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Sex and the City

3.07 of 5 stars 3.07 · rating details · 18,383 ratings · 1,082 reviews

Enter a world where the sometimes shocking and often hilarious mating habits of the privileged are exposed by a true insider. In essays drawn from her witty and sometimes brutally candid column in the New York Observer, Candace Bushnell introduces us to the young and beautiful who travel in packs from parties to bars to clubs. Meet "Carrie," the quintessential young writer...more

Paperback, 243 pages

Published September 1st 1997 by Grand Central Publishing (first published 1996)

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May 08, 2008 Allison rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mediocrity-rules

Ouch, ouch, my soul.

Please don't misunderstand. I like vanilla cupcakes top heavy with fluffy pink frosting as much as the next guy. That's why the show is a longstanding guilty pleasure of mine. The difference between the show and the book is that while acquisitive, status-obsessed party monsters with less depth than a paper cut comprise the bulk of the characters on the show as in the book, the show manages to flesh them out into comically fallible, three-dimensional human beings who, even if...more

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May 03, 2008 Katie rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: boooooring, new-york

I think I read this right after the show first started on HBO. The book is nowhere near as entertaining as the show...it doesn't have the 4-girlfriends-on-the-town approach that the show takes; instead, it just focuses on some caricature of a stupid New York-type that I hate: the ones who live here like it's LA with bad weather.

If I had read this before I watched any of the episodes, I never would have turned on the show.

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Oct 03, 2007 Elizabeth rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are very few books I quit reading, even if I don't like them, because I am compelled with book guilt most of the time.

I did not make it through this. All I can say is the writers for the HBO series REALLY had some vision, because the show was about 4000 times better than the book : )

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Aug 20, 2007 Raquel added it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-hated, fiction

This was a great TV show in its heyday. I have seen every episode numerous times and feel like lately when I rewatch an episode it hasn't quite stood the test of time, but that doesn't deny the fact that this was a great, ground-breaking show.

I was really excited to read this book, due to my love of the show. But it was so completely different from the show, the characters were so flat, the writing so poor that I rue the fact that I paid even the Target low price of like 3 bucks for this piece...more

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Jul 09, 2007 Jill rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: yuck

This was ridiculous. It was incredibly self-indulgent and trite. It's incredible that someone read this collection of articles and said, "Hey! Let's turn this into a wildly funny, intelligent, and timely series that will win Emmys and Jill's Heart!" Avoid the book, rent the series.

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Dec 11, 2007 Christy rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: adult-fiction

This book is nothing like the show (which I adore!). I couldn't make it past 50 pages of this book: I was so bored. Candace Bushnell is so impressed with herself and that's pretty much what her books are about. There was no plot or substance to hold my interest.

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Jun 10, 2008 Dawn rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one in their right mind.

This book was highly disappointing. I watch and love the show (and I'm looking forward to the movie) so I thought the book would be a sure bet. Turns out, the writers for the show are so much more smart, clever, and interesting that Bushnell could ever be. The Sex and the City book was just full of ridiculous characters in their thirties trying to be young again by going out every night to the "hottest" bar, doing ridiculous amounts of drugs like that's the only way to be cool, and it was terrib...more

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Jan 15, 2009 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chicklit, new-york

After reading this book I've come to the following conclusion: When people say that they only have time for movies, not books, they need to read a different type of book.

Sex in the City (the book) took me about 2.5 hours to read, the same time as a longish movie and I learned about as much as I do from a chick flick. It's rather obvious when you think about it. A cheesy chick movie like How To Lose A Guy in 10 Days is neither deep nor revelatory, complicated or precise. Bushnell's work reminds m...more

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May 14, 2007 Jackie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I don't understand the point of this book. On one hand, I liked the ending more than I liked the series finale of the show; on the other, all of the characters in the book were caricatures of the worst qualities in people, unsympathetic and kinda psychotic. The first half of the book (a series of vignettes) was a bit more fun than the second (Carrie and her ensuing mental break-down with Big). Carrie, of the show and of the book, sucks.

