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I finished The Devil Wear Prada last night. I had some trouble getting into the book, those first descriptions of Andrea's adventures before joining the magazine were really not that interesting to me. After she enters the magazine world I became more interested in her relationship with everyone else. Meaning I'm not that into fashion so some people might actually appreciate the fashion angle in this book more than me.
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.
After Andrea starts working at the magazine she has to deal with her boss's impossible requests, rude manners and every hour calls. She feels compelled to try to answer every request because everyone tells her that after one year of putting up with Miranda Priestly she will be able to choose the job she wants.
As the action progresses Andrea is more and more into the Runway spirit, where everybody wears designers clothes, is sickly thin and lives in fear of the boss. Her relationship with Priestly's Senior Assistant Emily shows exactly that - either Emily is defending her boss and her rudeness or, when she is also a target, she is bad mouthing her in secret.
Although she becomes more of a Runway girl Andrea keeps herself focused on the real job she wants - to write for The New Yorker, and can't resist sometimes feeling superior to everyone else who works for the magazine. With that goal in mind she keeps accepting Miranda's demands thus hurting her relationship with family and friends. The climax come during a trip to Paris where Andrea is preparing to help Miranda organise a party even though her best friend is cometose in the hospital. Miranda makes one more impossible demand - to removate her daughter's passports in 3 hours - and Andrea finally tells her F*** ***.
That's the end of the job and she comes home to be with friends and family even if her relationship with her boyfriend is already damaged.
I thought this was a fun book to read after I made through those first pages because Miranda's rudeness and everyone else's reaction too it are actually really fun and make for some LOL moments.
However once you close the book there's really nothing that stands out. As an example of chick lit I think it lacks some growth of the main character, in the end Andrea only learned to dress herself better and maybe to pay better attention to her family. But she already had her own set of values and principles at the beginning of the book.
A C+.
Have you watched the movie version, Ana? I'm thinking this one, being so unsubstantial, might work better in that format...
ReplyDeleteI read this book some time ago and wasn't impressed. As you said, there is nothing really in it. Some of the parts drag, some scenes are a constant repetition of the others, etc. The movie is similar, I'm afraid, though Meryl Streep as Miranda is amazing!
ReplyDeleteRo,
ReplyDeleteno, I haven't seen the movie but I think you're right. All that fashion must work a lot better when we can see it.
So Jo you recommend just for Meryl Streep alone eh? I'm going to have to get the DVD :-)
Ana,
ReplyDeleteI read the book and I was very disappointed with it and then a friend of mine saw the movie and told me to go see it. She was right, it was funny and had much more energy than the book... Meryl Streep is the body and soul of that movie. She is fabulous!:)