Comments on Gossip Girl series?

[pollykahl]

For some different and light reading, since I am deeply into heavy writing, I picked up two Gossip Girl books at my library, the original Gossip Girl and the second in the series, called You Know You Love Me. Unfort, these have only reaffirmed my disinterest in fiction. One of the problems I have is that the girls in the books are completely shallow and material, yet are the coolest girls around. Both books are full of trials and tribulations about outfits, boys, getting laid, cosmetics, obsessions with fat, hair, drinking, how to look and behave to get boys to like you, smoking dope, etc ad nauseum, and the girls all have neglectful rich parents who have no idea what their kids are up to and no interest in finding out. There never seem to be any consequences other than hangovers which are treated as a joke and can be easily slept off by these spoiled petty brats. The only example of anyone showing any remorse or conscience is in the second book when one of the girls felt guilty for shoplifting, so she and a friend snuck the item back into the store. The web site, gossipgirl.net, tells about the characters and what they have been up to, but minimizes, for example saying Dan is often hopped up on coffee when in the books he's a big pothead. I've seen several discussions in the YA forums about whether or not we writers should/n't drop an occasional F-bomb. Well, after reading these mainstream books for teens I'm afraid it's a little too late to worry about that now.

Yes, as writers we need to write realistic dialogue and show how people really live, but in real life people are diverse. These books show a narrow group and do so not only as though all people behave this way, but as though behaving this way is acceptable and without repurcussions, not to mention preferable.

The other thing that glared at me throughout both books is the many typos, poor sentence structures, and other mistakes they are riddled with. The covers say these are #1 New York Times bestsellers.
I'd love to hear what AW members think about this series. It seems to sell well, but is it respected within the field of serious writing? Did I happen to pick the two worst books of the series or are they all this way? Or am I just hopelessly outdated, and need to start randomly boinking, drinking to oblivion, and toking my brains out?

[Soccer Mom]

Nope. They're crap. They do sell well, but I'm not interested in writing anything in that vein. There are far better examples of YA chick-lit out there.

[lastlight]

I avoid them because of the above reasons. I don't see a point in them at all. I read one sort of like that, but a lot more G-Rated called "Clique". It involved the parents a little more, and there wasn't any drinking, pot, ect. That you'd normally find in adult novels.

That's one reason I have trouble finding books I like. I wish writers wold just drop out all the adult stuff anf just stick to a good plotline. Liek Lord Of The Rings, or Chronicles Of Narnia.

[Toothpaste]

I haven't read them but from your description they sound exactly like the tv shows "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills" etc. which are extremely popular. There is this new trend in teens to be selfish and to let everyone know that it is all about you and that somehow this is totally cool and something to admire in them. In fact it isn't just with teens. Evidentally it became cool all of a sudden (I wonder if maybe, hmm maybe, Paris and her ilk had something to do with it . .. ) to act like a spoiled brat and not give a crap about anyone else. It's disgusting. There's this show out there called Sweet Sixteen about rich girls and guys organising their sweet sixteen birthday. Every other word out of their mouth is, "I don't care I want it" and "I deserve this because I am amazing" and "People are going to be so jealous of my party" and "DADDY!! I WANT IT!" And these are kids that other kids look up to and are treated like royalty by the rest of their schoolmates who are desperate to come to the party, where the little prince or princess has plastered the walls with pictures of themselves, and hired half naked men to carry them on a sedan chair into the room.

Sorry, it REALLY pisses me off! Vent over.

[Will Lavender]

Unfort, these have only reaffirmed my disinterest in fiction.

I wouldn't let this crap reaffirm your disinterest in anything. There's a world of great books out there. You just didn't choose wisely.

You ask the question further down in the post, "It seems to sell well, but is it respected within the field of serious writing?"

Absolutely not. These books are product placement vehicles. Nothing more.

[Shady Lane]

Okay, first of all, I've never read a Gossip Girl book and have no interest in doing so, though several of my friends like them.

