Customer Reviews

The Carrie Diaries

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(16)

 

 

While the criticism regarding the book not being in line with the show: yeah. But who cares? We all know that the original Sex and the City book had not much in common with series 2-6. And did we like series 2-6? Yes we did.
So, just read the book, because it's effing good!
Sneaked into the toilets to read the first chapter on my Kindle (hooray! Kindle!) and I got immediately hooked. Didn't want to go back to work, just wanted to read the rest.

What can I say...it's a high school story, with all the high school drama, very readable, Carrie-in-the-book truly is recognizable as Carrie-in-the-series/films, liked the characters. The story wasn't very 'high literature' of course, but it is so well written, that at no point the story or the characters are flat. Like the hint of feminism in it. The ending was marvelous and left me with goosebumps all over my arms.

Hope Bushnell will write another book starting where she left off with this one, I honestly do.

I came to the SATC party just recently and have been enjoying the series on DVD. Having said that, I may not know everything there is to know about Carrie, but I think that from what I've seen...this book is totally believable. It took me some time to get into the story and I was frustrated with Carrie for caring about a boy who frankly is no Mr. Big. But, she's a senior in high school and this is what high school is like. You want a boyfriend to have a boyfriend, it isn't always the best thing for you. I felt that this book really takes off in the last fourth when Carrie leaves for New York. That was the point that I couldn't put it down. I am hoping for another book because I'd really like to see Carrie in NY with all the gals. I would say to people out there. If you love the series, this is a good book. It's true to the spirit of Carrie.

While I admit I didn't finish reading Candace Bushnell's original "Sex and the City" due to the fact that I found SJP's Carrie much more lovable than her original portrayal, I don't see many links between the Carrie of "The Carrie Diaries" and the Carrie of the TV series.

First of all, "The Carrie Diaries" has Carrie and her two younger sisters being raised by her father after her mother has passed away. In Season 4, I believe, Carrie's editor at Vogue (the one who surprised her in the Vogue Closet in his briefs) asks Carrie about her father and Carrie replies, "There's not much to tell...He skipped out on my mom and me when I was pretty young." She is then shown peeking at an antique photo of her and her father that she keeps in a copy of Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye."

Next, in Season 5, Carrie reunites with her high school boyfriend, Jeremy, who is seeking mental health treatment in Connecticut. "Jeremy" is no where to be found in "The Carrie Diaries."

In TCD, Carrie talks about cooking at home from Julia Child's cookbook to provide stability for her younger sister. I'm fairly certain Carrie never mentions siblings in the series. She also "stores sweaters in [her] oven," "Triscuits from the mid-80's," and "an old bottle of Kahlua, somewhere." She loves that Aiden and Big cook. That doesn't sound like someone who'd make coq au vin in high school, does it.

I don't buy the whole swim team/diving thing. I just don't. At the end of TCD, Carrie has been accepted to Brown and many of her classmates were heading for Ivy League schools. The valedictorian of my graduating class tried to get into Brown, and failed. Maybe it is massively different if you are the daughter of an alumnus, as the Carrie of TCD is purported to be. Aside from that, Carrie never specifically mentions her education in the TV series, but again, Brown?!

In one of the earlier seasons, Carrie is held up at gunpoint and robbed of her bag, jewelry, and Manolos. She says she's never been mugged before, but in TCD, her purse is lifted almost immediately upon arrival. Also, she contacts Samantha Jones, a cousin of a high school acquaintance who's in advertising, as a last resort after having her bag stolen. The second SATC movie states that she met Samantha while Samantha was bartending at CBGB. The second movie also has Miranda as the first of her three friends that she connects with.

There are many, many more inconsistencies that turned me off to the book. If you read it without expecting the HBO Carrie, it's a quick and easy read. I read it in a single afternoon.

I understand difference between the original book and the TV series/movies, but once the show and movies have gained such popularity, you'd think Ms. Bushnell would think to collaborate with the stories that people are most familiar with. I was disappointed.

Candace Bushnell is one of my favorite fiction authors, and I think I would have liked this book better if she had created a new character for a teen series, rather than turn Carrie into a less complex character to appeal to a younger demographic. Fans of the original Sex and the City novel and show may not be as intrigued with this one, as it's really more for younger women, and there is nothing about the Carrie we've come to know and love that shines through in this book. To be frank, it's a bit vapid and focuses a lot on shallow teenage issues ("I can't believe she stole my boyfriend! I'm going to torture her at school."). Just something to think about if you are used to Sex and the City. It's definitely not bad, but I really don't think Bushnell did Carrie (or herself) justice.

