I don't get it. This book was terrible! I hated the protagonist. She whined her way through the book and I didn't blame people for disliking her. She was that way from the start. I can't imagine a more boring book about fashion. But there were clever quips etc. just watch the movie. They into bed everything. Try THE KNOCKOFF by Lucy Sykes. Much better

God have mercy, I finally finished this horrific book! Honestly, it wasn't so bad, just tedious and repetitive. I picked it because (a) the movie was coming out and (b) I recognized the title as a popular book, albeit a couple years ago. The premise to the book is that a young woman takes a Junior Assistant position at a high-fashion magazine and the She-Devil who runs the show. The movie had the same premise, but that's practically where the similarities end.

Andrea Sachs takes the job, even though her dream job is an Editor position for the New Yorker Magazine, with the promise of getting said dream job much easier after devoting a year of her life to Miranda Priestly (the She-Devil). One year is all it'll take to bypass several years of grovelling, or so she is led to believe. But the year is spent instead in the most belittling, degrading and de-humanizing environment that, frankly, pissed me off more than the main character.

If you've seen the movie, dont' think you know the book. Meryl Streep is overly demanding, despicable, and down-right evil to snarky, quirky Anne Hathaway. Eventually Anne's character loses her fashion victim status and transforms into one of her dreaded Clackers. She reaches a point where she understands Meryl's character -- even sympathizes but makes a break when enough's enough.

Andrea, instead, distances herself from the fashionistas, makes futile spiteful jabs at Miranda and Co. at every chance, and still loses herself. She doesn't become the trendy girl (not until she's far from the scene) but does lose her identity by placing the needs of a neurotic insomniac before herself, her friends, and her family. The book delves into her relationships on a completely differnt level (actually the movie doesn't even touch them). Let's do a short list of comparisions, shall we?

n  
n  n   
n    n       The book

Andrea has a steady boyfriend Ales, and lives with her best friend from childhood, Lily
Takes the job because it's the only magazine in New York that offered an interview
Puts her personal life on hold to be the beck-and-call girl for a Bitch
Meets a hot writer who is totally jonesing for her and offers her several opportunities to, ahem improve her social standing
She kinda ignores her failing love life and her best friend's alcohol addiction until it's too late to reverse either
Goes to Paris with Miranda because the Sr. Assistant gets Mono
When is Paris she gets the call that her best friend's drinking caused a terrible accident and she must come home
Finally has her fill and tells Miranda off, then gets fired
Kinda blah ending in which she gets freelance work and gets to waltz back into the Runway office for a potential writing assignment

n    n   
n    n       The movie n      
n       n        
n         Andrea lives with her boyfriend, and has a small group of friends, one of which happens to be a black girl we could assume is Lily n        
n         Takes the job because it was available n        
n         Puts her personal life on hold to be the beck-and-call girl for a Bitch n        
n         Meets a hot writer who keeps popping up in her life when she desperately needs help and a little pick me up, flirt-wise n        
n         Her boyfriend eventually gets fed up and sorta calls for a 'break' n        
n         Goes to Paris with Miranda because the Sr. Assistant gets hit by a car and is then fired (by Andrea) because her mind is too adled when sick at an event to immediately recall a guest's name n        
n         Discovers a plot to overthrow Miranda (after she recently viewed a vunerable side) and does her best to warn her, only to learn Miranda knew all along and didn't need her help. This is when she decides she's had enough and litterally walks off the job  n        
n         Happy ending ensues with her getting a crap job and, unknowingly is seen by Miranda, who approves of her own fashion sense n        
n       n      
n    n   
n  n  
n

If I had read the book then saw the movie, I think I would have been pissed off at the screenwriters. As it was, I did the opposite, but am still pissed. I thought the book sucked large portions of ass. There was quite a bit that was humorous, I'll grant you and the author that much, but it was so repetitive when describing her tasks (which I guess was the point) that I simply felt beat down. Gotta give that to her: she did know how to make her readers relate to her misery.

Did I like the book? No.

Would I read another by her? Not likely.

Would I recommend the book to others? Not a chance. Go rent the movie and at least laugh at it all.

It's funny how you forget about a book. I read this when it first came out 10 years ago and thought it was a fast, fluffy read, but nothing else really stuck w/ me. Then, I saw the movie and thought "I know it's been a while, but I really don't remember all this happening" - so, when I saw the book on the charity table, I figured it's only a quid, why not.

Criminey, the things you forget - like what a whiney and generally unlikeable person the main character is. She bitches, she moans and she essentially steals from the company and we're supposed to like her?? It's the "something for nothing" mentality that really drags the book down - she seems to think that she can do a year as an admin and it's worth 3 years anywhere else - but somehow, that isn't going to involve work.

I'll finish it, but I'll also put it back on the charity pile w/o a backwards glance.

I read this a few years ago, and still remember what a rollicking good ride it was. I was mesmerized by the horror. It was like watching a train wreck in slow motion. In a good way, that is. I'm sure there's a good way to watch a train wreck if we think about it long enough.

