Killing Monica is a novel written by American author Candace Bushnell. It was first released as a hardcover on June 23, 2015. Bushnell's publisher, the Hachette Book Group, describes its central character, Pandy "PJ" Wallis, as "a renowned writer whose novels about a young woman making her way in Manhattan have spawned a series of blockbuster films."[1]
 Hardcover edition | |
| Author | Candace Bushnell |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Relationship with pop-culture |
| Genre | Chick-lit |
| Publisher | Grand Central Publishing |
Publication date | June 23, 2015 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 311 (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-446-55790-0 |
| OCLC | 1108718336 |
| 813/.54 | |
| LC Class | PS3552.U8229 K55 2015 |
| Preceded by | Summer and the City (2011) |
| Followed by | Is There Still Sex in the City? (2019) |
Synopsis
editA champagne-drinking New York novelist named Pandy Wallis has found success through writing a series of books about her alter ego, Monica. The books have been adapted into films starring an actress named Sondra-Beth Schnowzer. Now, newly divorced, Pandy wants to write serious fiction about one of her ancestors instead. The plot of the novel combines flashbacks of her friendship with Sondra-Beth and failed marriage, with her quest to kill off her character Monica.
Characters
edit- Pandy PJ James Wallis – The main character, a writer.
- Sondra-Beth Schnowzer - The bitchy actress with whom Pandy was once friends.
- Henry - Pandy's long-suffering and devoted literary agent.
- Monica - A Carrie Bradshaw-style fictional character.
Reception
editThe book was "critically reviled", according to New York Magazine.[2] "The prose is both hyperbolic and repetitive," wrote Eliza Kennedy in The New York Times Book Review. "Characters never speak when they can screech, shriek or scream." Kennedy concluded: "The entire thing is capped by a cheap revelation that's supposed to make readers think, but only made this reader cringe."[3]
Writing in The Washington Post, Bethanne Patrick called it "a sloppy story that doesn't hold together."[4] In The Independent, Arifa Akbar said: "None of it, including the final, unconvincing plot twist, is particularly well-written."[5] In the New York Daily News, Sherryl Connelly called Killing Monica[6] "an unfunny farce" and "a book of bad taste."[7] It also received negative reviews from Kirkus Reviews,[8] Kirsty McLuckie in The Scotsman,[9] Georgie Binks in the Toronto Star.[10] and Publishers Weekly.[11]
References
edit- ^ "Killing Monica". hachettebookgroup.com.
- ^ O'Connor, Maureen (June 29, 2015). "Everybody Is Wrong About Candace Bushnell". New York Magazine | The Cut.
- ^ Kennedy, Eliza (July 26, 2015). "Summer Fiction". The New York Times.
- ^ Bethanne Patrick (June 16, 2015). "The big wink-wink at the center of Candace Bushnell's new novel". Washington Post.
- ^ Arifa Akbar (June 21, 2015). "Killing Monica: Sex and the City creator Candace Bushnell's dark new novel has a familiar feel". The Independent.
- ^ "Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell". Best Post. January 11, 2022.
- ^ "'Killing Monica' review: Candace Bushnell's unfunny farce". NY Daily News.
- ^ "KILLING MONICA by Candace Bushnell". Kirkus Reviews. April 15, 2015.
- ^ McLuckie, Kirsty (February 28, 2019). "Book review: Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell". scotsman.com.
- ^ Binks, Georgie (June 27, 2015). "Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell: Review". thestar.com.
- ^ "Fiction Book Review: Killing Monica by Candace Bushnell". PublishersWeekly.com. June 1, 2015.