Rating: 
Summary: Extremely disappointing
Review: I was looking forward to a fun read, a la The Nanny Diaries, but this book is so vile and angry, I finally gave up on page 109. The "author's" agenda against her former boss is very clear, yet it is delivered without any wit or intelligence. It just seems like a mean-spirited catharsis for a whiny, narcissistic wannabe. Yuck! This one will be donated to my son's online store- I don't want it on my bookshelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Read
Review: The Devil Wears Prada was an absolute great read. I found it quite funny and interesting before discovering the author, Lauren Weisburger's story behind it. It's nice to see young women telling stories from their point of view in the workforce. It sure made me remember how hard I worked not even five years ago. While reading the book, I also began to look at hard working "invisible" people differently and with more appreciation. If just a few people are effected this way by reading the book, publishing it was totally worth it. There was something in the book for everyone from Fashionistas to the ambitious to the naive to relate to and enjoy. Thumbs up Lauren! There should be a sequal, do include more traveling for Andrea when you write it.
Rating:
Summary: Give 'em Hell, Lauren!
Review: This book should be required reading for any college grad starting out in the fashion, publishing, entertainment, or PR worlds. It's a course in "Diva Duty 101," what they DON'T and WON'T tell you at your job interview, and it is NOT exaggerated.
I've been there, done that, and can vouch for her experiences. Though my job was in publishing and fashion PR, I encountered similar abuse, ridiculous demands, and sometimes hilarious situations. If you're starting out in fashion, read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Really WANTED to like it...
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I jumped on it the second I heard about it. I work for a boss not unlike Miranda Priestly (except in my case the devil wears Armani) and Andrea's dream is my dream: to someday write for publication and earn a salary from it :) However, I honestly cannot say that this is a good book. It's disappointing writing from someone educated at an Ivy League school and I would hope that Ms. Weisberger's byline will not be appearing in the New Yorker in the near future. It is obvious that she is a novice and that her writing needs work. I love all kinds of books, from the fluffiest fiction to the most-indepth, well researched non-fiction. I definitely enjoy the fluffy fiction genre but there are definitely more worthy books to read. I would recommend Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic books if you're looking for something light and fun and entertaining. This one just doesn't do it. I think one of my favorite quotes from a movie sums it all up best: "More isn't always better...Sometimes it's just more". Ms. Weisberger's novel could have and should have been half it's length. How many times can a reader read the phrase "job a million girls would die for"? It runs rampant throughout the book. Ms. Weisberger is repetitive in other areas of the book as well but that is the one that got on my nerves the most. I kept thinking "OK! POINT TAKEN!!!" It's not easy to write a novel and I certainly applaud the effort but I agree with another reviewer that said this book was all about the sensationalism of a tell-all that's not a tell-all about what goes on behind the scenes at the workplace and that it was obviously pushed through the entire publishing process very quickly. I wanted to empathize with Andrea and like her but I thought she was just as snotty as the people she worked for and with and I also noticed the incongruency with Andrea's fashion sense. I wish with all my heart that I had liked the book. Very disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: A Fun Read
Review: This book was really fun to read. I don't know what some others who wrote negative reviews were talking about. If you have ever had a boss who took advantage of you this book is for you. If you every lived on wanted to live in NYC this book is for you. It was a page turner and I enjoyed every single page. I will read anything that Ms. Lauren Weisberger writes, bravo Lauren!!
Rating:
Summary: Don't Waste Your Money!
Review: While the subject matter promised interesting reading, the writing is horrid. I am not even halfway through and I cannot bring myself to continue. I am amazed writing of such poor caliber is published. Heaven help The New Yorker if Weisberger ever gets her "dream job!"
Rating:
Summary: Don't believe the hype.
Review: OK, so it's got a nice cover and got some good reviews, but come on! It's boring, and who cares about the main character? It's hard to get behind a character who hates and complains about everything yet is a toal hypocrite since she acts just as poorly as the people she bashes. Fashionistas - in the same category - is a MORE ENJOYABLE book. The story is fun and the writing is witty and humorous. I actually laughed out loud through most of the book.
Rating:
Summary: should be zero stars
Review: I bought it because of the hype. I read it because I bought it. I returned it becuase I'm not a fool.
Rating:
Summary: Job well done!
Review: The Devil Wears Prada is a great escape and a thoroughly entertaining read with one of a kind characters and dishy insight into the fashion industry. It really had some great lessons about priorities as well as being a juicy little page turner. Great stitting by the pool, traveling on long flights type of book. By the way, the "reader" who wrote the one star "hackneyed, boring and ungrammatical" review obviously didn't bother to actually read the book because the heroine's name is Andrea, not Alex. Duh? It's only mentioned about a thousand times.
Rating:
Summary: Great inside view of unfettered power
Review: I thought this was a fascinating look at how someone who generates lots of revenue is permitted unfettered power over underlings. It sheds light on not only the inner workings of VOGUE, but I suspect Enron, etc. Miranda/Anna can do whatever she wants to anyone because of her ability to generate income for Conde-Nast and all those who depend on Vogue for sales. The "rules" of common decency don't apply to her, either by her own or anyone else's standards because everyone depends on her for money. (I am asuming the book pretty much accurately portrays the authors's experience working for Anna Wintaur at Vogue). More of these kinds of books should be written. Maybe it would serve the salutory effect of curbing the excesses of executives when neither they nor their employer does so.
| 
