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Doubleday (2003), 368 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER � SOON TO BE A BROADWAY MUSICAL � The iconic novel that inspired the hit movie starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway�a gloriously wicked story about the ultimate Boss from Hell and the deals we make with the devil to get to the top �The degree to which The Devil Wears Prada has penetrated pop culture needs no explanation.��Vanity Fair Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job �a million girls would die for.� Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child. Andrea is sorely tested each and every day�and often late into the night�with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get her a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not it�s worth the price of her soul.… (more)
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Media reviews
What a wasted opportunity this truly dreadful book is. Weisberger has taken a world rich with comic potential - a world that should have you crying with laughter - and rendered it as sober as an AA meeting. I would hazard a guess that, during her time at Vogue, she did not encounter Ms Wintour's
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famously ruthless little red pen because the idea of editing out anything - anything - is anathema to her. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member distractedmusician
After thoroughly enjoying the movie, I decided to pick this book up over the summer. I barely managed to finish it, and only because I don't like abandoning books halfway through. Andrea was terrible! When I read, I like to be able to sympathize with the main character - if your main character is a
The book was insanely repetitive. Chapter after chapter we see:
1) Boss makes crazy demand
2) Andrea ditches her family/friends to do it
3) Andrea fails, boss threatens to fire her
4) Repeat.
Where is the pleasure in that?
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serial killer, let us find SOME way to connect with him. I hated Andrea for the entire book. Leaving her family, her (amazing!) boyfriend, and her best friend in the dust for a terrible boss who makes outrageous demands, just so that she has a shot at a better job in the future is not okay! The book was insanely repetitive. Chapter after chapter we see:
1) Boss makes crazy demand
2) Andrea ditches her family/friends to do it
3) Andrea fails, boss threatens to fire her
4) Repeat.
Where is the pleasure in that?
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LibraryThing member Periodista
I wasn't expecting Jane Smiley. I'm judging it within its genre, but it's still crap. Was there no editing? Assuming there was... Yet more verbal diarrhea was already cut out? This book needs a butcher's knife. This paperback must have 300 pages and the font is very small.
The screenwriters deserve
Such a kid's style of writing, a high school kid at that: Our tiresome heroine can't just send an e-mail and get it back. No, she must see the other person reading it, nodding, writing and then ...aargh! Once you notice that Lauren W throws "just" into just about every sentence, you will never finish. "I was just so fed up. It was just so unfair. If she had just called me ..."
The heroine is never merely tired. She's "tired and exhausted." Single and solitary. Condescending and patronizing. Clear and precise. Every, single. Each and every. Really, really. Literally (rarely used correctly). even, really, conceivably, imaginably, really, very, very, horribly, absolutely. Really flabbergasted. No one just smiles, the person smiles contentedly. In mid-conversation, someone always says something "suddenly" or "quickly." Or whispers "urgently" or hurriedly."
Real hell would be getting stuck in an airport or a beach with only The Devil Wears Prada for distraction.
Let's open a page and see if I'm exaggerating. Page 253: far into the depths. We all know this woman is a b*tch. But Weisberger, like her narrator, has to keep nudging us in the stomach:
"I looked to Emily who looked absolutely baffled, her crinkled forehead making her appear as dumbfounded as I felt. "Did I hear her correctly?" I whispered to Emily, who could do nothing but nod and motion blah blah..."
"I was afraid of this," she whispered gravely, like a surgeon telling a family member something horrible ..blah blah ..."
"She can't be serious blah blah .."
The screenwriters deserve
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extra-special credit for transforming this dross. (The movie is far superior to the book.) I mean, adapting Annie Proulx novella, Brokeback Mountain, to the screen wasn't that much of a stretch.Such a kid's style of writing, a high school kid at that: Our tiresome heroine can't just send an e-mail and get it back. No, she must see the other person reading it, nodding, writing and then ...aargh! Once you notice that Lauren W throws "just" into just about every sentence, you will never finish. "I was just so fed up. It was just so unfair. If she had just called me ..."
