Published: April 2013 by Doubleday Publishing
Narrated by Rachel Leigh Cook
Source: why yes I did buy both the book and the audiobook...again
Publisher's Summary:
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.
My Thoughts:
I can't even count the number of times Miss H and I have watched the movie adaptation of this book so it was hard to get the image of Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, and Emily Blount out of my head as I listened to this book. Honestly? I never did - not even when the descriptions of the characters didn't match those images at all. And I was okay with that.
While I found that the movie adaptation has stuck pretty close to the book source, particularly in tone, there were some differences. The nightmare that is Miranda Priestly and the cold-heart that is Emily (Miranda's other assistant) in the book were really amped up in the movie. I didn't like Miranda any better in the book but it was easier to warm to Emily.
It was less easy to warm to Andrea's boyfriend and friend in the book. I get that her job had become all-consuming and she just didn't have time for them. But, in the book, their biggest beefs seemed to come from being unable to get ahold of Andrea during the day, a time of day that most of us wouldn't expect others to be able to just stop what they're doing at work to talk to us. Even in the movie I found them to be a bit annoying, unable to understand that the job was what it was and Andrea had made a commitment to stick it out for the year. Christian (played so charmingly by Simon Baker in the movie) played a smaller role in the book and had no impact in the "straw that broke the camel's back" the ended Andrea's career at Runway and Andrea's parents played a much larger role.
Rachel Leigh Cook, as the narrator, conveyed the wit and snarkiness of the book perfectly. I definitely enjoyed this book, it's just plain fun, and it was just the right "read" to cleanse my listening palate.
I remember enjoying this one and was excited for the film to come out (and I loved it even more than the book!). I read the sequel and thought it was pretty good. Definitely not what I expected, but made for a good read. Check it out if you get the chance - you get to see Andi and Emily as BFFs and more. I'm glad you liked this one and I'm with you - why were her friends and BF bugging her over working so much (its called work for a reason!).
ReplyDeleteI enjoy the movie, but haven't read the book. To be honest, the book doesn't appeal to me that much. I think it has more to do with my lack of interest in the fashion world than anything else. I am glad to hear it mostly follows the book and that the book is enjoyable as well.
ReplyDeleteI've watched the movie countless times with my daughters too! Love it. Sounds like the book would be a fun read--I liked your cleansing palate remark. Sometimes you need something easy, fun, gossipy, and modern to balance out the heavy stuff.
ReplyDeleteGood review!
I've been wanting to read this one but haven't gotten to it yet. I haven't even seen the movie which I know is hard to believe. The book definitely sounds fun despite the not-friend friends. I'll have to keep in mind next time I need a palate cleanser!
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