I'll be honest, though.
From what I know about Gossip Girls (and this was confirmed in the OP's post) the characters act exactly like teenagers.

Sorry if that shocks anyone, and yes, of course, there are deeper layers to teenager-dom and yeah, person-dom, but...people want to relate to what they read, right?

[Toothpaste]

Oh totally Shady, except I was never that kind of teenager personally, and I really am over this whole self-centred BS that is permeating every aspect of our society (not just the teenagers). Not saying that there aren't people who like it and relate to it, I just think it reflects a greater problem, one that makes me quite sad.

[Zoombie]

Is it just me or do none of the people I know actually act anything like the "teen" steryotype. And that's becuase it's a steryotype.

But then again, I hang out with the edge croud. My best freind has mapped out his entire nehiberhood with a grid and labled it based off things in the Vietnam War.

Oh and don't let a few crappy books turn you off fiction. That's like letting a few crappy days turn you off life.

[Soccer Mom]

I spend a lot of time around teens. There are some who act that way, and many more who don't. Teens come in all flavors, just like grown folk.

[Shady Lane]

Is it just me or do none of the people I know actually act anything like the "teen" steryotype.


Wow.
Most of the people I know do.

[pollykahl]

What a relief! Thanks for all your great various responses (I'm a newbie and I love this site.) I have seen the Sweet 16 show and it is really awful. Those parents are really doing their kids a disservice by spoiling them so badly. Now wonder so many kids are angry today. Kids need parents. Without attention and guidance, how will they ever feel loved and valued? And then how are they ever going to expect, find, or create adult relationships where they are valued? And how will they know how to value their own children? Oh dear, starting to rant here! But I hope you know it is coming from a place of concern.

In a somewhat related discussion, Hubby and I noticed our sons (10 and 13) starting to use the words "bitches" and "hos" and so we decided to not allow the MTV and VH1 channels in the house. The boys are less angry, more respectful of girls, and actually seem happier than they were before.

Rant over. These books are going back to the library today and I will find something fun and light but more positive. Thanks again everyone! Glad I hopped over to this genre and checked it out.

[Provrb1810meggy]

I would never be able to relate to popular, wild, go-out-get-drunk-and-laid, girls, because I'm certainly nothing like that. But hey, this is coming from a girl who's current novel is about a totally self-centered, popular beeyotch, but she has insecurities and learns about herself and grows as a human being, something I bet is sorely missing from The Gossip Girls.

[Zoombie]

I generally would keep my children well well well away from TV with the exception of Star Trek, Babylon 5, Firefly and, when they're older, BSG the new series.

Oh and Quantum Leap. And the Prisoner. That's all I've ever watched, and I turned out just fine.

[Melanie Lane]

I'm nothing like anything in those books. I sit at home, write, and research real issues in the world. I'm a geek. :e2BIC: And most of the time, I don't claim my generation. I'm actually writing a cynical book on the subject of the mindless zombies that have no clue where Sri Lanka is. There are exceptions, of course...but...


I'd like to pretend some of my former friends don't drink and party and have sex from the time they're in seventh grade, but unfortunately, they do.

Some of my best friends are obsessed with The Gossip Girls series. I tried to read one once, and didn't get past the first page before putting it down, returning it to the library, and wishing that I could burn it.

Yes, the books themselves are trash. The most alarming thing is that teens actually enjoy them, taking them as role models. "Oh dude, I want to do that!" "Sweet!" and so on and so forth. It's pathetic. Even sadder is that's the group that isn't actually doing those sorts of things on a day to day basis, but only every once in a while.

Then there are the ones who actually do act like that on a regular basis. I go to a very diverse high school, and yes, we do have the 'drinking pot smoking party all day and night' types who think they're better than everyone else because they don't have a care in the world other than the all important 'social life'. But we have many other types, as well, and I don't believe that all teens are that particular stereotype.

Because at my school, the gun-carrying gansta thugs and drug dealers are in the dominant stereotypes. :guns:

Now the question is...who's worse?

