Summer and the City

This book (written by Candace Bushnell) was the perfect pick-me-up I needed this sweaty, sweltering summer after the giddy excitement of my sister’s Wedding. It made me zoom through chores and kids’ story-time so that I could curl up and read (“Why are YOU reading for so long?”, my daughter kept accusing me as I read the night away, a tiny book-light attached to my book!). The famed sitcom, “Sex and the City”‘s prequel, “Summer and the City” is the story of how Carrie Bradshaw, a high-school graduate, begins her life in New York. She is here for the summer and is enrolled in the New School in order to pursue Writing.

Carrie is in awe of the Emerald city and nothing, not even her bossy landlady or the blackout, when there’s a power outage for a long time, will make her want to go back home. All the crazy parties that she attends, the vintage shops where she buys used goodies at throwaway prices, new friends, new love and her love for the city itself compel her to stay. But first she has to prove to her family, and to herself, that she can make it on her own. And she has about 60 days to do that. This book is Carrie’s journal of her adventures during those 2 months.

She makes a lot of mistakes and gets into trouble, like many kids at 17 do, but she dusts herself off and gets on with life. Nothing will deter her from her dream of becoming a Writer in New York. I loved her attitude, but parts of the book made me cringe at the thought of how MY kids might behave at that age.

Normally I don’t pick a chick-lit (literature that appeals to young women, according to Google) and consider it beneath me (no rolling eyes, please!) to read and even if I do, it bores or grosses me out. But this one kept me going and in less than a week, I ended it with a big smile and a deep desire to make the best use of these long, summer days.

I guess I need to let go of my reservations about what kind of books I should be reading or what kind of mom I need to be or what kind of life I should be living and just go with my instincts. It might make me seem naive or stupid, but who cares. As long as it makes me happy…

Go with the flow, baby.