First published 2019
Jennifer Keishin Armstrong traces how a newspaper column about Manhattan dating transformed into a cultural phenomenon. When Candace Bushnell started writing about her single life for the New York Observer, she assumed only Upper East Side readers would relate to her stories about the Hamptons social scene. Her honest accounts of dating struggles resonated far beyond her expectations. Producer Darren Star adapted her column for HBO, creating the characters Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha. The show faced harsh criticism and accusations of promoting promiscuity before gaining widespread acceptance. Armstrong draws on exclusive interviews with Sarah Jessica Parker, Darren Star, Michael Patrick King, and Candace Bushnell herself. She reveals how a team of female writers drew from their personal experiences to craft storylines. The book examines how the series changed television for women, influenced fashion trends, and shifted cultural attitudes toward single life and female sexuality.
Genres: american-fiction, gender-studies, feminism, biography-memoir, 21st-century, cultural-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, friends-to-lovers
Setting: Hamptons, Manhattan, New York, New York Observer, Upper East Side
Period: 21st Century
256 pages · Paperback · Simon & Schuster