The heroine is never merely tired. She's "tired and exhausted." Single and solitary. Condescending and patronizing. Clear and precise. Every, single. Each and every. Really, really. Literally (rarely used correctly). even, really, conceivably, imaginably, really, very, very, horribly, absolutely. Really flabbergasted. No one just smiles, the person smiles contentedly. In mid-conversation, someone always says something "suddenly" or "quickly." Or whispers "urgently" or hurriedly."
Real hell would be getting stuck in an airport or a beach with only The Devil Wears Prada for distraction.
Let's open a page and see if I'm exaggerating. Page 253: far into the depths. We all know this woman is a b*tch. But Weisberger, like her narrator, has to keep nudging us in the stomach:
"I looked to Emily who looked absolutely baffled, her crinkled forehead making her appear as dumbfounded as I felt. "Did I hear her correctly?" I whispered to Emily, who could do nothing but nod and motion blah blah..."
"I was afraid of this," she whispered gravely, like a surgeon telling a family member something horrible ..blah blah ..."
"She can't be serious blah blah .."
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LibraryThing member stacyinthecity
Many people can relate to taking a job that you don't have particular interest in because it will get you ahead at a certain company or industry. People can also relate to working long hours and dealing with demanding bosses. Hopefully none of us will have to deal with them to quite the extent of
It was a fun and entertaining read, but falls short of 4 or 5 stars for the following reasons.
We are told that Andrea is a bright girl - she graduated from a prestigious college and has hopes to work for the New Yorker. She is occasionally referred to as having a lot of intelligence. However, in her actions and speech throughout the book, she does not come off as having above average intelligence. She can also be sarcastic and off putting to the point of being unlikeable, which didn't make sense for Christian, the writer, to want to flirt with her.
I'm not sure how we were supposed to feel about Alex, Andrea's boyfriend. He seemed very one dimensional, and I didn't really care one way or another about the stress the job was putting on their relationship. I also didn't care too much about Lily and couldn't even tell why Andrea and Lily were even friends. This was the case with many of the characters - they were flat and were only included as plot devices. I would understand this for the various other supporting characters, but a handful were very prominent in the story, and it would have been nice if I felt some emotion towards them. As it was, I just didn't care.
So, entertaining chick lit, without much substance. Read for the over the top anecdotes about working for a crazy and unreasonable boss and enjoy it for that. Be thankful your job isn't that bad!
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Andrea in The Devil Wears PradaIt was a fun and entertaining read, but falls short of 4 or 5 stars for the following reasons.
We are told that Andrea is a bright girl - she graduated from a prestigious college and has hopes to work for the New Yorker. She is occasionally referred to as having a lot of intelligence. However, in her actions and speech throughout the book, she does not come off as having above average intelligence. She can also be sarcastic and off putting to the point of being unlikeable, which didn't make sense for Christian, the writer, to want to flirt with her.
I'm not sure how we were supposed to feel about Alex, Andrea's boyfriend. He seemed very one dimensional, and I didn't really care one way or another about the stress the job was putting on their relationship. I also didn't care too much about Lily and couldn't even tell why Andrea and Lily were even friends. This was the case with many of the characters - they were flat and were only included as plot devices. I would understand this for the various other supporting characters, but a handful were very prominent in the story, and it would have been nice if I felt some emotion towards them. As it was, I just didn't care.
So, entertaining chick lit, without much substance. Read for the over the top anecdotes about working for a crazy and unreasonable boss and enjoy it for that. Be thankful your job isn't that bad!
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LibraryThing member lecari
This was on loan from my Mum. I’m not into ‘chick-lit’ anyway, but I’d heard it was meant to be quite funny so thought I’d give it a try (if only for a lack of anything else to read).