[moondance]

I read a couple of Gossip Girl books when my agent said a UK publisher was looking for something similar. I didn't enjoy the books - thought the characters were two-dimensional, boring, unrealistic (especially the way they all seemed to get into top colleges without doing any work, even though they weren't all rich) and I thought the writing was truly appalling. Every cliche was trotted out, and there was little variety in sentence structure or description. I told my agent I'd be happy to write on a similar topic (and produced some sample chapters) but that I would only do it under a pseudonym. The publisher couldn't convince the sales team to 'take a risk' even though, to my mind, the Gossip Girl series are about as scandalous as a paper bag. Edgier, riskier books dealing with real-life topics such as drugs, teen drinking and sex are being published all the time. Even the sex in the GG series is between over-16s (which is the legal age here in the UK and therefore not at all shocking).

As someone else said, you didn't choose wisely! There is an amazing range of teen fiction out there at the moment and 90% of it is better than the GG twaddle. I have just finished reading Stephanie Meyer's 'Twilight' which was amazing. I also love 'You Don't Know Me' by David Klass - an example of truly original writing.

The GG series is a bestseller because people like escapism. It's the same reason Dan Brown sells well, or blockbusters take millions at the cinema even if they're awful (War of the Worlds, anyone?). If you'd like to try some more fiction, let us know what sort of topics interest you and I'm sure we can suggest some!

[Jamesaritchie]

I'd love to hear what AW members think about this series. It seems to sell well, but is it respected within the field of serious writing?

I'm not crazy about the books, but I think the above question is always nonsense, no matter what books it's asked about. Nothing on earth means less than whether a book is respected within the serious field of writing. There is no such thing as the serious field of writing, and the only opinion that matters about any book is the overall consensus of those who read it.

If enough readers like a book, the writer did something very, very right, no matter what else he or she may have done wrong. Darned few writers can say the same.

But letting any two books dissuade you from reading fiction isn't very smart. This is like saying you had two hamburgers that reaffirmed your disinterest in all food.

And saying it reaffirmed your disinterest tells me you don't think highly of fiction in the first place. Very odd for a writer. Especially one who wants to write fiction.

[Saundra Mitchell]

I love these books. They're delightfully trashy. They're Judith Krantz in boarding school, and I get such a kick out of how awful all the characters are. They're not thoughtful literature by any stretch of the imagination, but sometimes I don't want thoughtful literature. I want candy, and these books are wickedly good bad-candy.

[pollykahl]

Moondance, thanks for the tips, I am going to check out those books at the library when I return the GG books today.

You're right Will Lavender, it was silly of me to think of those books as typical examples of today's fiction. As I said above, I just picked them off the shelf for some light reading since I am into some heavy writing, and when I actually read them at home it was quite a shock. Seeing them lined up in a long row at the library gave me the impression there were good books, a ridiculous assumption on my part. Well, it turns out they may be widely read, but not so good.

James A, don't understand your comment that there is no such thing as a field of serious writing, especially considering all the good reading you talk about in your blog (cool blog btw, imo.) That's why there are literary prizes such as the Nobel Prize for Literature and the Pulitzer. Stephen King sells a lot of books but he's probably not going to win one of those. That doesn't diminish what he does. We should all be one quarter as successful as he is. It's just a different sort of thing.

Don't know why you got the impression I want to write fiction. I only write nonfiction and have no interest in writing fiction. I haven't read fiction in years because my time has been very limited so I have used that time most wisely by concentrating on monfiction, especially as it relates to my field and my writing. I do hope to have more time for pleasure reading in the future and that would include fiction. (But probably not the Gossip Girl series!)

Provrb1810meggy and the other young writers here, you are really terrific! Another thing I discovered by hopping over to this genre is how many wonderful young writers and authors we have at AW. Keep up the great work!

[Legionsynch]

The problem I run into though, is that as a writer, aren't you as responsible for the message in a book you're putting out as a recording artist in?

Let me jump back and preface this by saying I've never read any of these books, and don't know any more than what's been stated here.