In the interest of full disclosure, I spent several years in what we shall charitably call the fashion industry. So young, insecure, underpaid, working for creative tyrants, living on coffee and celery, and not being able to afford the clothes one must wear (and loves) whilst working 12 - 14 hour shifts are familiar memories from my younger days. So is fear of boss after boss after boss. Abject fear. if there was ever a time in your life when you worked in high-end retail or designer fashions, this one's for you.

I likely will never read another Weisberger novel. I generally eschew chick lit and whiny protagonists. But The Devil Wears Prada was a 5-star read for me.

While my cousin and I were rummaging through the stacks of books in Booksale, she found this and coaxed me into buying it. It was one of those overrated books out there, so I thought it would be good, plus my cousin likes it, hence, I added it to my purchases.


Andrea Sachs or “Andy” was a girl fresh out of college from Brown. She landed a job in a successful fashion magazine, Runway, as a junior-assistant for Miranda Priestly, the Editor-in-chief of the said magazine. Instead, her heaven sent job that “a million girls would die for” turned out to be a living nightmare. Miranda was a bitch extraordinaire, and just outrageously crazy. Andy endured all the ridiculous tasks such as sending Miranda’s clothes to the dry cleaner, coffee runs, getting the latest out-of-stores-yet Harry Potter books, and other downright ludicrous errands—in hoping that a year as Miranda’s assistant will open the doors to her dream of becoming a writer in The New Yorker.


It took me a while to finish this. I didn't like the protagonist and the plot. It was very repetitive and the conflict didn't happen until you only have a few pages to read.

3.5 stars



In Defense of Miranda Priestly
The premise of this novel as most know it is OMG, my boss is a total dragon lady!!!, but I think that is both an unfair assumption and oversimplification. Little background is given of the title character other than she grew up in a lower class family, changed her name, and worked her way up the corporate ladder to her current position as editor-in-chief. The audience isn’t given much more than that to round out her character, though Meryl Streep gives her depth in the movie adaptation—which isn’t saying much since Streep could star in the biography of a paper bag and still win an Oscar. #Queen

Instead, we see Anna Wintour Miranda Priestly through the doe eyes of Andrea “Andy” Sachs, who doesn’t realize that perhaps she is the real antagonist of the novel. Through her own confession she has no clue about the company nor her potential boss when she takes on the role of Miranda’s 2nd assistant, nor does she seem to really care. While her coworkers at Runway are said to be vapid and stuck up, they have a much better work ethic than the lazy Andy who complains about every part of her job (except all the perks, of which there are plenty). She is ungrateful for the experience and the contacts she gains while doing Miranda’s errands, instead she focuses on moaning about having to actually earn her dues. I see her as an unreliable narrator since nearly all of her commentary comes from the place of entitlement.


Priestly is cast as the villain because she is difficult and demands efficiency, though one could argue that this book wouldn’t be given nearly the mileage or popularity if the accusations hurled against her were by a male main character instead of speshul snowflake Andy. There is a trope in modern culture that women in leadership positions have to fight double standards for acting the same way as their male counterparts, and this is never touched upon in the novel. Can Miranda be cold and condescending at times? Yes, however it is important to understand how much she has accomplished, her worth to the magazine and the fashion world, and the respect she has garnered in the industry. She wouldn’t have gotten where she was if she didn’t have talent and gumption.


If there’s an unlikeable character here, it’s unappreciative Andy who doesn’t like that she has to live outside the bubble she grew up in. While she keeps being reminded that hers is a job that “a million girls would die for” and that working for Miranda for a year would save her 3-5 years of experience elsewhere, she decides to blow up at her boss in the 11th hour. While the author was probably looking for the audience to cheer at the childish outburst of “Fuck you, Miranda. Fuck you.” (p. 342) and the resulting flouncing from Paris, I found this tantrum to be déclassé and further proof of Andy’s wanton unprofessionalism.

Protagonist, Andy Sachs recently graduated from college and thus after a nice period of relaxation and partying she feels obliged to submit some resumes and applications to anything that may be remotely aligned with her studies (she wants to get her first job after college over with, assuming that first job can be the worst). After applying at a ton of companies she gets one call back at "Elias-Clark" who just so happens to be the publisher of one of the most famous fashion magazines in the world. "Runway". And guess what? She gets it! She is the second assistant to one of the most famous and infamous editors in the fashion world. Miranda Priestly.
This is a job that "A million girls would die for". Unfortunately Miranda Priestly is probably the meanest task master on this planet. However, Andy has been lead to believe that if she can survive one year of working for this villainess she will have her ticket signed for any job in the publishing business (she dreams of writing for the "New Yorker") But can she put everything in her life (boyfriend, friends and family) on hold to make it through this one year?

I surprisingly (this is certainly not my genre, I'm not even sure what genre it is), really enjoyed this story. I think it had all to do with the author Lauren Weisberger's ability to keep the characters relevant and congruent throughout the story. Everything they did was on par for their personas. And totally followed their character development. You may not like who, they are but they feel real.
Indeed the story covers the highly esoteric parlance of fashion and fashion brands and it tends to repeat these details, but overall it's a really good and congruent story.

