Bonkbuster (a play on "blockbuster" and the verb "to bonk") is a term coined in 1989 by British writer Sue Limb to describe a subgenre of commercial romance novels in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as their subsequent miniseries adaptations. They have also been referred to as sex 'n' shopping or shopping and fucking novels (S&F).

Genre history

Although the term has been used generally to describe "bodice-rippers" such as Forever Amber (1944) by Kathleen Winsor, as well as Valley of the Dolls (1966) and the novels of Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins, it is specifically associated with the novels of Judith Krantz, Jackie Collins, Shirley Conran, and Jilly Cooper, known for their glamorous, financially independent female protagonists and salacious storylines. Many of these novels were adapted in the 1980s into glossy, big-budget miniseries, reminiscent of primetime soaps of the time, such as Dallas, Knots Landing and Dynasty.

Examples