Cindy Chupack was an award-winning writer on Sex and the City. (Did I need more information that that before buying and reading her book? No, I did not!) The Between Boyfriends Book is a collection of essays about life and love in New York, from the perspective of a single woman (as the title might suggest!) Who better to write on this subject than an SATC writer (award-winning, no less) and columnist for U.S Glamour? No-one, that's who...
This book is hilarious and hugely enjoyable- with topics ranging from being dumped without explanation, to flying long-distance alone, to the best and worst places to go on dates (playing a sport together turns out to be particularly bad). Chupack introduces the concepts of "Halloweenies"- people who break up around Halloween to save the agony of enduring the holidays together, "Sexual Sorbets"- a palate cleanser after a break-up and before your next boyfriend- and the need for a "Relationship Equivalency Exam": so you could get credit for your failed relationships and wouldn't have to start from the beginning with a new partner. (I like that idea!)
Single women will love this book, but you don't have to be single to find it funny. Most women will find something to relate to and laugh about (For example: "I am going on a ten-day fast. In preparation for this fast I have eaten most of the contents of my refrigerator, including leftover spare ribs (which I don't even particularly like) and the not insignificant remains of a birthday cake. I now feel sick enough to abstain from eating for a day, if not longer.")- Sadly, I've been there, more than once...
My one criticism of the book isn't really a problem with the book at all- it's that the unmarried women Cindy Chupack writes about (herself included) aren't out enjoying themselves with their friends, or even -gasp!- alone instead of spending time on dates with men they hate and desperately wishing, hoping and searching for a partner. The effort and energy they put into all that could surely be put to better use- they could do charity work, or invent a new cocktail, or slob out with the TV (I'd have a Gilmore Girls marathon, but that's just me...) After all, it's a truth universally acknowledged (well, pretty much) that you'll meet the right man eventually, so why waste so much time worrying about it? Then again, Manhattan is a hugely competitive place and the ratio of men to women in NYC is tipped against us gals, so maybe that explains it...
Of course, I wish Cindy luck in meeting her ideal partner- but from a selfish point of view, I hope she doesn't find him just yet, so she can write another book or two like this!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Read an interview with the author and more about her involvement with SATC here.
Like this? Try The Year of Yes by Maria Headley, Tabloid Love by Bridget Harrison.