3.5 to 4 stars.

It's rather funny that this is the second book i finished it the exact same time as the first time I read it. First finished it in 14 december 2017 and did the same today. It was a decent read, didn't love it but didn't hate it either. I was curious to give it another go as I heard nothing but raving things for the movie and I'm more of a book person.

I finally finished this horrific
book!

I picked it because the
movie was awesome and the actors did exceptionally well!! But the book is very much girly and found it as an amateur work!! The narration was very dull and moreover it is very repetitive!! The author was very firm to amass the book with more no. of pages rather than trying to present in a readable way!!

If u watch the movie first, u will definitely find the book very much DISAPPOINTING!!

*Choices*

**3.5 Stars**

This is about a feared and revered Runway magazine editor Miranda Priestly. She is a no nonsense, unreasonable, impatient and everything must be done in seconds kind of person.

Andrea goes for an interview as a junior assistant/lackey to Miranda and gets the job but is quickly learning that working for her is more than a full time job. It takes over her life and what spurs Andrea on is that this job could possibly be a stepping stone to her dream job of going into publishing and it is for only one year. As everyone says it’s a job that “anyone would die for”

Andrea starts to change and not in the best way, all her relationships are suffering such as her boyfriend, best friend and she never calls or sees her family, this is because she fears getting sacked. The job is all about image and even the heel heights are compulsory wearing anything lower than 3 inches you are out.

When her closet friend is in the hospital due to a serious accident while Andrea is working for Miranda in France her family expect her to quickly hop on a plane.
Andrea is thinking of work and her commitments is she doing the right thing? Can she keep up with Miranda’s intolerable behaviour or will she wake up and stand up for herself….

Not my usual fare but a pretty good book about a young woman who has a high stress job as a personal assistant for a very important and impossible boss.

Andrea, as the main character, was drawn well and highly relatable. Miranda, as the boss from hell, was superficially drawn but still relatable.

The author doesn’t resort to any clever plot twists, murder etc so she should get some props for writing a linear, readable novel composed mainly of dialogue. The inevitable train wreck with Miranda can be seen coming in the first few pages.

This book reminds me of the Witches of Eastwick in the sense that the story line isn’t one that I am eager to continue in a sequel. The point of the book was made, that was satisfying enough for me.

“Millions of girls would die for this job”

OK, I know what you’re saying, “you’re that knuckle dragging redneck from Tennessee, what’re YOU doing reading about high fashion in New York and Paris”???

Fair question. I’d say it’s important to read different books, try on diverse genres from talented writers I’ve never explored before, think outside the box. My wife bought the 2006 David Frankel film starring Meryl Streep and I’ve seen it multiple times and liked it. The book seemed interesting, fresh and vibrant.

And it was. Lauren Weisberger’s prose is witty and endearing, funny but also poignant. I liked her erudite use of language, she can turn a phrase with the best of them.

For any out there who don’t know what this is all about, quick summary: college grad with aspirations of being a writer lucks into “the dream job” as the personal assistant to the editor of Runway magazine, a thinly disguised roman e clef about Vogue magazine and Weisberger’s time there. Most notably it is about her off-the-charts difficult boss, Miranda Priestly.

Fans of the film, and especially of Streep’s superb portrayal of Miranda (she was nominated for an Oscar but that award went to Helen Mirren) will know about the diabolically aloof and condescending editor. But Streep’s performance and Frankel’s direction gave us a more human character. For all her cold heartedness, Streep’s Miranda is ultimately approachable and strangely likeable. Weisberger’s Miranda is a Nietzschean machine, ruthless to the core, reminiscent of Jack London’s Death Larson (the more purely evil brother to Wolf Larson).

Ironically, Weisberger’s Andy is not as likeable. While Anne Hathaway’s role gave us a vulnerable and dynamic portrayal, Weisberger’s protagonist is not just seduced by a demanding job with a domineering boss, but she is demonstrably self-centered to boot. And the whining about the fashion job got old by the end of the novel making me want to scream “fer Chistsakes either work or quit!”

More than the surface story, though, this book made me wonder about our propensity towards hero worship. Why do we put up with arrogance and pitilessness? Weisberger notes how teenage girls (and grown women) fall over themselves for Miranda, Runway and fashion in general. Why? And guys, you’re not off the hook either. How many boys and men (and men who act like boys) will damn near grovel for sports stars? For all the ridiculous sums paid for a Louis Vuitton product, how many testosterone and beer soaked males drop big bucks for tickets and sports apparel? Why would we stand in line and pay hard earned money to people who care nothing for us and don’t even pretend to?

Weisberger also makes me think about and question our work ethic. Andy’s new job takes all of her time and energy and causes riffs in her relationships with family and friends. Certainly work and a career is vitally important, but so are bonds of affection and through Andy we can get a glimpse at priority and what is important.

Good book.