But if you're essentially writing Sweet Sixteen: The Novelization (I have seen the show, and definitely agree with the assessments so far), aren't you going so far as to tell your audience that this is somewhat acceptable behavior?

[veinglory]

These books are exactly what it says on the box IMHO. Teenage popular fiction, like a written version of the OC or some other teen soap. They don't tell anyone what to do any more than crime fiction or any other genre.

[Saundra Mitchell]

As a writer, my responsibility is to tell a good story. Period. Full stop. And the Gossip Girls series, while hardly enlightening fare, are good stories in the sense that they're entertaining and appealing and amusing. They are exactly what they are.

On preview, or what veinglory said.

[Elektra]

I There's this show out there called Sweet Sixteen about rich girls and guys organising their sweet sixteen birthday. Every other word out of their mouth is, "I don't care I want it" and "I deserve this because I am amazing" and "People are going to be so jealous of my party" and "DADDY!! I WANT IT!" And these are kids that other kids look up to and are treated like royalty by the rest of their schoolmates who are desperate to come to the party, where the little prince or princess has plastered the walls with pictures of themselves, and hired half naked men to carry them on a sedan chair into the room.

Sorry, it REALLY pisses me off! Vent over.

I always wonder how these girls don't get laughed out of school. Honestly, how can you get gondola'ed across a pond by a liveried footman for an "invitation ceremony" without feeling like the biggest idiot ever (outside of Disney World I mean--everything's okay at Disney)? The thing that really gets me is when the parents bring out a gift (given, remember, at the hundreds of thousands of dollars parties), and the girl decides it's not good enough, and makes fun of it to the cameras, going on and on about how embarrassed she was. I just want to smack them.

[Melanie Lane]

I just want to smack them.

And then you start formulating what good you would do if you had that kind of money. I'm seeing new computers in my school, a lot less hungry people around the world, and a bunch of funding on finding a cure to AIDS.

But if they did use it for that, the show would probably fail on whatever network it's on...

That's the world we live in.

(...I'm...not...cynical...)

[Elektra]

I must admit, my thoughts veer more toward the fabulous library I could have than philanthropy. *melts into a tiny puddle of guilt*

[Melanie Lane]

fabulous library

...hmm...now that you mention it...

I'd probably make sure that the new computers got Microsoft Office and then use the remaining computer money (HA! No super cool programs for them...they probably wouldn't use them anyway...) to get a...small...library. But then there's the whole 'I'd need another house' thing...but then again, I could always just buy the basement from the folks...that would work...

[lastlight]

I generally would keep my children well well well away from TV with the exception of Star Trek, Babylon 5, Firefly and, when they're older, BSG the new series.

Oh and Quantum Leap. And the Prisoner. That's all I've ever watched, and I turned out just fine.

What about re-runs of The Twilight Zone? :D

[Jordygirl]

For some different and light reading, since I am deeply into heavy writing, I picked up two Gossip Girl books at my library, the original Gossip Girl and the second in the series, called You Know You Love Me. Unfort, these have only reaffirmed my disinterest in fiction. One of the problems I have is that the girls in the books are completely shallow and material, yet are the coolest girls around. Both books are full of trials and tribulations about outfits, boys, getting laid, cosmetics, obsessions with fat, hair, drinking, how to look and behave to get boys to like you, smoking dope, etc ad nauseum, and the girls all have neglectful rich parents who have no idea what their kids are up to and no interest in finding out. There never seem to be any consequences other than hangovers which are treated as a joke and can be easily slept off by these spoiled petty brats. The only example of anyone showing any remorse or conscience is in the second book when one of the girls felt guilty for shoplifting, so she and a friend snuck the item back into the store. The web site, gossipgirl.net, tells about the characters and what they have been up to, but minimizes, for example saying Dan is often hopped up on coffee when in the books he's a big pothead. I've seen several discussions in the YA forums about whether or not we writers should/n't drop an occasional F-bomb. Well, after reading these mainstream books for teens I'm afraid it's a little too late to worry about that now.

