Home :: Books :: Audiocassettes  

Arts & Photography
Audio CDs
Audiocassettes

Biographies & Memoirs
Business & Investing
Children's Books
Christianity
Comics & Graphic Novels
Computers & Internet
Cooking, Food & Wine
Entertainment
Gay & Lesbian
Health, Mind & Body
History
Home & Garden
Horror
Literature & Fiction
Mystery & Thrillers
Nonfiction
Outdoors & Nature
Parenting & Families
Professional & Technical
Reference
Religion & Spirituality
Romance
Science
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Sports
Teens
Travel
Women's Fiction
The Devil Wears Prada

The Devil Wears Prada

List Price: $25.95
Your Price: $16.35
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 .. 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 >>

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: dialogue is like cardboard
Review: only buy this book if you want an inside peak at the fashion business, the dialogue is unrealistic and wooden at best. the editor is shallow and vain. hello? this is the fashion world we're talking about - it shouldn't be a shock!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Bottom line: Weisberger would make a better gossip columnist
Review: Though this book arguably has some meaty content, Andrea's character does not get developed enough for readers to care very much about what happens to her. From the very outset, she seems flat and uninteresting, much like the loafers she cluelessly wears her first day on the job. The only real jewel in this novel is the "Devil" herself. Miranda's outrageous character and her equally outlandish antics are the glue that holds this messily written book together, and once Andrea storms out of her bitchy boss's life, the novel no longer interests or stirs or even seems worth continuing. A nice effort, and a certainly phenomenal level of success for a first-time writer of questionable talent... however, Weisberger would do herself a favor by honing her writing skills a little bit and coming up with original material next time, rather than a nasty tell-all gossip-fest about the very visible fashionista we all know this book is REALLY about.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The Devil Wears Prada
Review: I don't really understand all of the negative reviews on this website...I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, light read. Nothing more, nothing less. I think the characters were believable & the main character Andy, was refreshing in contrast to all of the "clackers" and, of course the devil herself, Miranda. I had bosses like Miranda so I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! While this book was similar to Nanny Diaries in the respect of a wildly eccentic & evil boss, I felt this book was A LOT better than Nanny Diaries & much more well written.

Maybe all of the negative reviews were from fashionistas lashing out--see the book has me paranoid ;)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: One long whine
Review: Weisberger is bo--oring -- after all, most people who go on gassing about themselves interminably are. But as much as Weisberger tries to point out how superior she is to her job, how really substantial she is -- the book reveals the opposite. It's the trite complaint of a privileged white woman whining about being chauffered on errands and having to wear couture -- and other "degradations" beneath someone of her abilities. Her writing style, shallow observations and her preoccupation with dropping the names of every bling bling and obscenely expensive object she wears, eats, or encounters prove she isn't. The exhaustively detailed passages about every outrage she suffered were so tedious I couldnt read the book -- and I love dish. She comes off as catty, immature, superificial and extremely annoying -- the cardboard cutouts of the people she describes are mere props to the song of herself . She will never be able to write for The New Yorker -- but maybe Self Magazine?
Don't waste your money.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Painfully similar to "The Nanny Diaries"
Review: I was almost embarrassed for the author as I read "The Devil Wears Prada" due to the fact that the exact same story was written last year by the co-authors of "The Nanny Diaries". I felt like I was reading the same book, only I had a much harder time identifying with Andrea, the protagonist in this book than I did Nanny (Diaries). I found myself wondering if it was just bad luck that "The Nanny Diaries" got published first, or if the author of "The Devil Wears Prada" actually knew of the prior and shamelessly copied those writters style.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not funny, nor worth the money.
Review: Although I'd been warned that this book was insipid garbage, I decided to pick up a copy of the audio book to help me endure a six hour drive. I love a good, trashy novel from time to time, so it seemed like a reasonable purchase. Unfortunately, the trashy factor could not compensate for the mediocre writing and bland one-note characters. Both Andrea (our banal, unsympathetic heroine) and Miranda (our tiresome, one-dimensional villainess) are underdeveloped and lack any sort of emotional complexity. As a reader, I should have been happy that Andrea, the underdog, gets her absurd and highly implausible happy ending, but instead, I was just happy to have her shut up already.

As for Rachel Leigh Cook's reading of this novel, well, it just isn't a great fit. RLC's Minnesota accent does little to convince me that we're listening to the first person narrative of a Jewish girl educated at Brown. (Though, certainly, some of this could have been a problem inherent in the writing. I certainly didn't believe the character had been on so much as a college visit to Providence.) Anyway, as for RLC, her meandering narrative style might be charming in another context, but it's wrong for this book.