However, from the first chapter I disliked the main character. it starts with her having been asked to go
And really, I felt that way throughout the book. Only sometimes did I think her boss was behaving out of line, but then, with such an incompetent assistant, who could blame her for getting exasperated? When you have employed a woman in a job (that, as she quite rightly says, a million girls would die for), it would rather annoy you when your new employee then sighed and muttered to herself whenever you asked her to do a simple enough task, like getting breakfast or getting a coffee from the Starbucks across the street. And she would always chat on her phone, taking 30mins to do a simple, five minute job – no wonder she’d then get nagging phone calls asking where she’s got to, or told to get another because it’s now too cold! I wouldn’t be happy with that either. And the amount of money she wasted on supposed ‘expenses!’ Hardly a star employee.
Once I had begun to dislike the character, it was difficult to really gain any sympathy or enjoy reading it, other than to laugh at the idiocy of her behaviour. I don’t know how she thought she’d be able to handle a high-class journalism job, full of deadlines and pressure to do well, if she can’t manage simple tasks like getting a coffee. As the book progressed, she grew more annoying, becoming obsessed with her job and answering her stupid mobile phone – to the point where her best friend is in a coma, possibly dying, and she goes to a fashion show instead. No wonder her boyfriend dumped her for it; I don’t blame him.
Overall – avoid, avoid, avoid! Apparently the film is better, but it’s not like it could have gotten a whole lot worse! I’m giving it 2/5 because it was quite a page-turner, so obviously the writer did something right to keep me gripped for that long.
However, from the first chapter I disliked the main character. it starts with her having been asked to go
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and collect her boss’s car from the garage, which is a “stick-shift,” and having always driven an automatic, she’s struggling with it. I suppose I could ignore how American that is, if it wasn’t for the fact that she seemed to find the task of driving a car for ten minutes so stressful. And being that you have to use two hands for “stick-shift” cars, and she was struggling anyway, why then light a cigarette, when you know you won’t be able to smoke it? I personally had no sympathy at all when onoes, she’d burnt her leather trousers with it. It was her own silly fault.And really, I felt that way throughout the book. Only sometimes did I think her boss was behaving out of line, but then, with such an incompetent assistant, who could blame her for getting exasperated? When you have employed a woman in a job (that, as she quite rightly says, a million girls would die for), it would rather annoy you when your new employee then sighed and muttered to herself whenever you asked her to do a simple enough task, like getting breakfast or getting a coffee from the Starbucks across the street. And she would always chat on her phone, taking 30mins to do a simple, five minute job – no wonder she’d then get nagging phone calls asking where she’s got to, or told to get another because it’s now too cold! I wouldn’t be happy with that either. And the amount of money she wasted on supposed ‘expenses!’ Hardly a star employee.
Once I had begun to dislike the character, it was difficult to really gain any sympathy or enjoy reading it, other than to laugh at the idiocy of her behaviour. I don’t know how she thought she’d be able to handle a high-class journalism job, full of deadlines and pressure to do well, if she can’t manage simple tasks like getting a coffee. As the book progressed, she grew more annoying, becoming obsessed with her job and answering her stupid mobile phone – to the point where her best friend is in a coma, possibly dying, and she goes to a fashion show instead. No wonder her boyfriend dumped her for it; I don’t blame him.
Overall – avoid, avoid, avoid! Apparently the film is better, but it’s not like it could have gotten a whole lot worse! I’m giving it 2/5 because it was quite a page-turner, so obviously the writer did something right to keep me gripped for that long.
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LibraryThing member melydia
Since the movie was so popular, I probably don't need to mention that this is the story of recent college graduate Andrea Sachs and her year of servitude to Runway Magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. As her time under the thumb of this self-possessed, uber-demanding witch continues, Andrea
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finds all the things she used to cherish - her family, boyfriend, and best friend - slipping away from her. It definitely had its funny moments, but all in all I wasn't too impressed with Andrea. She was snobbish and I was simply not convinced that she or anyone else believed her constant torment as Junior Assistant was really worth a vague possibility that Miranda could get her any job she wished at the end of it (her dream is to work at The New Yorker). I found myself repeatedly wondering why she didn't just quit already. Still, it was a decently light and fun way to pass an otherwise intolerably long commute. But the movie was better. Show Less
LibraryThing member kikianika
I should learn. High society chick lit just isn't for me. But I'd heard so many good things about this book, I felt obliged to give it a shot. I didn't get past the first 5 pages. Not my cup of tea.