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Feb 19, 2012 Alexandra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: usa, book2moviechallenge

Book2moviechallenge 2012:
2/12: Buch zu einer TV Serie

Buch: 3 Sterne
Extrem zynisches Werk in dem in kurzen aneinandergereihten Geschichten das Wesen der paarungswilligen New Yorker Frauen und der dazugehörigen Junggesellen beleuchtet wird. Teilweise sehr wirr im im Aufbau, da der Rote Faden durch die vielen unterschiedlichen Personen und die mangelnde Kontinuität (bis auf Carrie und Big) fehlt. Am Ende ist man froh, dass das Buch vorbei ist, und hat gelernt, dass man nie in dieser Stadt leben u...more

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Nov 09, 2011 Taneika (Flipping Through The Pages...) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, annoying-main-characters, horcruxes, you-piss-me-off

More of my reviews can be found at Flipping Through the Pages!

I’m not a huge fan of bitch-lit, chick-lit, whatever you’d like to call it, however, I have almost always felt okay after reading. The exception to that is this book, I was simply disappointed. As you will discover, although I appreciate movies and appreciate the fact that creating a movie or TV show is a completely different art to a book, I still prefer reading the book over the TV show/movie. But this is the first exception I’ve co...more More of my reviews can be found at Flipping Through the Pages!

I’m not a huge fan of bitch-lit, chick-lit, whatever you’d like to call it, however, I have almost always felt okay after reading. The exception to that is this book, I was simply disappointed. As you will discover, although I appreciate movies and appreciate the fact that creating a movie or TV show is a completely different art to a book, I still prefer reading the book over the TV show/movie. But this is the first exception I’ve come across. I LOVE the television show, it’s funny, witty, the characters are somewhat likeable, if not loveable. But the book? I honestly have NO idea how the TV show can be SO good when the book is quite literally the biggest piece of trash I’ve ever had the misfortune to read. This book is a collection of Ms Bushnell’s columns – HOW these made it as columns let alone into a book is beyond me. They don’t even pass as short stories. I really do applaud the creators of the show as I have no idea how they can read this and think “oh wow, let’s turn this into a witty, amazing television show that has characters the viewers will actually like”.

I really apologise if this review is really nasty, but it took me ages to read, I just had no interest whatsoever, every book, no matter what I thought of it, has been able to reel me in the story within the first few pages but this? No. Just no. I couldn’t. I put it down, attempted to read it and then finally read it and I don’t know why I bothered. This is just fluff and I was expecting all four girls from the show to be characters in this book but apparently Charlotte was made for the TV show – I love Charlotte! Also, the characters in this book just astound me. They are so … oh I don’t the word so I’ll make one up. Tryhardish? They are trying to be young again by doing copious amounts of drugs and hitting the hottest clubs and whatnot.

Overall, in this case WATCH THE SHOW! DON’T bother reading this book if you can even call it that, I’d rather use it as kindling.(less)

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May 26, 2011 ☆Jessie☆ (Ageless Pages Reviews) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bubblegum-book, to-have-and-to-hate, reviewed, owned-copy, standalone, 2011-reads, 2011-reviews, shame-shelf, high-expectations-and-low-reward, great-potential-awful-execution, and-no-stars-for-gretchen-wieners

Read This Review & More Like It On My Blog!

As a fan of the ubiquitous, outrageous and beloved show, I had a desire to read the sourc material as I have always always enjoyed the book over the show/movie/puppet re-enaction. This is the very first time (that I can remember) where that is not the case: I'll take the show and even those two atrocious movies over this crapfest. What was a fun, frothy, sexy show with independent and strong women was a soul-crushing excursion into the minds of char...more

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Sep 07, 2007 Karschtl rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: movie, chick-lit, read-in-2003

Ich hatte anfangs gedacht, dass das Buch quasi genauso wie die TV-Folgen sind. Dem ist aber nicht so, was ich zuerst etwas schade fand.
Auch die Charaktere entsprechen nicht den vier Hauptdarstellerinnen, im Grunde genommen gibt es hier gar keine 4 Hauptdarsteller. Es gibt zwar eine Journalistin Carrie, eine Samantha Jones und auch Miranda. Es gibt sogar den schwulen Stanford. Aber es gibt auch eine Menge anderer Leute, dafür nicht die Mädels-Clique in dem Sinne wie in der Serie beschrieben. Die...more

