Sex and the City

Title: Sex and the City
Author: Candace Bushnell
Publishing Date: 1997

Candace Bushnell's Sex and the City can be likened to a debutante's ball- a formal introduction if you will, to that of today's modern chick lit. Other pioneers have traversed these roads, most notably Helen Fielding with her widely popular Bridget Jones's Diary. Many hail this as the first piece of literature that would give way to the chick lit genre. In contrast to Bridget Jones's Diary, Sex and the City embodies a more glamorous quality.

The central characters lead upscale lives and have fabulous careers. It becomes apparent that Bushnell has experienced much of the subject matter first-hand, as she does an excellent job of portraying these women from an insider's perspective. These New Yorkers spend their time socializing at the trendiest clubs, their attention perpetually focused on the various trials, tribulations and paradoxes of their latest relationships. The in's and outs of the Manhattan dating world is scrutinized in vivid detail while the search for an eligible bachelor seems like a cruel joke to those in their mid-thirties.

Sex and the City is both an iconic and respected constituent within the chick lit genre. While I earnestly support Bushnell's uninhibited candor and brutal honesty describing the feminine prerogative of dating in a city full of overly jaded people, it just doesn't quite appeal to my personal liking. The truth is, this is a collection of short essays from Bushnell's column in the New York Observer and the format is something that you'll either find artistically satisfying or downright irritating. I understand that it's not meant to be read as a novel, following a strict forthright timeline, but as a casual reader, it comes across as choppy and somewhat confusing. It is difficult to follow, as new characters are constantly being introduced. Sub-chapters split the main chapters into about a billion different sections. One sub-section is literally two sentences long. Maybe we've become spoiled by watching the HBO series where the character's personas are so rich and engrained in our mental schemata. Each episode is clearly defined and formatted and it's difficult to be drawn into this original version after we've become so familiarized with the TV interpretation.

This may not have been one of my favorites, but overall I appreciate this book for numerous reasons. I respect it's strong cultural connotations and the manner in which it pushes the envelope, reinventing preconceptions of what it is to be single. It advanced the genre of chick lit and gave a voice to the single, urban woman in her mid-thirties struggling with life's many challenges.

Recommendation:
Somewhat difficult to follow, but definitely worth reading if you're an avid chick lit or Sex and the City fan.

Average Rating: 5.2/10

Rating System:
Plot Development: 1/10
Character Development: 2/10
Originality: 10/10
Format: 1/10
Complexity: 10/10
Humor: 7/10

The Clique

Title: The Clique
Author: Lisi Harrison
Publishing Date: 2004

"The Clique... the only thing harder than getting in is staying in." Massie Block, leader of The Clique at Westchester’s revered Octavian Day, rules the school along with Dylan, Alicia and Kristen at her (Jimmy Choo) heels. Massie’s as spoiled and stuck up as they come, eternally outfitted in designer wear and owner of a little pug that’s just as fashion conscious as she. Massie runs a tight crew, acquiring all the juicy gossip before it hits the scene. Exercising their fluency in text messaging, the four girls continually exchange cutting remarks about their fellow 7th graders, "H8 the whole haircut!" When newcomer Claire Lyons shows up wanting in on their lives, Massie pulls out all the stops to ensure this wannabe never becomes a threat to her or her elite clique.

While her family is in the process of finding a new home, Claire is forced to live in Massie’s guesthouse and attend Octavian Day. Hailing from Orlando, plain-jane Claire is a fish out of water in this posh new world. Considered "fashion essentials" back home, her trusty Gap overalls and platform Keds are an unthinkable sin here in Westchester. Claire quickly discovers that Octavian Day is home to a particularly refined breed of middle schoolers. There’s not a single JanSport in sight, Louis Vuitton and Prada messenger bags are deemed standard "school supplies". An on-campus spa and Starbucks is readily available to students who desire a quick mini facial or a piping hot chai latte in between classes.

Despite her fashion faux pas, Claire’s subtle, but striking attractiveness poses a notable threat to Massie. Determined to fit in, Claire seizes every opportunity to befriend Massie but is continually given the cold shoulder. Claire finally trades in her Gap jeans for Sevens and changes up her game plan. She decides to give Massie a run for her money and the battle is on. But Ms. Block isn’t a force to be reckoned with; she’s fully armed with an arsenal of backstabbing antics and will ruin your reputation before you even have one. Will Claire forever occupy Massie’s infamous Out List or will the new girl surprise us all?

This series is intended for a much younger audience (Grades 5-8) than Gossip Girl and contains more appropriate material for pre-teens. The book isn’t littered with unnecessary profanity and trashy references to drugs and prolific sex. Nonetheless, it encompasses the same spirit of teen drama as Gossip Girl; lots of conniving, gossipy, stuck up spoiled rich kids with nothing better to do than waste away their parents money. The interrelationships within the clique are reminiscent of Mean Girls, the popular girls vying to protect their hierarchical positions while the new girl desperately fights to fit in.

The style came across as too straight-forward and therefore monotonous because of the excessive use of self-explanatory details. On the author’s part, I assume this was intentional. Stating the obvious would allow a 5th grader to follow along with ease. The duality of Massie and Claire’s character is a nice touch; it sets the stage for some interesting occurrences in the future.

Recommendation:
Not quite as risqué as Gossip Girl, but definitely entertaining in its own right. A cute, read-in-one-sitting book filled to the brim with drama.

Average Rating: 6/10

Rating System:
Plot Development: 7/10
Character Development: 7/10
Originality: 7/10
Format: 5/10
Complexity: 4/10
Humor: 6/10