WHAT IS HEN LIT, FOR GOD'S SAKE?

Hen lit, which is also known as MATRON LITERATURE, believe it or not, is chick lit for aging baby boomers and generation X'ers. It's a form of chick lit, which is a genre that features a young female protagonist, who has to overcome personal trials and tribulations, but the fact that the heroine is a woman is very much part of the plot. Hen lit features an older female heroine.

I think the terms hen lit and chick lit are somewhat comical. One does not normally hear of "ROOSTER LIT" regarding books that feature male protagonists.

But whatever.

While author Doris Lessing thinks chick lit is somewhat "forgettable," it is a successful genre.

A great example of "hen lit" is Dorothea Benton Frank's, All the Single Ladies.

I had actually googled hen lit and this book is an example of that genre. I must admit that there are more examples of chick lit, than hen lit. I read the first 15 pages on Frank's author's website and have decided to order it from Amazon.

This novel is about three single ladies, probably in their early 60's, who have just lost a peer to cancer. Their friend was single and lived alone. It's written in the first person, like From Bel Air to Welfare.

Anyway, after I read it, I will write more about the book itself, but so far what I have read has touched me, and made me laugh.

But yes, that's good old hen lit in a nutshell.

Any thoughts, dear readers?