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Feb 20, 2008 Nirac rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: chick-lit

I was really looking forward to read this book, since I'm a big fan of Sex and the City. At first I thought the book was a bit confusing. I had assumed that the characters; Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte as a group of friends would be in focus, like in the TV-series. In the beginning I was therefore a bit disappointed. As I continued to read, my view changed. I really started to enjoy reading this book.
What I really liked about the book was that even though the characters and the situa...more

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Jul 30, 2008 Lisse rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've seen quite a few of the Sex and the City episodes and enjoyed them a lot, so I thought it would be cool to see where it all started from. I have to be honest - I think the television show is so much better - more fleshed out characters, better dialogue, more likeable characters and just a lot more depth period.
It's hard for me to get too interested in a book that is so very on the surface, where you never really get to know much about the characters or even the setting they are inhabiting....more

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Jul 28, 2008 Nicole rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is certainly different from the series - and it's not just the mounds of cocaine and pounds of marijuana consumed by the main characters.

The selling point of the series has always been the friendships between the four characters. In this book, on the other hand, it's every girl for herself. The women are never supportive, and are usually backstabbing. Carrie is even more of a mess than she ever was in the TV show. Everyone seems utterly miserable.

Also? Allegedly this is uproariously funny,...more

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Feb 08, 2009 Micky rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I read this when the movie came out. It was not what I expected. It lacked the close friendship that was featured on the show.

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Aug 29, 2008 Jenn rated it 1 of 5 stars

I decided to try some fluff. I really didn't like this book. I've come to like the TV series because although it can be a bit raunchy or risque, it has the redeeming qualities of humor, introspection, and the value of friendship. This book was all over the place. I guess I thought it would be a series of columns, but it didn't seem that way to me. It also didn't seem to have any introspection at all. I realize it isn't a novel so I didn't expect it to be a book with linear form. The problem is t...more

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Nov 13, 2008 Erika Damon rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the rare cases in which I prefer the show to the book. The only character that was better in the book was Stanford. Who cares what one woman thinks about the mating rituals specific to New York City?

****Update****

It's been a few months after I've read this book and I've had time to stew about it and really think of how angry it made me. So, I have reduced my rating from two stars to one. Take that Bushnell and your crappy storyline that wasn't evident until the last 3rd of the book!

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Mar 13, 2013 Robertisenberg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As much as I enjoyed the show, I never intended to read the book, until I discovered that it is classified as nonfiction. That revelation surprised me, and I was further intrigued to know it's a collection of essays. That, as Bushnell might say, sealed the deal.

But what a peculiar collection! The early chapters remind me of nothing so much as Tom Wolfe -- a seen-it-all journalist romanticizing the epic madness of her zeitgeist. This approach is so distinctly 90s that I both rolled my eyes and fe...more As much as I enjoyed the show, I never intended to read the book, until I discovered that it is classified as nonfiction. That revelation surprised me, and I was further intrigued to know it's a collection of essays. That, as Bushnell might say, sealed the deal.

But what a peculiar collection! The early chapters remind me of nothing so much as Tom Wolfe -- a seen-it-all journalist romanticizing the epic madness of her zeitgeist. This approach is so distinctly 90s that I both rolled my eyes and felt intense nostalgia the same time. I was not, at the time, a single girl roaming Manhattan, but a teenager growing up in the freewheeling state of Vermont. Our lives were different, but I instantly recognized in her writing the celebration of chaos and energy -- the pre-millennial neurosis that made us all a little nuts.

But the book takes some time to figure itself out. The earlier pieces behave like cover stories to New York Magazine; a big, glossy, hey-girl-let-me-tell-you style that almost makes you laugh. Then, slowly, it diverges from its profiles and reportage and becomes a kind of confessional diary, albeit written in the removed third-person of a made-up character, Carey Bradshaw. And here I start to get skeptical.

The artistic half of my brain is perfectly fine with her impressionistic, largely invented version of events, just as I excuse Sedaris and Burroughs their glaring fabrications. I even accepted that soap opera is just a part of the New York lifestyle, even though her characters failed to interest me overall. The HBO series presents these dramas with seasoned and collaborative proficiency. The book, in its second-half, feels like an ironically dumbed down transcript of the show.

