''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 novel A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed ...

s in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as their subsequent

miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

adaptations. In 2016 Jilly Cooper suggested that the term ought to be updated to "shagbusters" as "bonk" felt out-of-date.

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 Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

'', '' Knots Landing'' and ''

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

''.

Examples

* '' Scruples'' (1978) by Judith Krantz, adapted as a 1980 miniseries * '' Princess Daisy'' (1980) by Judith Krantz, adapted as a 1983 miniseries * ''Bare Essence'' (1980) by Meredith Rich, adapted as a TV series * '' Chances'' (1981) and ''Lucky'' (1985) by Jackie Collins, adapted as a 1990 miniseries * ''Lace'' (1982) by Shirley Conran, adapted as a 1984 miniseries * ''Sins'' (1982) by Judith Gould, adapted as a 1986 miniseries * ''Mistral's Daughter'' (1982) by Judith Krantz, adapted as a 1984 miniseries * '' Crossings'' (1982) by Danielle Steel, adapted as a 1986 miniseries * '' Hollywood Wives'' (1983) by Jackie Collins, adapted as a 1985 miniseries * ''Queenie'' (1985) by Michael Korda, adapted as a 1987 miniseries * '' Return to Eden'' (1985), novelised by Rosalind Miles * '' I'll Take Manhattan'' (1986) by Judith Krantz, adapted as a 1987 miniseries * '' Till We Meet Again'' (1988) by Judith Krantz, adapted as a 1989 miniseries * ''Dazzle'' (1990) by Judith Krantz, adapted as a 1995 miniseries * '' Lady Boss'' (1990) by Jackie Collins, adapted as a 1992 miniseries * '' Polo'' (1991) by Jilly Cooper * '' Torch Song'' (1993) by Judith Krantz * '' Appassionata'' (1996) by Jilly Cooper * ''Score!'' (1999) by Jilly Cooper * '' Pandora'' (2002) by Jilly Cooper * '' Wicked!'' (2006) by Jilly Cooper * '' Jump!'' (2010) by Jilly Cooper * '' Mount!'' (2016) by Jilly Cooper * '' Tackle!'' (2023) by Jilly Cooper

References

{{Romance novel Romance genres Hollywood novels 1989 neologisms