"Sex and the City" author Candace Bushnell explores "midlife madness" in her new book
- 3 years ago
For over 25 years, she's been in many ways the quintessential New York City woman. But in her new book, "Is There Still Sex in the City?" Candace Bushnell-the author of the original book "Sex and the City" that inspired the HBO series, the movie franchise and "The Carrie Diaries"-ventures beyond the boroughs as she explores dating, friendship and a phenomenon she calls "midlife madness" (MAM for short).
Though it resonates with her trademark glamor and wit, the book doesn't flinch from the struggles of getting older. "There's now this whole chunk of time where you've got to find meaning," she told SalonTV's Mary Elizabeth Williams on "Salon Talks," "because society doesn't assign you any meaning for that time of your life other than, 'Aren't you happy to be a grandparent?' I'm not done yet. I've got a lot of other things to do. This can be a period where there can be a certain hopelessness because you really can't see a future. Nobody says to people when you're 60, 'Hey, this could be in your future. You could write a book, or you could do this.' We consider those things to be anomalies for older people, when in reality it could be a lifeline to staying vibrant."
Reflecting on her own turbulent years of grief and disappointments, she said, "Somehow when you're younger, stuff hits you but you get through it and you have so much more to look forward to and strive to. With this, it just feels like one thing after another, from the big to the small." But ever the hopeful heroine of her own stories, she added, "You have to understand that there is loss. It's about being able to deal with loss and move on, and still be positive and keep a sense of humor."
Watch the episode above to hear more about "Is There Still Sex in the City?" and what Bushnell thinks about how her original character Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha would fare in 2019.
Though it resonates with her trademark glamor and wit, the book doesn't flinch from the struggles of getting older. "There's now this whole chunk of time where you've got to find meaning," she told SalonTV's Mary Elizabeth Williams on "Salon Talks," "because society doesn't assign you any meaning for that time of your life other than, 'Aren't you happy to be a grandparent?' I'm not done yet. I've got a lot of other things to do. This can be a period where there can be a certain hopelessness because you really can't see a future. Nobody says to people when you're 60, 'Hey, this could be in your future. You could write a book, or you could do this.' We consider those things to be anomalies for older people, when in reality it could be a lifeline to staying vibrant."
Reflecting on her own turbulent years of grief and disappointments, she said, "Somehow when you're younger, stuff hits you but you get through it and you have so much more to look forward to and strive to. With this, it just feels like one thing after another, from the big to the small." But ever the hopeful heroine of her own stories, she added, "You have to understand that there is loss. It's about being able to deal with loss and move on, and still be positive and keep a sense of humor."
Watch the episode above to hear more about "Is There Still Sex in the City?" and what Bushnell thinks about how her original character Carrie, Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha would fare in 2019.