Girls' Night Out

Emily Walters Gregor is a graduate student in 20th-century American
literature and an ESL writing tutor at the University of Minnesota.

Girls’ Night Out is a collection of very short stories written by all
the top names in “chick lit,” including Emily Giffin, Candance
Bushnell, Laura Caldwell, Sophie Kinsella, Nicki Earls, Lauren
Henderson, Marian Keyes, Anna Maxted, Kristin Gore, and Cecelia Ahern,
among others. The anthology was assembled as a charitable effort; all
the royalties from its sale go to War Child Canada.

As with many works of this genre, readers can anticipate what they will
encounter: boyfriend trauma, cocktails, manicures, career angst, peer
rivalries, and clothing crises, all endured by wealthy young women
living in a large metropolis. Stories that offer a significantly
different take on the lives of young, single women stand out for this
reason: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez’s “Cat Lady” explores a generation
gap in the concept of companionship between a young woman and her
mother; Meg Cabot’s “Party Planner” follows an email exchange
about a disastrous office holiday party.

The collection does not push the boundaries of even this very
conventional genre, and the short length of many of the stories prevents
much character or plot development. As predictable as many of the
plotlines are, however, these women are the best at what they do, and
the collection is an enjoyable and effortless read. Recommended with
reservations.