I have to admit when I first got the book I expected something similar to the series. Even though this was not the case, I was not dissapointed. A lot of the stories made me laugh out loud to myself. I saw truths in the stories. This book and the series makes one enjoy being a girl!

The book is a collection of chronicles initially published in a magazine. Put together, they don't really make a book, they make... a collection of chronicles bound in a single volume. It is pleasant to read one or two at a time. Bushnell is a kean and witty observer. But one cannot read the whole book at once. The fantastic narcissistic quest for pleasure and consumer love, and parade of money and social status of these bachelor New Yorkers between 30 and 45 quickly gets tiring.

Because I am a fan of the show, I sought out the book. I heard that the two were extremely different and often tv viewers were disappointed with Ms. Bushnell's articles. Knowing this, I gave her book a chance to be something other than the seeds by which Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda, and Samantha grew.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the articles. Funny, witty, and intensely perceptive with her sardonic tongue, Ms. Bushnell manages to make fun of the painful and bizarre situations that arrive in the elite New Yorker's love life. These articles make you the fly on the Ralph Lauren painted walls of the Hamptons and the Upper East Side. And I like being a fly there. Voyeuristic pursuits are met here in her words.

True though, you will not recognize Carrie who seems to be psychotic, nor will you even find Charlotte. You can, however, see the skeletal beginnings of Season 1's episodes. But these stories were all extremely entertaining on their own.

All that aside, I say find the articles on the internet or at the library. This is not life altering literature. For a frivolous read, it does its job, but I do not need to read it again.