The Ship of Brides

The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes is a classic example of how to write a cross between Literature and chick lit. The formula goes as follows:
· Select your characters, 3-4 girls in their early twenties.
· Create a love interest for each.
· Throw them together into a physical space (in this case, a ship instead of a flat).
· Throw in some history-appropriate research. Not too much.
· Remember to hold back a mystery or two about one of the characters’ past.
· Add a pinch of injustice.
· And a recipe using powdered eggs in post-war England.
· Make someone die.
· Break the rules by telling the entire story as a back flash with more back flashes.

Having said that, it’s a good book. Fun to read, hard to put down, and it gives you something to think about.