I just finished the book and I had to force myself to finish it. I've been a HUGE SEX AND THE CITY fan since the first episode on HBO, when no one ever heard of it yet. My question's are In the TV series carried said, that her father left her and her mother when she was If I remember correclty....3 or 4 yrs old, in the book her mom died and her dad's alive and where did these sisters come from?.Plus In the second movie she said she met samantha, who was a bartender at CBGB's and in the dook she's the cousin of carrie's frenemy....Donna Ladonna. Look I know this book came after the series ended...and IT'S CARRIE BEFORE NEW YORK...but come on!!! how about some continuity?. Some chapters were so boring that I actually skimmed them to get to the next chapter. I only have the book because my boyfriend had gotten it for me for my birthday...But I have to admit, I will buy the next book ONLY..ONLY..because It's SEX AND THE CITY related and It adds to my collection nothing more.....and I hope I get it as a Gift so I dont have to actually buy it...and I hope there is a 3rd movie....I would like one more movie to wrap it all up, and see the girls one more time.
from a real Carrie B from good old manhattan.

I felt some subject matter was too mature for young adult readers but the story line wasn't really mature enough for most adults to get into. Fits well with the original SITC book but not with the tv show.

As a fan of Sex and the City (book and TV series) I was really looking forward to reading this book and finding out more about the younger Carrie, a character I really enjoy. Disappointingly, this book just felt like a big waste of time. The story was uninteresting and the characters were very shallow. The writing was boring and trite. My first thought upon finishing this book (with the ending we all saw coming miles away) was that Candace Bushnell effortlessly cashed in on the popularity of the series and the movie sequel coming out recently. Do not recommend.

I have always been a huge fan of the television series, Sex and the City. I have literally watched every episode about a hundred times and to this day still stay glued to the TV whenever it's on. A couple of years ago I read the book which sparked the show (Sex and the City) by Candace Bushnell, and remember thinking at the time that it was average in comparison to the series. So it was with some trepidation that I picked up The Carrie Diaries. Although published in 2010, it was only a couple of months ago that I picked it up to read for the first time. Lured by the pretty cover, and a natural curiosity to read about Carrie as a teenager, I dived into the first few chapters with mixed feelings about what to expect.

At first the book gripped me from the start. I liked how the author stayed true to Carrie's personality, allowing her to be a little tom-boyish, yet showing her flair for fashion at an early age. The story delved into her family life and helped explain why she remains very distant from her family as an adult. The author explored issues of puberty, homosexuality, first love and friendships. One major theme throughout the novel though was ambition, and it was through Carrie's internal thoughts and musings that we discovered her desire to be a writer.

The teenage Carrie is a naive version of the adult Carrie we see in the show. She struggles with relationships (bad-boys versus good-boys), friendships (she suffers a betrayal and finds out who her true friends are), fashion (she starts experimenting with quirky ways to dress), and her writing (she analyses the world around her and makes sense of things through deep introspection).

I enjoyed the novel but must admit I found it a little boring at times. The 80s flashbacks prompted some nostalgia for my own childhood but not enough for me to hold any sentimentality toward the book. It has certainly taken me longer to read than most other books do and I haven't rushed off to buy the next in the series, Summer and the City (although I am curious, simply because Carrie moves to New York City to pursue her writing and, of course, because the cover is pink and pretty!).

See more of my book reviews at Storybook Love Affair - (...)

My husband and I went to a convention for 2 days for his work so I grabbed this book thinking it would be a nice easy cute read. As a fan of the show, I was looking forward to getting some insight into the younger Carrie. But I was mistaken. This book was poorly written and did a disservice to all the Sex and the City fans. What was Candace Bushnell thinking? Was she trying to appeal to younger readers? Well let me tell you that even my 14 year old daughter wouldn't be impressed with this book. It was a cheap rip off. Don't waste your money or your time with this one.

If you are a fan of Sex and the city you will want to see how Carrie Bradshaw got her start. This book is a fast read, but it is more of a "teenage" book. It was fun to see Carrie as a teenager but this book did not bring anything new to a character we all know and love. Also fans of the show may be left scracthing their heads as her family is portrayed very different.