I seriously find all the one star ratings interesting! Seriously interesting because I really enjoyed this book. I was definitely able to separate it from the TV series and it could be because I'm a writer myself and I can read it while understanding that the adaptation wasn't a literal one--and a good screenwriter takes as much as they can from the text but in the end successfully translates the story to appeal to the audience of the visual medium. So I'm able to read the book as it is and that is a peek into the love lives of some professional and wealthy yuppies living in Manhattan. Period. And I definitely liked the writing style. To me it was a mix of journals and interviews and notes and pieces of an actual article all put together to form one entertaining story. It's like the wild wild west of writing! I love it! The book was daring and yeah, I bought it...I mean, I get the tug of war between societal mores, values and beliefs and the innate sense of independence. It can drive you crazy! And I think Candace Bushnell did an excellent job of capturing that in this book. Bravo! 5 stars for sure in my book! And believe me... I'm NOT easy to please.But you can't read this book and THINK Sex and The CIty the TV show because this Carrie Bradshaw and that Carrie Bradshaw are a number of ticks different. There's no way a studio exec would take the chance the book's CB. They have to make $$$. They have to make her "LIKABLE" for all the women who are inflicted with the Cinderella Syndrome. I mean, this CB, sniffs lines, smokes marijuana and drinks until she pukes. She has a lot of friends and sometimes Samantha Jones gets on her nerves. This book is grittier and is not a story for those who ascribe to the "THE SCRIPT."