LibraryThing member rainbowdarling
"It's not my fault," and "I didn't have any choice" seemed to be the mantra of the main character throughout this book. Her unwillingness to say no at any point and her willingness to set aside all else but work for a job that she didn't even appear to want at any point in the process was a slight
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annoyance to me as a reader, but it worked for the overall storyline. I felt antagonistic toward the main character, and that worked. I really enjoyed reading this book, even after having seen the movie. The book is wonderful. Show Less
LibraryThing member jacketscoversread
I wanted to read one last “summer is here, I just finished finals, don’t make me think” book before I started work yesterday, so I picked The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger off my bookcase to do just that.
I finished The Devil Wear Prada last night and it wasn’t until this morning
Parts of it were laugh-out-loud funny, but the main problem is that Andrea (Andy) isn’t particularly likeable. She neglects her friends, her family, and her boyfriend for this job that she doesn’t really want. The author makes no effort to explore relationships between the protagonist and others at the magazine. And throughout the whole thing I couldn’t help comparing the book and movie .
All in all, this story worked much better as a movie than as a book.
I finished The Devil Wear Prada last night and it wasn’t until this morning
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that I remembered why I never finished the book in the first place. I had some trouble getting into the book in the beginning but after she enters the magazine world I became more interested in her time at Runway. However, towards the end I rapidly began to lose interest again because the book drags on and repeats itself over and over again.Parts of it were laugh-out-loud funny, but the main problem is that Andrea (Andy) isn’t particularly likeable. She neglects her friends, her family, and her boyfriend for this job that she doesn’t really want. The author makes no effort to explore relationships between the protagonist and others at the magazine. And throughout the whole thing I couldn’t help comparing the book and movie .
All in all, this story worked much better as a movie than as a book.
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LibraryThing member kikilon
I should learn. High society chick lit just isn't for me. But I'd heard so many good things about this book, I felt obliged to give it a shot. I didn't get past the first 5 pages. Not my cup of tea.
LibraryThing member debnance
Weisberger was born in 1977; I could be her mother and not even be a teen mom. More and more, I feel an age gap with this new generation...the main character whines about having to work and hates everything.... she finally triumphs by telling the devil boss to buzz off (but, of course, she is more
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bold), in essence, treating the boss the same way as the boss has been treating her. I just couldn't sympathize and I just couldn't find her writing funny.... Show Less
LibraryThing member mazda502001
I was a little disappointed with this book. From the hype I expected it to be funny and a good read but although I read it, it just seemed repetitive all the time. I really could have just as well left it and not bothered reading it.
Back Cover Blurb:
When Andrea first sets foot in the plush
Soon she knows way too much.
She knows it's a sacking offence to wear less than a three-inch heel to work - but there's always a fresh pair of Manolos in the accessories cupboard.
She knows that eight stone is fat. That you can charge anything - cars, manicures, clothes - to the Runway account, but you must never leave your desk, or let Miranda's coffee get cold. That at 3am, when your boyfriend's dumping you because you're always working and your best friend's just been arrested, if Miranda phones with her latest unreasonable demand, you jump.
Most of all, Andrea knows that Miranda is a monster boss who makes Cruella de Vil look like a fluffy bunny. But this is her big break, and it's all going to be worth it in the end.
Isn't it?
Back Cover Blurb:
When Andrea first sets foot in the plush
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Manhattan offices of Runway she knows nothing. She's never heard of the world's most fashionable magazine, or its feared and fawned-over editor, Miranda Priestly.Soon she knows way too much.
She knows it's a sacking offence to wear less than a three-inch heel to work - but there's always a fresh pair of Manolos in the accessories cupboard.
