Bridget Jones Grows Up: 'Mommy Lit' Takes a Wry, Irreverent Look at Motherhood

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Byline: Peg Tyre

When novelist Jane Green began writing her latest book, she realized it was time for something new. After turning out three successful girl-dates-boy stories in four years--"Straight Talking," "Jemima J" and "Mr. Maybe"--Green's life had changed. No longer a single career girl in the Big City, Green had moved to the suburbs with her husband and two children. "I realized there were only so many books I could write about the same topic," says Green. So this time her fictional alter egos are having children. The title of her new book? "Babyville."

Chick lit is growing up. In 1998 a wise-cracking, boy-crazy British career girl named Bridget Jones took …