This effect is a disservice to the first half, which is riveting. "Carey's" visit to a sex club is clumsy, overprotective, and hilarious, proving that however free-thinking New Yorkers perceive themselves, you can't just throw any old orgy in the era of HIV. The profile of models (and their wealthy seducers) is sexist in the most primal sense; wealthy men prey on very young, very beautiful women with no serious education or reliable social network. The models weather men the way Florida weathers hurricanes, and if they're lucky and tough, they become famous and marry up. Bushnell almost seems to shrug her shoulders at this tragic dynamic, a response that, in this context, I prefer to melodramatic indignity. The game is as old as time, she implies, and in New York, the laws of the jungle reign über alles.

At this stage in my life, the chapter I enjoyed the least but hit closest to home was "Carrie's" visit to the suburbs. She condescends to her housewife friends, for their hypocrisy and stilted expectations. The catty, double bladed dialogue is inherently uncomfortable, but it's something my girlfriend and I face all the time. Sometimes, the Joneses don't realize you have no interest in keeping up with them, which makes their boasting twice as tedious.

"Can we go back to the city now?" Carrie begs.

How many times, stuck in the formless slush of Bucks County or Silver Spring or the North Hills, have I thought those very words?(less)

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Dec 28, 2012 Deniz rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: chick-lit

The only enjoyable thing about the book is that many of the chapters are adapted to the series, and if you've watched the series before reading the book (like me), you'll remember the episodes and play them in your head while you read the stories. Also, there are some less obvious nuances, like Carrie's mink coat, which is mentioned in the book twice and which she wears through the first season of the series.

You are let down by the book after only 2 pages. The author references Truman Capote's b...more The only enjoyable thing about the book is that many of the chapters are adapted to the series, and if you've watched the series before reading the book (like me), you'll remember the episodes and play them in your head while you read the stories. Also, there are some less obvious nuances, like Carrie's mink coat, which is mentioned in the book twice and which she wears through the first season of the series.

You are let down by the book after only 2 pages. The author references Truman Capote's book "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by saying
"Truman Capote understood our nineties dilemma -the dilemma of Love vs. the Deal- all too well. In Breakfast at Tiffany's, Holly Golightly and Paul Varjak were faced with restrictions -he was a kept man, she was a kept woman- but in the end they surmounted them and chose love over money."
I mean, really, Candace Bushnell? You couldn't even bother to read a summary of the book, at least? Everything would be fine if you just said "In the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's...", but since you're a "writer", and since you're aware that the film is adapted from a book, you had to mention the book. You know why mentioning the book was bad? Because:
1.Paul Varjak is a character in the movie. In the book, his name isn't mentioned.
2.Holly and "Paul" chose love over money only in the movie. In the book, Holly runs away.
3.Although he was present at the shooting of the film, Truman Capote wasn't involved in writing the screenplay. So, his only ending to the story is the one where Holly and "Paul" don't end up together.

Articles get boring by the one-third of the book, and by the end of it (if you can reach it), you're disgusted with these people described in the book. Alright, the book is incredibly bad, but the really sad thing is, these people in the book DO exist. People who only care about what other people will think about them. People who only care about how to get laid. People whose sole purpose in life is partying for as long as they can before they realize it's time to get married. "Beautiful and smart and successful women" who are single, like it's the biggest problem of the world. Wake up, people! How can all these "smart and successful and beautiful and handsome" men and women live ALL of their lives looking from this narrow perspective? The world is such a big place; filled with wonders, tragedies, such interesting things that would blow our minds. I'd like to believe there's still hope for this world.

In conclusion, don't read this. Just... don't.(less)

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Mar 15, 2012 Amanda N. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I feel bad for Candace Bushnell. I wanted to like this book - I loved the shows and the movies. But while reading Sex and the City, I just kept thinking how sad her life is.

The Carrie we know from HBO is not the Carrie that Bushnell deemed her alter-ego. The Carrie from this book is sad all the time. She fills her days, which are mostly nights, with activities that she's too old for. And she alienates the one person who really wants to love her and take care of her.

