Rating: 
Summary: Highly entertaining diary of a big whiner
Review: The Devil Wears Prada is a very entertaining book about life in the world of fashion media. A quick, fun read it is perfect for a long air flight or a lazy day at the beach.Having said that it is also somewhat disturbing to read page after page of the complaints of a disgruntled ex-employee. I keep wondering if the author realizes that she is not a slave and instead chose to work for the tyrannical Miranda Priestly, a thinly veiled caricature of Vogue's Anna Wintour. Though I was charmed to take a peak into the world of high fashion publishing, I kept wondering what a nightmare it must have been to hire a know nothing assistant who took this invaluable life experience and turned it into a rant against the impossible boss. Life is tough Ms.Weisberger. No job worth having is easy. I applaud your efforts to turn a miserable experience into a fun read, but get over yourself. There is no such thing as free couture. Instead of complaining incessantly, I wish you had seen the experience for what it was worth: a crash course in the insanity of working in NYC.
Rating: 
Summary: Revenge-Lit Gone Wrong
Review: If you're at all familiar with Ms. Weisberger's background (as a former assistant to Vogue editor Anna Wintour, the apparent "Devil" in question of the book's title), then you might figure her work as just the latest of the Revenge-Lit novels that often come from first-time novelists.
The book has all the makings of one, despite the author's evasions on the subject: young, green Andrea Sachs, fresh out of college, realizes that she'll need to get a job. She literally stumbles upon a job opening at the fictional Runway magazine and by her description is practically forced into employment as the assistant to the highly demanding, British-accented Miranda Priestly. She claims to have literary asperations and zero interest in fashion, so immediately she sets her self apart from (above, actually) her new colleagues. Thus, Andrea is terrorized, humiliated, dehumanized and demoralized on a regular basis. She gets sucked further and further into the void of non-stop cell phones, lattes, designer clothes, equally-terrified-yet-still-superior co-workers, while at the same time she's slowly drifting away from her family, loyal boyfriend and unstable roomie, all of whom seem to depend solely upon her for their survival. Andrea endures the tug-of-war between the two sides in the hope that a year of servitude under Ms. Priestly will lead to a job at the New Yorker (!). At least, that's why she TELLS us she's doing it... Weisberger paints her narrator as a rebel who resists the lure of the fashion world as long as she can, until it begins to permeate her self conscious (against her will, of course), but it doesn't ring true. She wants to fit in, she wants to be measured by her new employer's standards - and to measure UP. She enjoys the thousands of dollars in designer clothes tossed her way, the on-demand car service, the access to New York's most exclusive restaurants and to her new, rarefied world in general. The book's biggest weakness is that Andrea never admits it. The simultaneous attraction/revulsion to the thing that's slowly driving her crazy is perhaps the one thing a reader might relate to most easily. She complains about her forced trip to Paris with Miranda, then doesn't understand why her family isn't more 'excited' for her. She suffers a particularly brutal tongue-lashing from her boss and only moments later, her hands still shaking from the assault, she peers out the window of her limo and enjoys the sight of all the exclusive designer boutiques lining the streets of Paris. "I could get used to this," she thinks to herself. Bizarre, yes, but who hasn't believed they could focus on the perks involved in a loathed job, in order to minimize the misery? There's very little perspective at all in the book, no real feeling that Andrea can look back at either herself or her tormentors with any sort of objectivity. She's the victim, Miranda's the victimizer and both of them (along with every other character in the novel) are about as realized as paper dolls. So as Revenge-Lit, the book comes up short. For it to work, we would have needed to be on Andrea's side, to recognize her suffering as something similar to our own. Instead, you'll just end up wondering why she didn't quit.
Rating:
Summary: Fluffy, fluff with an interesting title
Review: I was curious about this book becuz I love the high-fashion world combined with publishing, but this book was definitely not worth the money! Although the antics and topsy-turvy world of Andrea had me curious, after a few chapters I wanted to ask her if she thought a job fresh out of school would be all sweetness and smiles... Wake up! If you are going to work in the Big Apple in the competitive field of high fashion, it isn't going to be a cake walk and oh, please, oh please stop all the moaning about what a poor abused assistant you are....we have all been there, climbing the ladder rung by rung!
Rating:
Summary: Trendy read and just as fleeting!
Review: Fashionistas around the globe have been salivating for the publication of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADAsince its first announcement. For those in love with all things Vogue et.al., who wouldn't want to read a deliciously biting roman a clef about a woman who is probably Anna Wintour and then some? Alas, that's the problem with the book, it only caters to those in the fashion know, which results in a shallow exercise of style over substance. While author Lauren Weisberger has a grasp of sustaining a narrative, but the predictable scenarios she concocts are hardly the stuff of good fiction or, sadly, biting satire. Bitchy asides and brand names are stretched thin, for sure. Even worse, her alter ego, Andrea, is too bland a creation for the reader to really care about. Her ambition is not telegraphed with any real force since all I kept thinking was why stick it out in a thankless job that is beyond demeaning? Is being a writer at the New Yorker that important? I'm sure it is for the character, but Ms. Weisberger's colorless prose fails to register such details with depth. As for the infamous character of Miranda Priestly, I know plenty of folks like this woman. Hell, I even worked for one. The only real joy generated by this novel was smiling over what a complete and total virago she remains throughout the book. I also loved how Weisberger captured the absolute absurdity of such fields like fashion and other show business enterprises that rely so heavily on image. The worlds she creates are definitely based on some sort of fact, but it is unfortunate the she didn't take such an interest in her overall plot or characters. Perhaps my dissatisfication in the novel stems from something greater. As "chick lit" continues to fill our minds and best seller charts, does the world need one more "Mary Tyler Moore-clone taking on the world on her terms kind of heroine?"
