I Couldn't Help But Wonder...

The Carrie Diaries
by Candace Bushnell

Meet Carrie Bradshaw before Sex and the City!

The Giveaway! Click Here!

Genre; Chick-Lit/Comedy
Publisher; HarperCollins Publishers/UK/2010
Pages; 389
ISBN; 978-0-00-731206-1

Plot; I think it is safe to say that we all know the sexily funny, forever stylish, New Yorker Carrie Bradshaw, but I think it is also safe to say that we don't all know the over-alls wearing, small town origins from which she came.

The Carrie Dairies is an introduction to the character that we all know and love.

Carrie is from a single parent household with two younger sisters in the small town of Castlebury. A student of Castlebury High, Carrie is far from being a member of the "popular crowd' but she does have a band of unforgetable and dramatic friends who are always by her side.

Throughout this "diary" we meet all the crew of Castlebury High and we watch as Carrie comes to terms with who she is as a woman, a person and a writer.

Raising such issues as homosexuality, virginity, fidelity and humility, The Carrie Diaries is the story of a young woman, during her senior year, deciding on what her future may hold.

My Thoughts; If you are a fan of Sex and the City , you are going to really enjoy this book.

I have always been a SATC fan. I watched the series, bought the DVDs and lined up to see both films. So when I saw this book on the shelf at my local bookstore, I knew I had to grab it. I am not dissappointed.

As I read this book I couldn't help but imagine the gestures and hear the voice of Sarah Jessica Parker, circa Footloose (1984).

While the Carrie of Castlebury may have the heart of the New York Carrie, from the outside she is a far cry from the Carrie we all know. At not one point did the importance of shoes even grace the pages! Not to mention the fact she enjoys cooking!

What does come through in this book is how confident Carrie is, even in times of distress she is sure of herself and her actions. This is the Carrie we know.

But, before I "carrie" on with the good stuff, I do have a few little issues with the book and that is continuity with the series. Firstly is the sister situation. In the book there is the typical sibling rivalry which you would find in any household containing three sisters, but having said this, the three are very close to oneanother. This begs the question; why no appearance of sisters Missy and Dorrit in the TV series?

The second issue is Carrie's highschool boyfriends. In the book she makes it clear that during highschool she only has three boyfriends; Sam, Doug and Sebastian. Now, as any of you SATC nuts will remember, in the final season of the show we get to meet Jeremy, played by David Duchovny, who is said to have been her main highschool relationship.

I don't mean to knit-pick, because I did love the book, but I am a big fan of continuity.

With all this said, this book is a real page turner. Even if you haven't watched the series, or seen the movies, you can enjoy this book as a coming of age tale. The charcters names can, at times, be questionable (Donna LaDonna?) but the characters themselves are very enjoyable, as is the relationships between these characters.

One of my favourite bits of this book, which actually brought a tear to my eye, was the appearance of another familiar name, but I won't say any more about that!

I would recommend this book to all SATC enthusiasts, as well as anyone who loves a fun read. I found I could relate alot to this book, as I think most of you will too.

Happy Reading!