Readers of this blog may be interested in an essay by Randy Susan Meyers posted on the Beyond the Margins website today. In it, she explores the issues surrounding the use in marketing and criticism of the phrase “women’s fiction.”

Referencing Robin Black’s soon-to-be-published novel, Life Drawing, Meyers notes, “I have observed, more than one glowing review has finished by saying that both ‘women’s fiction fans’ and ‘readers of literary fiction’ will enjoy it. What does this mean? I’m compelled to parse that sentence; omnivorous review reader that I am, I’ve yet to see an analysis of a male-written book which states: Both men’s fiction readers and readers of literary fiction will enjoy this book. Why? Because there is no genre referenced in reviews as ‘men’s fiction.'” 

Meyers is the author of The Comfort of Lies (Atria Books, 2013) and The Murderer’s Daughters (St. Martins Press, 2010) and a founder of Beyond the Margins.

http://beyondthemargins.com/2014/04/what-does-women-fiction-mean/