Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell
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Book Reviews of Sex and the City
Book Review: used book
Summary: 5 Stars
Book arrived in about a week in very good condition. Would buy from this seller again.Book Review: A disarmingly candid, greatly superificial, and charmingly quirky book
Summary: 4 Stars
As someone who recently discovered (and became addicted to) HBO's delightful series "Sex and the City," it was inevitable that I'd wind up investigating Candace Bushnell's book. Bushnell's book is the collected form of the column she wrote for years before TV writer Darren Star turned it into a hit television series. Ironically, though Bushnell's book probably wouldn't get anywhere near as much attention if it weren't for the TV series, it's because of the TV series that it appears so many readers have had a foul reaction to the book. It's true that those expecting the TV show on paper are bound to be disappointed, probably in a big way, because Bushnell's "Sex and the City" doesn't have a lot in common with the show.
For the most part, the book does revolve around Carrie Bradshaw (a thinly-disguised alter-ego for Bushnell, with even the same initials), a thirty-something columnist in New York. Miranda Hobbes does show up a few times during the first half of the book, though she's not a lawyer. Samantha Jones is not a PR agent nor such a nymphomaniac as she was in the show. And Charlotte is a British woman, whose TV counterpart appeared at the beginning of the series' pilot episode. Stanford Blatch, Carrie's successful homosexual friend, is the only character who remains virtually the same, though here he's a screenwriter. Many of the same situations presented throughout the show pop up in the book, such as Stanford's obsession with his model "protege," the torment of the baby shower, and "modelizers." And those who loved Chris Noth's Mr. Big needn't worry. Big is a major character in the book and is just as adorable (and even less rambunctious) as he was in the show, though the outcome of he and Carrie's relationship is different in the book than in the show.
Bushnell's columns were meant more as musings on the life of single women in New York, and often single men as well, than as a linear narrative. Thus it's surprising that her writings work so well as a book. She has a very cute, quirky, innocent style of writing, and that's a big part of what makes her book such a blast. However Bushnell offers little insight into what any of the characters are actually feeling, and rightly so: it just accents their appalling and, frankly, upsetting superficiality. The dating scene in Manhattan is a hellish world where all that matters is sex, money, fashion, and drugs. Bushnell is obviously deeply involved in this world, and it's her knowledge of it, along with her characters' candid musings, that kept me reading.
In the end, those expecting the HBO series in a book are going to be very disappointed. Those expecting something resembling the HBO series will probably be let down as well. The book and the series are designed for two different worlds - while the show tended to have a sweet optimism to it, Bushnell writes with the same sort of dreamy, hopeful cynicism that one would find in a Bret Easton Ellis book. However, those who would rather read the book than incessently compare it with the show may enjoy it. I recommend Candace Bushnell's "Sex and the City" to those who are younger and looking for a fun, unusual, honest read.
Book Review: Truly amazing that this manage to inspire such a great series
Summary: 4 Stars
First off, I am a huge fan of the show. I watched it for years before I read the book. I decided to give it a go over the summer. I was a strangely compelling book, enough so that I felt the need to read it walking, yet, it's very different from the series. It lacks the heart of the series. It also lacks the friendships. It's mainly about the emptiness of Carrie's life and how superficial and over the top life is among the rich of Manhattan. As interesting as it is, I don't envy the author's life. It's honestly a fairly depressing book, though a well written look into a particular slice of life.
If you are a fan of the show though, you may not want to read it honestly. The show is so much more uplifting and fun. You are likely to be disappointed if looking for something similar. It's so different in many ways, that it's really fairly amazing that the one managed to spawn the other. It's somewhat similar to reading the original Little Mermaid after watching the Disney film: interesting, but a bit depressing if you loved the other one.
Book Review: The Bold and the Brazen....
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is largely misunderstood because many people assume (due to the HBO series) that it is fiction. It is not meant to be read as a novel; it's a collection of vignettes based on the author's own experiences as a columnist and observer of social relationships among Manhattan's glitterati. The TV series was loosely based on the idea of a columnist who would dissect the dating and mating habits of New Yorkers. While Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, Samanta, and even Mr Big appear in the book, they bear little resemblance to their better-known selves in the TV series...that said, this book is a look at how the idea for the series began, and scathing, honest, direct, and brutal critique of modern relationships.Book Review: Sex is always great in the City
Summary: 4 Stars
I love the show "Sex and the City" and I always wanted to read the book that inspired it. I must say, Candace Bushnell certainly knows what she's doing and her other work that inspires future shows displays her true talent for saying things that women couldn't or wouldn't for a long time before she came along.