If you are anything like me (and you are, my dear, you are), then you loved Candace Bushnell’s wildly successful column-turned-book-turned-HBO hit-turned movie Sex And the City. The fashion, the dramas, and, best of all, the relationships between Carrie Bradshaw and friends had us hooked faster than you can say “Jimmy Choo.”
But, alas, all good things must come to an end.
But, where did it all begin? With The Carrie Diaries, of course! In this television prequel to Sex and The City, based on the Young Adult books by Candace Bushnell, we meet high school junior Carrie Bradshaw. The year is 1984. The story begins on the first day of school, three months after Carrie’s mom has died of cancer. Carrie, her younger sister Dorrit, and their dad are doing the best they can to get by without her, but they are each struggling in their own ways.
As expected, Carrie (played by AnnaSophia Robb of “Soul Surfer”) has a great posse of best friends to cheer her up and keep her moving forward. There’s The Mouse, who comes back from summer vacation having lost her virginity to a college boy, and Maggie and Walt, who are dating each other although Maggie is cheating on Walt. It’s okay; Walt likes boys, but isn’t quite ready to admit that he’s gay.
Oh, and then there’s the new guy, bad boy Sebastian Kydd, who plays Carrie’s love interest. And let’s not forget Donna LaDonna, the popular girl at school and Carrie’s nemesis. Donna comes outfitted with big hair and earrings and a duo of mean girl sidekicks.
In the first episode, Carrie gets an internship at a Manhattan law firm and life begins to take off for her, as she’s romanced by her favorite man, Manhattan. We see Carrie find her sense of style, taking vintage pieces of her mother’s and polishing them with her own creative flair, and we see her test the boundaries of young adulthood with drinking, shoplifting, and sex.
It’s all very Carrie Bradshaw.
I love love love it.
The 80’s music in the background is perfection. The fashion, the friendships, the drama, the city: it’s all there. I was hooked faster than you can say “Capezios.”
AnnaSophia Robb does an amazing job of filling the spirit of young Carrie Bradshaw without trying to be exactly like Sarah Jessica Parker. There is enough distance between the two actresses to feel like each one is putting their own mark on the character. But watch young Carrie bound across a city street in heels, and you’ll see: she’s got it just right!
Finally, at the end of the hour, when young Carrie opens a notebook to write her reflections – while seated at her desk in front of an open window in her bedroom, of course – you just might cry a little.
Welcome back, Carrie. We missed you.
Watch it:
The Carrie Diaries
Mondays @ 8 pm on the CW
Read it:
The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell
Summer and the City: A Carrie Diaries novel by Candace Bushnell
Columnist and blogger Julie Gerstenblatt writes with humor and candor about her life in Scarsdale, her friends and family, and the particular demands of motherhood and wifedom in modern-day suburbia. Read about her new book Lauren Takes Leave and keep up with the latest from Julie Gerstenblatt at http://juliegerstenblatt.com
