Killing Monica

by Candace Bushnell

Overview

This is the book fans of Candace Bushnell have been waiting for. From the author of Sex and the City, Lipstick Jungle, and The Carrie Diaries comes an addictive story about fame, love, and foolishness that will keep readers enthralled to the very last enticing scene.



Pandy "PJ" Wallis is a renowned writer whose novels about a young woman making her way in Manhattan have spawned a series of blockbuster films. After the success of the Monica books and movies, Pandy wants to attempt something different: a historical novel based on her ancestor Lady Wallis. But Pandy's publishers and audience only want her to keep cranking out more Monica-as does her greedy husband, Jonny, who's gone deeply in debt to finance his new restaurant in Las Vegas.

When her marriage crumbles and the boathouse of her family home in Connecticut goes up in flames, Pandy suddenly realizes she has an opportunity to reinvent herself. But to do so, she will have to reconcile with her ex-best friend and former partner in crime, SondraBeth Schnowzer, who plays Monica on the big screen-and who may have her own reasons to derail Pandy's startling change of plan.

In KILLING MONICA, Candace Bushnell spoofs and skewers her way through pop culture, celebrity worship, fame, and the meaning of identity. With her trademark humor and style, this is Bushnell's sharpest, funniest book to date

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455530373
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	06/23/2015
Edition description:	Large Print
Pages:	496
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.80(d)

About the Author

Candace Bushnell is the critically acclaimed, international bestselling novelist whose first book, Sex and the City, was the basis for the HBO hit series and subsequent blockbuster movie. Her fourth novel, Lipstick Jungle, became a popular television series on NBC. Bushnell hosted a radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, Sex, Success, and Sensibility, which aired from October 2006 to October 2008. Bushnell's work has influenced two generations of women.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2015
Bestseller Bushnell's latest is a poorly executed attempt at tongue-in-cheek self-awareness that never really comes together. Novelist Pandy Wallis's alter ego, Monica—star of four wildly successful novels and celebrated movies—has amassed a global following. But the shiny, happy life Monica leads, once a reflection of Pandy's own, has become a mocking reminder of how much things have changed. Pandy's former best friend SondraBeth, the actress who portrays Monica on the big screen, years earlier slept with a man Pandy loved; Pandy's serial-cheating celeb-chef husband ran through most of her money and wants to take whatever's left in the divorce; and the non-Monica book she's written has been rejected by her publisher, a devastating blow reluctantly delivered by Pandy's agent, Henry. Add a trio of girlfriends able to while away weekday mornings drinking champagne at über-trendy NYC rooftop pools, an obsession with high-end footwear, and seemingly savvy women who make awful choices when it comes to love, and the result is a tired retread of familiar motifs paired with characters any reader would be hard-pressed to care about. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"Intensely readable...compelling."—Time magazine

"Bushnell successfully sticks to her tried-and-true recipe: sex, humor, female friendships, subtle social commentary, smart women who make foolish choices, and thrilling plot twists. Pro that she is, she saves the best for last."—Booklist

"Reminiscent of the "Amazing Amy" subplot of Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl...a good beach read, this novel will be in high demand."—Library Journal

"A fun beach read. It's light and quick, with all of the glitz and glamour we've come to expect from Bushnell."—Romantic Times Book Reviews

"Nifty...offers a satisfying finale."—USA Today

From the Publisher

05/15/2015
Bushnell's (Sex and the City; Lipstick Jungle) latest novel gives readers a peek into the celebrity lifestyle and the desperation that arises when a fictional character begins to overshadow its creator's real life. Pandy Wallis has been a writer ever since she was young; she developed her star protagonist, Monica, when she was just a teen. Reminiscent of the "Amazing Amy" subplot in Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, Monica becomes a representation of Pandy's ideal self: gorgeous, poised, and elite. When her Monica books make the jump to the big screen, Pandy selects SondraBeth Schnowzer to play the leading lady and the two become fast friends. But the Hollywood lifestyle isn't all it's cracked up to be, and Pandy soon faces a divorce and an empty bank account. Her solution? Monica must die. But how do you kill a fictional character that has surpassed its real-life muse? VERDICT A bit choppy but a good beach read, this novel will be in high demand thanks to Bushnell's fan base and a well-publicized draft leak in 2013.—Chelsie Harris, San Diego Cty. Lib.

Library Journal

Bushnell’s novel about famous author PJ Wallace and the explosive impact that PJ’s own creation, the fictional party girl Monica, has on PJ’s life seems so perfectly meta that listeners will begin to wonder how many of the details Bushnell took from her own experience writing "Sex and the City." Narrator Thérèse Plummer invokes passion in delivering PJ’s inner monologues as well as her expressive emotions in her interactions with her confidant and editor, Henry; her “frenemy,” SondraBeth Schnowzer; and her soon-to-be ex-husband, Johnny. Plummer’s impeccable timing enhances Bushnell’s wit in a story in which the real focus is the power of female friendship. The book ends with a twist that will make PJ all the more endearing and memorable. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

JULY 2015 - AudioFile

2015-04-15
Bushnell (One Fifth Avenue, 2008, etc.) is still playing her Sex and the City riffs in this self-referential sort-of satire about an author whose insanely popular fictional creation has taken over her life. PJ "Pandy" Wallis created her fictional alter ego, Monica—think Carrie Bradshaw on steroids—in four bestselling novels and the movies that followed. The problem is that her newest book is not about Monica. It's about Pandy's ancestor Lady Wallis Wallis, who arrived in America in 1775—and, according to Pandy's agent and suspiciously intimate confidant, Henry, historical fiction is a hard sell, so her editor has turned it down. As Pandy ponders whether to give in and write another Monica book, she relives her career. Along the way she became best friends with the actress who played Monica on screen, SondraBeth Schnowzer. During their days of wild, often drunken gal-pal escapades, they called themselves PandaBeth. Their friendship, which has an unexplored homoerotic undertone, ended when hot actor Doug Stone slept with both of them. Despite the gaggle of indistinguishable friends surrounding her now, Pandy still misses SondraBeth. The last time they spoke, SondraBeth warned Pandy that her husband-to-be, celebrity chef/restaurateur Jonny Balaga, was not a nice man. SondraBeth was right. Jonny went through Pandy's money and cheated on her. What's worse, he couldn't swim, liked contemporary furniture, and didn't properly appreciate the pedigree of Pandy's Connecticut family estate. She's now divorcing him, but the settlement requires her to fork over the $1 million advance on her newest book. Without a book contract there won't be an advance, and Pandy worries what Jonny will go after instead—possibly the rights to Monica herself. But how separate is Monica's identity from jet-setting Pandy's? Or Bushnell's, readers may wonder? The book's portrayal of Pandy feels both self-congratulatory and unintentionally unpleasant, the hostility toward male characters is virulent—the only good male in the book may not be one—and the sense of humor is nil.

Kirkus Reviews