She knows that eight stone is fat. That you can charge anything - cars, manicures, clothes - to the Runway account, but you must never leave your desk, or let Miranda's coffee get cold. That at 3am, when your boyfriend's dumping you because you're always working and your best friend's just been arrested, if Miranda phones with her latest unreasonable demand, you jump.
Most of all, Andrea knows that Miranda is a monster boss who makes Cruella de Vil look like a fluffy bunny. But this is her big break, and it's all going to be worth it in the end.
Isn't it?
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LibraryThing member shejake
This is a delightful novel about the most impossible boss in history. From the start, I can identify with Andrea starting her grown-up life in a new job that doesn't feel quite as good as everyone thinks it should. Convinced that she will find her heart's desire at the end of a year if she can
Fun, exciting, fast paced and not too hard on the brain reading.
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survive a top job at a fashion magazine. Andrea accepts the unacceptable to outrageous and has to decide in the end if it's worth her family and soul.Fun, exciting, fast paced and not too hard on the brain reading.
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LibraryThing member labwriter
OK, I'll be flagged for a "non-review" review. So be it. I'm embarrassed to have this slight, foolish effort in my library. I actually finished this thing, and I could feel the brain cells dying off with every page I turned.
If anyone is really interested in the fashion industry, and believe me,
If anyone is really interested in the fashion industry, and believe me,
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whatever this author says, she certainly used this woman as a model in her book, read the biography of Carmel Snow by Penelope Rowlands. Show Less
LibraryThing member Chase92
The Devil Wears Prada was the first ever adult book I’ve read. I’ve heard a lot of rave reviews for this book, and the news of it being adapted into a movie only made me wanna read it more. Suffice to say, it was a very satisfying and enjoyable read.
The story follows Andrea, an aspiring writer
The first thing that hit me about this novel is how Andrea is presented as a rude and snobbish girl. She wasn’t exactly the kind of protagonist you’d root for. But then the back story explains how Andrea becomes such a bit*h, and that’s when we start to sympathize with her. Miranda certainly proved to be a ‘boss from hell’, and while it was fun reading about her craziness and such, I couldn’t help but feel that her character is a little unrealistic (unless there is someone in this world as crazy and demanding as Miranda Priestly).
Throughout the novel, Weisberger makes fun of the people involved in the fashion industry (like how they’re all skinny and fabulous). Her writing is descriptive and stylish, never failing to capture the essence of the characters and present the conflict between Andrea and Miranda. There are strong themes of balancing the line between personal and professional, and it only served to add depth to the plot.
Overall, The Devil Wears Prada is a refreshing and hilarious debut, and a must-read for everyone!
The story follows Andrea, an aspiring writer
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fresh out of college who lands a dream job as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile editor of Runway magazine. Andrea soon finds herself thrust into a world of high-fashion and scrutiny, where the slightest mistake (fashion or otherwise) can get you to the bottom of the food chain. At the same time, she has to deal with Miranda, who’s proved to be a crazy boss with some very outrageous demands. The first thing that hit me about this novel is how Andrea is presented as a rude and snobbish girl. She wasn’t exactly the kind of protagonist you’d root for. But then the back story explains how Andrea becomes such a bit*h, and that’s when we start to sympathize with her. Miranda certainly proved to be a ‘boss from hell’, and while it was fun reading about her craziness and such, I couldn’t help but feel that her character is a little unrealistic (unless there is someone in this world as crazy and demanding as Miranda Priestly).
Throughout the novel, Weisberger makes fun of the people involved in the fashion industry (like how they’re all skinny and fabulous). Her writing is descriptive and stylish, never failing to capture the essence of the characters and present the conflict between Andrea and Miranda. There are strong themes of balancing the line between personal and professional, and it only served to add depth to the plot.
Overall, The Devil Wears Prada is a refreshing and hilarious debut, and a must-read for everyone!
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LibraryThing member SimoneA
This book is not a bad read, when you are looking for something light. But I just couldn't find sympathy for the main character, Andrea. I guess she was too victim-y for me. If you hate your job so much, just quit. There will be other ways to reach your goal in life!
