Cynthia Nixon is the perfect choice to narrate this seamlessly abridged chick lit novel, which unfolds like an extended Sex and the City
episode and deals with many of the same issues that the series' beloved TV characters faced during six years of shoe shopping and martini swigging in Manhattan. Nixon succeeds brilliantly with the tough challenge of making baby-shy editor Claudia Parr likable and appealing when her early selfishness threatens to undermine the listener's loyalty. She does a fine job creating a unique, throaty, confident voice for Richard (the office hottie with whom Claudia has an affair after her marriage dissolves), but the voices of some other characters, including Claudia's two sisters, blend too casually into one another. The bonus feature, a brief interview with novelist Giffin at the end of the final disc, is a mixed blessing. Although the sound quality has a poor call-in feel, fans will enjoy Giffin dishing on her characters, her life, and writers who have influenced her. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover (Reviews, Apr. 24). (June)
