The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Balzer + Bray (April 27, 2010)
Summary: Before Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw was a small-town girl who knew she wanted more. She's ready for real life to start, but first she must navigate her senior year of high school. Up until now, Carrie and her friends have been inseparable. Then Sebastian Kydd comes into the picture, and a friend's betrayal makes her question everything.
With an unforgettable cast of characters, The Carrie Diaries is the story of how a regular girl learns to think for herself and evolves into a sharp, insightful writer. Readers will learn about her family background, how she found her writing voice, and the indelible impression her early friendships and relationships left on her. Through adventures both audacious and poignant, we'll see what brings Carrie to her beloved New York City, where her new life begins.
My review: I approached this book with trepidation. After all I had loved the HBO series and the first movie and figured this book would be a pared down version for the YA crowd. Wrong. This book surprised me. Once I started, I couldn't stop. The Carrie Diaries is charming, warm and entertaining. It takes us back and shows us the beloved columnist before she moved to New York City. Carrie's a senior at a Connecticut high school, the oldest of three daughters living with their widowed father. Immediately we see the loyal friend in action, except this time her best buds are named Maggie, Lali and Mouse.
Over the course of the story Carrie experiences first love, rejection from a writing program, problems with a cheerleader, and heartbreak. We also see the foundation being set for the adult Carrie, especially towards the end when she decides to get serious about her writing. The book is clean (some profanity sprinkled about and references to sex), but Carrie is wholesome, insightful and refreshingly honest throughout. The Carrie Diaries was certainly a wonderful surprise and true to the tagline on the front jacket: Meet Carrie before SEX AND THE CITY. Recommended.
Favorite scene: "I pick up a blank piece of paper and roll it through my mother's old Royale typewriter. After a few moments, I write: The trick to being a queen bee isn't necessarily beauty but industriousness. Beauty helps, but without the drive to get to the top and stay on top, beauty will only make you a bee-in-waiting.
Three hours later, I read through my handiwork. Not bad. Now all I need is a pen name. something that will show people I mean business, that I'm not one to be messed with. On the other hand, it should also convey a sense of humor--even absurdity. I absentmindedly straighten the pages while I consider.
I reread my title, "The Castlebury Compendium: A guide to the fauna and flora of high school," followed by, "Chapter One: The Queen Bee." I pick up a pen, pressing the clicker in and out, in and out, until finally the name comes to me. By Pinky Weatherton, I write, in neat block letters." (Page 336.)
Cover comment: I really like it. It's cool, colorful and catchy.
Rating: ++++
Book source: Swapped.
Reviewed by: Laurie
Favorite scene: "I pick up a blank piece of paper and roll it through my mother's old Royale typewriter. After a few moments, I write: The trick to being a queen bee isn't necessarily beauty but industriousness. Beauty helps, but without the drive to get to the top and stay on top, beauty will only make you a bee-in-waiting.
Three hours later, I read through my handiwork. Not bad. Now all I need is a pen name. something that will show people I mean business, that I'm not one to be messed with. On the other hand, it should also convey a sense of humor--even absurdity. I absentmindedly straighten the pages while I consider.
I reread my title, "The Castlebury Compendium: A guide to the fauna and flora of high school," followed by, "Chapter One: The Queen Bee." I pick up a pen, pressing the clicker in and out, in and out, until finally the name comes to me. By Pinky Weatherton, I write, in neat block letters." (Page 336.)
Cover comment: I really like it. It's cool, colorful and catchy.
Rating: ++++
Book source: Swapped.
Reviewed by: Laurie
Great review, I can't wait to read this one!
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