British sensation Helen Fielding offered some reality and humanity to the hip and happening world of Bridget Jones. However, Andrea Sachs is no Bridget Jones and the short-lasting effects of this novel makes you wonder why can't us Yankees create such a vivid piece of fiction! Ultimately, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is Diet coke for the brain. To be honest, I am tiring of our current fascination with excess, entitlement and shallowness. This hotly hyped novel implodes before its predictable "up yours" finale. Like the fashion magazines it lampoons -- it's all about really pretty pictures with ultimately very little to say.
Rating: 
Summary: Ugggh
Review: A few hundred pages of drivel. A complete hack job that reads like it was written by an opportunistic twit who had this idea on her third day at Vogue, thinks she is a far more talented writer than she actually is, and thinks that she is a far more profound individual and thinker than she happens to be..... The thinly veiled aspect is kind of embarrassing -- inserting Anna Wintour as a peripheral character in an attempt to be all "Look! It's FICTION" makes you want to sit her down and tell her "sweetheart, you've gone this far, there's no saving your tail at this point...." Skip it. The whole project casts a ghastly pallor on her moral fiber in the first place, but the Anna Wintour celebrity industrial complex needs to be stopped anyway. Not only that, but Miss LW comes off SO entirely high and mighty in her various media appearances -- as if she is doing the world a literary service by writing trash -- that it makes me want to hide the copies of this around every bookstore I go into just so people can't find it......
Rating:
Summary: I hated this book...
Review: This is a really stupid book. I bought it after thinking about what I wanted to read this summer (I always make lists of books I want to read over the summer before it begins). I decided it might be fun in get into more chick-lit(ish) type of books, because they are charectorized as being light, fun and airy, and sounded like perfect summer reads. This would be the first of its kind I would read. I would be dissapointed. I, like the many other people who read this book,was snagged by the tite and idea that we'd find out what it was like to be behind the scenes of a chic,top-selling fashion magazine. What I got was a array of complaints and an EXTREMEly annoying charector. The narrator Andrea is soppoused to be smart and sarcastically witty, but I just found her annoying. The errands her boss sends her on are not as over-the-top as the book jacket suggests. She has to get her coffe, drop off some clothes, and call a few people. Now, im not saying that I wouldint mind having to do these same things day after day, but it's really not enough to complain in a whole BOOK about. Also, this book is just plain CORNY at times. Esp. when her boy-freind Alex is involved. I must admit that I couldin't read the whole book; not only because it was so boring, but also because I litterally had an allegric reaction to the pages it was printed on, so I don't know if im fully qualified to review this book. I only got to chapter 11, but from what I read, I wouldin't reccomend this book. I WOULD reccomend "The Nannie Diaries", which is somewhat similar in the way it's about working for the rich, but is MUCH better. I just finished it tonight, and was very happy with it!
Rating:
Summary: Weisberger must have signed something over to the devil
Review: (...) Paint-by-the-numbers plot that reads like a third-rate gossip column stretched out over a couple hundred pages; a bland, boring protagonist who's a thinly disguised stand-in for the author herself; two-dimensional characterizations; and trite plot "twists" that don't surprise anyone: this novel manages to hit every trendy bar on its way down the Bad Novel Cliche Street. And most irritating of all (to me, anyway), the arbitrary dismissal of anyone from below the Mason-Dixon as an ignorant, tacky, stupid redneck with an unintelligible accent and no fashion sense (despite the fact that her insipid heroine is supposed to be an aspiring writer for "The New Yorker" and therefore above such trivial concerns as fashion). (...)
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining
Review: The title is catchy, unfortunately, the book itself failed to live up to its captivating title. The narratives tend to drag a bit, which makes the story dreary at times. The readers will also found themselves being bombarded by designer names, and will also get an extensive lesson in what to buy, what to wear, and what is the acceptable brands to buy. After reading the book, even the least fashion savvy person would know that when you want the perfect wrap dress, you should go for Diane Von Furstenberg, the sexy strappy sandles, Jimmy Choo of course, and the famous scarf, please head straight to Hermes. Although the story is not what I expected, it was nevertheless, extremely entertaining, and fun. It's great for recent college graudates, girls who can never get tired of hearing about designer labels and the fabulous world of fashion magazines, and most importantly, this book is perfect for those who believe that no matter how harsh life can be, it will always have somewhat of a perfect ending.
Rating:
Summary: This reinstates my vow to avoid best seller list books.
Review: I swore off "best seller fluff" long ago, but this book had been lurking around the list for so long, thought I'd give this new author a try. Well, dang, just more fluff. The writing is not so bad, but where oh where is any semblance of a plot? I kept on reading, thinking something was bound to happen eventually. Totally lame ending, totally lame book.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Read for the Beach or the Pool!
Review: This is a great book if you read it for what is---fun reading for the beach and similar venues, plus some insight into the fashion world. I read this book on a raft while sipping a frozen margarita, and it really fit the bill. Deep reading this book is not, but the story is highly entertaining. For those of you who live and read in saner parts of the country, Lauren Weisberger really hit the mark on this one. It was fun mentally comparing notes as I read and laughed through the book. I have known other Mirandas (female and male) in other fields, and in a past life lived in a ritzy DC suburb where some of them also lived. There really ARE Mirandas who make these types of demands on their help without any regard or kindness in return, folks. I once knew a local Miranda who liked to gather her wannabes around her for regular worship while she rattled her jewels and burned out a new nanny every year... This is great catty entertainment!
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