记 around the place somewhere so probably I should dig that out

Read the first one.  Don't bother with the sequels.

 

The first sequel begins with a gigantic literary cop-out:

The entire ending of the first novel was 'just a dream'

And it doesn't get better from there.

[skylee]

步步驚心 by 桐華. I guess it is as lit as chick lit goes. (It is not modern, sorry. But it is easy to read.)

[maggieh]

Hmm intriguing and helpful you guys. Many thanks   Also, I noticed that 香港分舵舵主 is in Hong Kong.   Do you know a place in HK to buy simplified books now?    Like - now the bookshop in Causeway Bay has closed?

[skylee]

Sorry, no idea. I don't really buy books any more.

[thinkpanda]

hi OP 

 

you like 韩寒？

suggest you try  tiny times  written by 郭敬明

 

 

[Lu]

I'm reading 芙蓉如面柳如眉 by 笛安 and I like it. Not sure whether I'd classify it as YA or what, but it's not depressing and I find it an easy read. Good story with plot twists galore and characters that are interesting to read about.

山楂树之恋 by 艾米 I also liked and found easy. It made me cry, but it's not depressing, just a tearjerker.

 

You could try the magazine 最 (ZUI) and anything with that name on it. It's Guo Jingming's (I think he edits it), 迪安's book is published with this name on it, and the one issue I read had short stories that would qualify as chicklit. I found it rather too lightweight though.

 

ETA: 红蟋蟀 by 岳韬. Woman returns to Shanghai after living abroad for many years, reconnects with family and old friends and starts to dig into her past. Some mystery, some history, some romance, some bad choices, fun read.

[maggieh]

Hello - thank you think panda and Lu for your comments.    I will check out your suggestions.   Agree about 山楂树之恋 - I got a bit irritated about how naive she was and how very worldly he was.   But I didn't find it depressing.   On the plane recently I watched an OK Chinese film called Soulmate  七月与安生, one of the main characters was sooo familiar - later looked her up and it turns out she was the girl in the film of 山楂树之恋.   Really cute actress.