Reviewed by L.D.Y.

Hardcover (available in trade – updated with season six), 160 pages, 2002

Rating: 9/10

Reason for Reading: All hail Sex and the City! Especially Kim Cattrall.

Synopsis: A behind the scenes look at the making of hit HBO show Sex and the City. Includes an episode guide to the first four seasons, character backgrounds, actor backgrounds, and most importantly, a look into the four girls’ wardrobes.

Why you should read this book: Just think of this book as a really, really expensive Vogue with all kinds of tidbits about one of your favourite shows. Every page is in full colour, highlighting the often-outrageous outfit choices we’ve seen on the show. If you love clothes and shoes, you’ll feel like a kid at Christmas whenever you open up this book.

Why you should avoid this book: Okay, so maybe this book could have waited until the show ended (the final season is airing now), since the hefty $63 Canadian price tag will deter most people from buying the sequel that’s sure to follow. If you’re expecting something juicy from the ‘Kiss and Tell’ part of the title, you’ll have to look elsewhere, as there’s no sordid gossip here.

Opening paragraph:

Once upon a time on a small island not too far away, there lived four smart, beautiful women who were all very good friends.
Carrie Bradshaw was a journalist who chronicled the battle of the sexes in her popular New York Star column, ‘Sex and the City.’ Charlotte York was an art dealer who felt the best way to get a man was to play by the rules, Samantha Jones was a public relations executive who believed women could have sex like men, and Miranda Hobbes was a corporate lawyer frustrated by the indignities of dating but reluctant to settle for less than she deserved. Two of the women were blondes, one was a brunette, and one was a fiery redhead. But all four had one thing in common: none of them had found Mr. Right.

Fabulous quotes:

[Cynthia Nixon]: The show has made singlehood look more fun. Whether or not these women end up getting married, marriage is not the only measure of their lives. The show has moments that make you really pleased to be a woman or to be single, and then it has moments that make you really sad to be both of those things.

[Kristen Davis]: The reaction to that line, ‘I’ve been dating since I was fifteen. I’m exhausted. Where is he?’ continues to amaze me. People tell me it’s their favourite line of the whole series. I remember thinking that I hadn’t done it the way I wanted, which is generally how it works. I did not expect so many people to connect to it the way they did.

Also Recommended: The Fabulous Girl’s Code Red: A Guide to Grace Under Pressure by Kim Izzo and Ceri Marsh.

Also by this author: My Old Man; Run Catch Kiss.

Author’s website: amysohn.com

© Lisa Yanaky 2003-2007