READ THIS: KILLING MONICA by Candace Bushnell Our Coverage Sponsored by Paul Mayer Attitudes #KILLINGMONICA
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Every girl that has ever moved to Manhattan knows and admires Candace Bushnell. Especially if they're from Connecticut. Especially if they're from the Greater Hartford area. You'd have to be living on another planet not to know who is the real creator of Carrie Bradshaw and deserves the credit. To that end, before Whom You Know existed, Peachy Deegan was reading Candace Bushnell. We've read every book she's written. You may remember we reviewed The Carrie Diaries. (...and Mover and Shaker Sascha Rothchild was a consulting producer on the show The Carrie Diaries; read Sascha's book too!)
What did we think of Killing Monica? We thought it was like a giant bottle of elegant rose champagne with no calories, twice the alcohol and four times the bubbles. But unlike bubbles in reality, these are not air-filled. They make pops of pure wit, intelligent sentiments and bright characters.
When Sinatra said the best is yet to come, this is what he was talking about. Watch the bubbles explode as you turn the pages. Killing Monica is more evolved than Candace's other works and we found a concentrated, glorified Manhattan contained. It's full of wisdom that we wish we had as a teenager, but is gained with life experience.
Literally what did we like about Killing Monica? The first page has a sentence "Her cheeks resembled peaches." Mentioning anything Peachy is a great start, and the follow up on what we like? An Irish bar in New York towards the end is also included....
Killing Monica is full of insight.
"Besides, the first thing you learn as a woman when you come to Hollywood is that you've got to choose: pretty or funny. Because no one will let you be both." (p. 51)
"Society celebrated the self-made man, but the concept of the self-made woman hardly existed." (p. 142)
"Because there are some things that matter more than a man. And those things are friendship-and being true to yourself." (p. 304)
Candace is the master of show don't tell:
"Then a freight train came roaring into the tunnel that was her head." (p. 54)
There are constant killer descriptions: "Snow! She hopped out of bed, rushed to the window, and yanked up the blind like a pirate ratcheting up a black flag." (p. 148)
Candace is hilarious. She names the protagonist P.J. standing for Pandemonia James.
And the protagonist has standards. You might have noticed we are very big on standards.
"'You don't understand, do you?' Pandy said coldly. 'I'm not that kind of girl. I don't need to be. I have standards. I don't want anything to do with this.'" (p. 105) Pandy is super likable and we read Killing Monica in one sitting cover to cover. (that is our show don't tell). Pandy "thinks of [her] career as a relationship she [has with herself]." (p. 137)
And whom does Pandy admire? Her ancestor from Connecticut of course. She was a spy for the Patriots during the American Revolution. (Watch Turn! AMC, please renew Turn. We are highly recommending Season One too but that isn't released tomorrow and we will publish on Season One.)
The disclosure on page 273 is another riot: "You acknowledge your image and likeness may be distributed throughout the universe into all eternity including, but not limited to, the past, present and future. You also acknowledge that you have no privacy, at least not by any current definition of privacy."
Bushnell tells you right off the bat the the essential problem with Monica is that Monica makes it look easy when it wasn't: rather akin to Bushnell's writing.
Be sure to pick up your virtual rose champagne disguised as a book starting tomorrow.
It's been ages since Sex in the City, and everyone wants a glimmer of pink on their entertainment horizon.
Killing Monica is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know!
Thank you Candace for following us on Twitter. We look forward to your direct response to the interview opportunity.
KILLING MONICA is the sure-fire blockbuster of the summer! An addictive story about fame, love, and foolishness, KILLING MONICA is guaranteed to keep readers enthralled to the very last enticing scene.
Pandy "PJ" Wallis is a renowned writer whose novels about a young woman making her way in Manhattan have spawned a series of blockbuster films. After the success of the Monica books and movies, Pandy wants to attempt something different: a historical novel based on her ancestor Lady Wallis. But Pandy's publishers and audience only want her to keep cranking out more Monica - as does her greedy husband, Jonny, who's gone deeply in debt to finance his new restaurant in Las Vegas.
When her marriage crumbles and the boathouse of her family home in Connecticut goes up in flames, Pandy suddenly realizes she has an opportunity to reinvent herself. But to do so, she will have to reconcile with her ex-best friend and former partner in crime, SondraBeth Schnowzer, who plays Monica on the big screen -- and who may have her own reasons to derail Pandy's startling change of plan.
In KILLING MONICA, Candace Bushnell spoofs and skewers her way through pop culture, celebrity worship, fame, and the meaning of identity. With her trademark humor and style, this is Bushnell's sharpest, funniest book to date
Candace Bushnell is the internationally bestselling novelist whose first book, Sex and the City, was the basis for the HBO hit series and blockbuster movie. She is the author of seven novels, including Lipstick Jungle and The Carrie Diaries, which were made into popular TV series. She is the winner of the 2006 Matrix Award for books and a recipient of the Albert Einstein Spirit of Achievement Award.
Connect with Candace online:
@CandaceBushnell
Meet Candace while she on tour!
JUNE 23 – NEW YORK
Launch event
Barnes and Noble, Union Square
33 E 17th Street New York, NY
JUNE 24 – NEW YORK
Bryant Park Summer Reading Series: in conversation with Dianne Rinehart
Bryant Park Outdoor Reading Room
42nd Street - between 5th and 6th Aves. New York, NY
12:30p
JUNE 26 – WINNETKA / CHICAGO
The Standard Club book event
320 South Plymouth Court Chicago, IL
11:30a
Book signing event
The Book Stall: 811 Elm Street Winnetka, IL
6:30p
JUNE 27 – NAPERVILLE / ARLINGTON HEIGHTS
Book signing event
Anderson's Bookstore: 123 W Jefferson Ave Naperville, IL
2p
Arlington Heights Public Library / Tuscan Market Book Club book event
500 N Dunton Avenue Arlington Heights, IL
6p
JUNE 29 – LOS ANGELES
Live Talks LA, 8 PM
JUNE 30 -- NASHVILLE
Nashville Public Library Salon@615 sponsored by Parnassus Books
615 Church Street Nashville, TN
6:15p
JULY 1 – WASHINGTON D.C.
W Hotel book event sponsored by BrandLinkDC
515 15 Street NW Washington, DC
6p
JULY 2 – WILTON, CT
Wilton Public Library book event
137 Old Ridgefield Road Wilton, CT
7p
JULY 8 – MADISON, CT
R.J. Julia book event, 7p
JULY 30 – SOUTHAMPTON, NY
In conversation with Alex Kuczynski
The Southampton Art Center: 25 Jobs Lane Southampton, NY
