Wilkins, Rose. So Super Stylish.WILKINS, Rose. So super stylish. Penguin, Dial. 280p. c2006. 0-8037-3064-0. $16.99. JS Chick lit "Chick lit" is a term used to denote genre fiction written for and marketed to young women, especially single, working women in their twenties and thirties. The genre's creation was spurred on, if not exactly created, by Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole diaries which inspired Adele from Great Britain Great Britain, officially United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, constitutional monarchy (2005 est. pop. 60,441,000), 94,226 sq mi (244,044 sq km), on the British Isles, off W Europe. The country is often referred to simply as Britain. has wide appeal here, especially when the author is as witty and talented as Rose Wilkins. Octavia Clairbrook-Cleeve is an intelligent, responsible person who is in an "ordinary" high school, having left behind a posh private school attended by celebrity offspring. Octavia is just such a person herself--her mother is a successful actor everyone knows from a TV show. Her father is a producer, from an aristocratic family, who now lives with his gay lover. All these adults in Octavia's life love and support her. As the story begins, Octavia is trying to fit in at school while her family is embroiled em·broil tr.v. em·broiled, em·broil·ing, em·broils 1. To involve in argument, contention, or hostile actions: "Avoid . . . in a media blitz because her mother is engaged to an American TV producer in the midst Adv. 1. in the midst - the middle or central part or point; "in the midst of the forest"; "could he walk out in the midst of his piece?" midmost of a nasty divorce. Bud, the soon-to-be stepfather, is bringing his morose mo·rose adj. Sullenly melancholy; gloomy. [Latin m  r 14-year-old son to spend the holidays with Octavia and her mother. This is a situation that quickly turns into a farce, the stuff of the best British comedy. Wilkins controls all of it with finesse, from Octavia's wild home life to complications at school when a nemesis of Octavia's from her previous school arrives to horn in Verb 1. horn in - search or inquire in a meddlesome way; "This guy is always nosing around the office" nose, poke, pry, intrude search, look - search or seek; "We looked all day and finally found the child in the forest"; "Look elsewhere for the perfect gift!" on Octavia's new life. A cute, "normal" guy, Ben, is interested in Octavia but also afraid her exotic background, media coverage, and so forth will doom any romance between them. Best not to evaluate the situation too carefully and just go along for the ride, laughing all the way. Claire Rosser, KLIATT |
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