That's right, this book deta...more

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Nov 12, 2011 Sophia Sun rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: The not so dedicated SATC fan

Recommended to Sophia Sun by: Television

Shelves: chick-shit, entertainment

Not to discredit my parents, but I was the teen girl who was raised on SATC. My parents didn't want to suffer through uncomfortable discussions, but they did inform me if I did have sex I would get pregnant, the first time, for sure.

Liars.

Anyway, I discovered SATC way back when Carrie's wardrobe was just tube tops and jeans and not quite manolo and Viv Westwood. The show wasn't finessed yet, and hadn't quite found it's voice or audience. To me, it had the word "sex" in it and it wasn't dirty p...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Scherry Siganporia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Readers! If you pick this book to read...then treat it as a book to read. It is not a serial. Nor is this Chic Lit material. What it is is a very mature and advanced version of relationships, people, women, sexuality...what I enjoyed about this book was the way it was disconnected from emotions...but revealed emotions ultimately. Candace Bushnell has put in a lot of thought in developing a variety of characters from Mr Big to Mr Marvelous...her style is unique, imaginative yet with all the elem...more

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Jul 31, 2011 Virginia rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well...

There was...

um...

-No/minimum sex involved
-None of the (more) lovable characters- come on, where was Smith and Harry?!
-Lack of chapter format; if I'm going to force myself to read something that monotonous, at least make me feel a little better with a few chapter '1's' and '2's', Candace!!

HOWEVER, it wasn't ALL bad:

-If there wasn't a Smith, at least we had Mr Big...
-There were a FEW laughs along the way(I won't go as far to say 'laugh out loud' but...), so it wasn't completely dreary, but...more

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Jul 30, 2011 Olesya rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OK, this book doesn't probably deserve even one star. Not from me, anyway. I know, I know - the book that inspired one of my favorite shows of all time is supposed to be completely different, a collection of column entries, a haphazard look at approximately a thousand characters' lives in the Big Apple, etc., etc., etc., blah, blah blah. As such, it might work for some. As such, it might be found funny by the most unsentimental and cynical audience. As for me, it just left me depressed. It left...more

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Jul 11, 2010 Meg rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Does my opinion count if I only read 20 pages?

YES.

I ONLY READ 20 PAGES OF THIS BOOK.

Seriously? This was a book? And some based the Sex and The City that I love and adore on it?! Seriously? SERIOUSLY?!?! Obviously my expectations were based on the show, but I am easy to please. Especially when it comes to girlie stuff...I am living vicariously through characters while I read, I'm the first to admit! But the style of writing was like nothing I've ever encountered. I'd like to think that this bo...more

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May 15, 2010 (´*•.¸ღBexღ¸.•*´) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I seem to be one of the rare ones here, but I am a fan of the show who actually enjoyed this book. I decided to read it not because I thought there would be something new and exciting to behold, or because I was expecting a riveting, entrancing novel. Rather, because I was curious about the origins of the characters and plotlines in one of my favorite television series. Most of the stories from the first season of the tv show are lifted from this book. However, some of the characters are differe...more

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Apr 11, 2010 Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars

The author of this book has a new show coming out based on her book Lipstick Jungle and I kept seeing ads for it and wanted to read it, but my sister had this book on her shelft so I read it instead. We've all seen the show, and if you haven't then you must live in a cave. The show is addicting, and so was reading this book. It's a quick read and I just wanted to read it non-stop, but being sick only aloud for a few chapters a night. There are things from this book that you recongize from the sh...more

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Jul 23, 2009 Mariah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up at a rummage sale for some light pool-side reading while on vacation. Having watched and enjoyed the TV series, I was curious to see what the book was like. Bushnell's writing style took a little getting used to, but while I can't say it was a _great_ book, it was far better written and I enjoyed it more than I'd expected. Fans of the series should be forewarned that, other than the primary story topics(modelizers, toxic bachelors, etc.), the book is very, very different from th...more

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About Candace Bushnell

Candace Bushnell is the critically acclaimed, international best-selling 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’s novels include Four Blondes (2000), Trading Up (2003), Lipstick Jungle (2005), One Fifth Avenue (2008) and The Carrie Diari...more

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