Monday, September 29, 2014

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger

The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger
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.



4 comments:

  1. 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!).

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  2. I 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.

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  3. I'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.

    Good review!

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  4. 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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