Yes, as writers we need to write realistic dialogue and show how people really live, but in real life people are diverse. These books show a narrow group and do so not only as though all people behave this way, but as though behaving this way is acceptable and without repurcussions, not to mention preferable.

The other thing that glared at me throughout both books is the many typos, poor sentence structures, and other mistakes they are riddled with. The covers say these are #1 New York Times bestsellers.
I'd love to hear what AW members think about this series. It seems to sell well, but is it respected within the field of serious writing? Did I happen to pick the two worst books of the series or are they all this way? Or am I just hopelessly outdated, and need to start randomly boinking, drinking to oblivion, and toking my brains out?

Oh no.
You picked up (in my opinion) the worst example of YA you could have possibly found. There is MUCH BETTER stuff out there. I couldn't make it through one of those books.
For good YA chick-lit with characters that are real and actually matter, pick up something by Sarah Dessen or Maureen Johnson.
Please don't judge all of YA fiction on that series.

[Hogwaffle]

Mostly I stick to reading fantasy, and usually young adult or even middle grade fiction at that. But the gossip girl series is definetly a guilty pleasure of mine. Why are they so popular? for the same reason everyone care what the hell paris hilton and lindsay lohan are up to. The lives of the rich and famous intruige american society. Yes these characters are totally one dimensional and horrible, but they are amusing for that very reason=)

[Queen of Swords]

I'm actually writing a cynical book on the subject of the mindless zombies that have no clue where Sri Lanka is.

As someone who's originally from Sri Lanka... it is a far, far better deed you do than I have ever done. ;)

On the subject of the Gossip Girl series, I used to work in a school library and the librarian wasn't sure whether to stock these books, because although they were wildly popular among the teenage girls, the school was in a Muslim country and we had to be somewhat conservative. So I took the books home to read and later recommended against stocking them. The characters were so shallow and jaded that their only reaction to bulimia, date rape and drug use is indifference, but what had the librarian laughing was when I told her of the main character's cat's sex change. Yes, the cat is male in one novel and female in the other (not that that's impossible or entirely implausible for the Gossip Girl world, mind you).

[polleekin]

The characters were so shallow and jaded that their only reaction to bulimia, date rape and drug use is indifference, but what had the librarian laughing was when I told her of the main character's cat's sex change. Yes, the cat is male in one novel and female in the other (not that that's impossible or entirely implausible for the Gossip Girl world, mind you).
Heh-- I seem to remember that the series is written by different people though, so little slip-ups like this don't surprise me. (Not that a single writer couldn't make that mistake, but it's probably less likely.)

[scarletpeaches]

...These books show a narrow group and do so not only as though all people behave this way...

If it's a narrow group how can the books allege ALL people act in this way? Readers aren't stupid. They know it's fiction.

[Danger Jane]

I don't actually know anyone who reads these. It seems to be that the target audience is um...not the biggest reading demographic...I don't understand how they sell when the majority of teens who read are interested in reading either something deep or something clever (like Terry Pratchett books, I know a lot of people who absolutely worship Discworld). It seems like Gossip Girls can only lose money...I really don't get it.

[Ali@acblack]

Gossip Girl sells because it's frivolous wish-fifullment; much like Jilly Cooper, Louise Bagshawe and Marion Keyes in the adult world. No one is saying Jilly Cooper writes anything other than bonkbusters, but she's a massively sold author, because she appeals to what people like reading; attractive rich people and their lives.

Yes, it's not exactly literature, and anything that will improve your mind, but - it's fun, and silly and hardly taken seriously. I read a lot of YA, and Gossip Girl is a guilty pleasure.

[Alexandra Little]

I have not touched these novels specifically because they are called Gossip Girl. I don't want to read books about the type of sub-culture that made my school years a living hell.

[ixchel]

A better series is THE BAND by Debra Garfinkle. It's the GOSSIP GIRLS meets the band scene but written alot better.