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Black women are always seen as being mad about something, loud talking or we have to overcome obstacles. You never hear about women who doing great in their careers and have great lives. That is why I was so moved by Sex and the City because that is how my friends and I live but you will never get to see that because we are not in the media.
Tia Williams, 2006.One of the criticisms of Sex and the City was the sheer lack of Black people in the TV series. In a city as vibrant and diverse as The Big Apple it is pretty shocking that during the six years of the show that only a handful of African Americans appeared. Moreover there is and has always been a large contingent of African American women who live the Carrie Bradshaw life with the sassy girlfriends, designer labels and outings in hip bars and restaurants. The Accidental Diva tells the story of beautiful Billie Burke who has a great job as a beauty editor for the world’s leading magazine as well as an amazing circle of friends. Unfortunately her love life sucks, in fact the poor lady hasn’t had sex in five years. However, when she falls in love with Jay, an up and coming rapper from the wrong side of town her life is rocked to the core. The Accidental Diva was released back in 2004 to rave reviews and it was beauty journalist, Tia Williams' debut novel. Billie's lifestyle, ever so glam job and equally chic friends, it was no surprise that the book was dubbed the urban Sex and the City.
I found this book intoxicating; you know when you really fall in love with a book and its characters and do not want it to end? Well that was how I felt about The Accidental Diva. It really is a simple story aka girl meets boy, girl and boy fall in love and girl and boy go through some sort of conflict. However as we all know it is not just the story that makes a good book but the way the story is told and believe me this story is told very well. The New York skyline is presented to us in the form of Manhattan fashionistas swinging Fendi and Coach bags at uber glam PR parties but we are also show Brooklyn's best face with its funky brownstones converted into studio apartments, poetry readings at hip cafes and boho boutiques. This book must be one of very many which shows the other boroughs of New York in a positive way. The Accidental Diva is not only a really fun ready but is also full of characters who are complex and full of verve.
Check out the interview with Tia Williams that I wrote for The New Black Magazine.
The Accidental Diva is available to buy from amazon.
2 cool comments:
Awww I loved this book. Like you said, it's a traditional boy meets girl story but the fact that the characters are African American and live such fabulous lifestyles makes it that bit more enjoyable just because you rarely see black lives played out in contemporary women's fiction. They need to make it into a film. And Tia needs to write another book.
I have to give this a read. Thanks.
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