Emily Giffin
Encyclopedia
Emily Giffin is an American
author of several novel
s commonly categorized as chick lit
.
on March 20, 1972. She attended high school in Naperville
, Illinois
(a suburb of Chicago
), where she was a member of a creative writing club and served as editor-in-chief for the school's newspaper. Giffin earned her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University
, where she also served as manager of the basketball team. She then attended law school
at the University of Virginia
.
and worked in the litigation department of Winston & Strawn. However, she determined to seriously pursue her writing. In 2001, she moved to London
and began writing full time. Her first young adult novel, Lily Holding True, was rejected by eight publishers. Giffin began a new novel, then titled Rolling the Dice, which became the bestselling novel Something Borrowed
.
Giffin found an agent in 2002 and signed a two book deal with St. Martin's Press
. While doing revisions on Something Borrowed, she found the inspiration for a sequel, Something Blue. Something Borrowed was released spring 2004. It received positive reviews and made the extended New York Times bestsellers list
. Something Blue followed in 2005, and in 2006, her third, Baby Proof, made its debut. She spent 2007 finishing her fourth novel, Love the One You're With.
Her novels have been international bestsellers. Three appeared simultaneously on USA Today
s Top 150 list."USA Top 150 books" Something Borrowed was adapted into a major feature film
(released on May 6, 2011), and its sequel novel Something Blue has also been optioned for film.
. A few months later, on New Year's Eve, she gave birth to identical twin boys, Edward and George. A daughter, Harriet, was born May 24, 2007.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author of several novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s commonly categorized as chick lit
Chick lit
Chick lit is genre fiction which addresses issues of modern womanhood, often humorously and lightheartedly. The genre sold well during the 1990s and 2000s, with chick lit titles topping bestseller lists and the creation of imprints devoted entirely to chick lit...
.
Early life
Emily Giffin was born in Baltimore, MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
on March 20, 1972. She attended high school in Naperville
Naperville, Illinois
Naperville is a city in DuPage and Will Counties in Illinois in the United States, voted the second best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine in 2006. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 141,853. It is the fifth largest city in the state, behind Chicago,...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
(a suburb of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
), where she was a member of a creative writing club and served as editor-in-chief for the school's newspaper. Giffin earned her undergraduate degree at Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University is a private, coeducational university in the U.S. state of North Carolina, founded in 1834. The university received its name from its original location in Wake Forest, north of Raleigh, North Carolina, the state capital. The Reynolda Campus, the university's main campus, is...
, where she also served as manager of the basketball team. She then attended law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
at the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.
Career
After graduating from law school in 1997, she moved to ManhattanManhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and worked in the litigation department of Winston & Strawn. However, she determined to seriously pursue her writing. In 2001, she moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and began writing full time. Her first young adult novel, Lily Holding True, was rejected by eight publishers. Giffin began a new novel, then titled Rolling the Dice, which became the bestselling novel Something Borrowed
Something Borrowed (novel)
Something Borrowed is a 2005 chick lit novel by author Emily Giffin. The novel concerns morals regarding friends and relationships. It addresses the stigma against single women in their thirties and the pressure that society places on them to get married...
.
Giffin found an agent in 2002 and signed a two book deal with St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
. While doing revisions on Something Borrowed, she found the inspiration for a sequel, Something Blue. Something Borrowed was released spring 2004. It received positive reviews and made the extended New York Times bestsellers list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
. Something Blue followed in 2005, and in 2006, her third, Baby Proof, made its debut. She spent 2007 finishing her fourth novel, Love the One You're With.
Her novels have been international bestsellers. Three appeared simultaneously on USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
s Top 150 list."USA Top 150 books" Something Borrowed was adapted into a major feature film
Something Borrowed (film)
Something Borrowed is a 2011 American romantic comedy film based on Emily Giffin's book of the same name, directed by Luke Greenfield, starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, Colin Egglesfield, and John Krasinski....
(released on May 6, 2011), and its sequel novel Something Blue has also been optioned for film.
Something Borrowed (2004)
Rachel White and Darcy Rhone have been best friends since childhood. Rachel is used to being the good girl, the hard worker who exists in the shadow of flashy—often selfish—Darcy. However, on her 30th birthday, Rachel drinks too much and sleeps with Darcy's fiance, Dexter. The fling turns into an affair, and Rachel is forced to decide which is more important, friendship or true love.Something Blue (2006)
The sequel to Something Borrowed, Something Blue tells the story of Darcy Rhone, who thought she had it all figured out: the more beautiful the girl, the more charmed her life. Never mind substance. Never mind playing by the rules. Never mind karma. But Darcy's neat, perfect world turns upside down when her best friend, Rachel White, the "good girl," steals her fiancé, while Darcy finds herself alone and pregnant. Trying to recover, she flees to her childhood friend (Ethan) living in London and resorts to her tried-and-true methods for getting what she wants. But as she attempts to recreate her glamorous life on a new continent, Darcy finds that her old ways no longer apply.Baby Proof (2007)
Claudia Parr and her perfect husband Ben agreed from the beginning of their marriage that children are not for them. When Ben changes his mind, Claudia is forced to reevaluate her reasons for not wanting children. At the same time, she wonders, is there ever a deal-breaker for true love?Love the One You're With (2009)
Ellen and Andy’s relationship has been perfect for the first year. There is no question how deep their devotion is, and how naturally they bring out the best in each other. But one fateful afternoon, Ellen runs into her former beau Leo for the first time in eight years. Although Leo brought out the worst in her and left her heartbroken with no explanation, he is also the love she could never quite forget. When his reappearance ignites long-dormant emotions, Ellen begins to question whether the life she is living is the one she is meant to live.Heart of the Matter (2010)
Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her own mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie, a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, Valerie has given up on romance—and even to some degree, friendships—believing that it is always safer not to expect too much. Although both Tessa and Valerie live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from parenthood. However, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge.Personal life
Giffin married in 2002. In 2003, she and her husband left England for Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. A few months later, on New Year's Eve, she gave birth to identical twin boys, Edward and George. A daughter, Harriet, was born May 24, 2007.