LibraryThing member BMK
Will LT allow you to review and give it no stars at all, because that's what I felt like doing. I guess I'll find out. After all the hype and a motion picture being made of it, I found a copy at my local library's book sale. I should have saved the 50 cents it cost me. Overworked/abused assistant,
I took pity on this "book" and gave it half a star since the printing was clear, the font pleasant and they did manage to get it right side up between the covers.
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over-bearing sadist of a boss, can/will young love survive? will the protagonist find her backbone?: pretty much every tired, vapid, over-used plot point from every soap opera and sit-com produced in the last 20 years was dragged in and dragged around in an effort to fill up pages. Add to that a protagonist whose main attribute seems to be whining. A good book will make you think or make your imagination soar; all this one did was leave me with a strong urge to smack most of the characters upside the head. I suppose it might be mildly palatable to those who are obsessed with fashion (the author drops every name in the fashion industry. Constantly. Relentlessly. Often pointlessly.)--I'm not and the only thing the book left me with was a regret for the time I wasted reading this book. Oh! And a reminder of a Dorothy Parker book review: "This is not a book to be set aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force." I took pity on this "book" and gave it half a star since the printing was clear, the font pleasant and they did manage to get it right side up between the covers.
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LibraryThing member echoesofstars
Andrea Sachs' first post-college job is a junior assistant for an impossible boss in the world of trendy high-fashion. She clearly doesn't fit in, but finds herself succumbing to the brainwashing and the self-depreciating effects that her peers' and boss' belittling comments create. In the process,
The book is a quick read - a little tediously long in the middle, but very satisfying when Andrea finally stands up to her boss. The ending is spectacularly written, almost subtly poetic. The last chapter gently lets you back down again into the real everyday world after careening at breakneck speed through the twists and turns of the fictional fashion world that Weisberger so aptly creates.
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she neglects her relationships with those she truly loves, which produces much guilt-ridden internal and external conflict.The book is a quick read - a little tediously long in the middle, but very satisfying when Andrea finally stands up to her boss. The ending is spectacularly written, almost subtly poetic. The last chapter gently lets you back down again into the real everyday world after careening at breakneck speed through the twists and turns of the fictional fashion world that Weisberger so aptly creates.
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LibraryThing member virtualdummy27
There is no fashion knowledge in this novel and the characters show no rationality. This book proves that anybody can become a bestselling author.
LibraryThing member bibliophile26
I found this book to be hilarious in parts although completely predictable. As per usual, I much preferred the book to the film version.
LibraryThing member MsNikki
For chick lit, this disappointed me. Allegedly this is about Anna Wintour, editor of Vogue Magazine...well Anna might be a b*tch, but that b*tch sure knows fashion.
LibraryThing member bethmal
I have not seen the movie yet but loved every page of this book. It brought me back to some of the first jobs I had after college. Very funny and relatable.
LibraryThing member frolicsome_kid
This book is so much better than the movie. There are many differences between the book and the movie, and I prefer the book.
LibraryThing member buckeyeaholic
There is NO job worth what she put up with! I wouldn't have lasted a week! Neither would my boss! Hilarious
LibraryThing member iamagirldork
I've been reading some fun books lately and this falls into that category.
I didn't think I would like this book, but I really did. Once again, it is typical chick lit with the stupid girl unable to stand up for herself. What I loved the most about this book, though, was it made me want to shred
I didn't think I would like this book, but I really did. Once again, it is typical chick lit with the stupid girl unable to stand up for herself. What I loved the most about this book, though, was it made me want to shred
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it, throw it, stomp on it, and burn it. Any book that makes me feel any kind of strong emotion is fun in my world. Show Less
LibraryThing member hannahosh
Ugh, this book gave me a headache! It was lame situation after lame situation where the main character was worked to the ground, verbally abused, and treated like dirt. I read maybe the first 200 pages and then skipped the the end, because I was sick of reading basically the crap over and over.
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Save yourself the trouble and rent the movie. It's a decent enough adaptation. Show Less
ISBN
038550926X / 9780385509268