The subject matter of this book has limitless potential, and this should have been a fun and funny read. What a terrific opportunity to skewer the fashion/magazine industry! And what a disappointment that it doesn't deliver.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: What next?
Review: This reads less like a book than a transcript of the author's life experiences during her college years. The author even goes so far as to plagarize her friends who (in the book and in real life, no doubt) tell her the story is less fiction than it is her own life story recounted with the names changed.

This is Sweet Valley High for adults; anyone above a 5th grade reading level should have no problem finishing this book in a day or less.

I love authors who use their knowledge of a field, subject, or endeavor to write a credible story, but this is just garbage. It figures it is going to be made into a movie.

Overall, the story is overly predictable and doesn't leave adequate closure for the characteres at the end.

Don't waste your time with this book in hardcover format - it'll leave you feeling empty.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: [weak]
Review: ms. weisburger can't write. it is a tragedy that so many talented writers are unknown and poor and a [person] like her has so much recognition. it's hard to care for her protagonist when she complains about the fashion world yet simultaneously eats it up, and her caricature of her boss is more schlocky than convincing. but of course, she gets a job at another publication, where her editor worked for the very same monster the book is about. how convenient. ...

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Painful
Review: The Devil Wears Prada is the poor man's Nanny Diaries. Not only is the style eerily similar but so is the plot. It was painful to get through the book but I felt obligated to finish it since I paid $... for it. Spend your time and money on elsewhere; this book isn't worth it.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: What The Devil?!?
Review: I grabbed Lauren Weisberger's debut novel as soon as it hit the stands. I had heard much of the hype surrounding this "kiss & tell" book, and was undoubtedly curious, considering that the author had worked for The Anna Wintour, and would have woven real-life experiences into her novel.

I must admit for the first 100 pages or so, Ms. Weisberger had me enraptured in the world of Elias-Clark, Runway, and more importantly the world of her main character, Andrea Sachs. Being that I'm financially-challenged (how PC is that?), and cannot afford to buy Prada, Manolos, or Jimmy Choos, I could definitely relate to the main character. However, Andrea's condescending attitude toward her colleagues was a major stumbling block for me. She constantly complained about her boss, Miranda Priestly, and her Runway colleagues being so vain and condescending, but Andrea herself was pretty much the same, but on a different level.

Like almost everyone else who have posted "Devil" reviews before me, I kept reading simply to find out how Andrea finally left Miranda's employ, and was very disappointed by the neat, predictable plot points that lead up to the event.

Although this book did not live up to my lofty expectations, there were some hilarious moments, many of them involving Eduardo the security guard...very witty and clever to Ms. Weisberger's credit.

Also, another bright spot in the book was the totally realiztic and believable relationship between Andrea and senior assistant Emily. They obviously weren't on the same page, and didn't like each other, but they got along when they had to. It would have been easy for the author to show these two characters locking horns in extreme hatred for one another, but Ms. Weisberger skillfully showed how two people can work together without liking each other. I honestly had expected Emily to go out of her way to make Andrea look incompetent, in light of her "devil may care" attitude. It was surprising and refreshing to see the slice-of-life relationship between Andrea and Emily.

Most of the characters in the book were one-dimensional and extremely boring, especially Andrea's boyfriend, Alex. It's obvious that Ms. Weisberger crafted Alex to function as Andrea's conscience, as was the case with Andrea's family members, and best friend Lily.

The character of Miranda Priestly was thisclose to being "deliciously evil", but the author never really showed us why Miranda was so unhappy. Yes, there was the background information given at the beginning of the book, but in the end, I could see why Miranda had to be demanding and icy and distant. Not to say that I totally agreed with her behavior, but I found it very difficult to hate her. For a short time in my career, I served as an assistant to a publisher, and I had to fetch coffeee, place lunch orders and the like. However, while my boss was much more personable than Miranda, I perfectly understood why I had to take care of my boss's personal affairs. Certainly, Ms. Weisberger didn't expect us to think that Miranda should have to order her own food, answer her own phone, and run a magazine empire all at the same time. As unfortunate as it is, there are just some people who have to delegate personal responsibilities...

If you're looking for an easy read for a vacation, then this book should suit you just fine. Otherwise, I'd say wait for the movie.

This wasn't the best piece of prose I've read, but it wasn't the worst, either. I am sure that Ms. Weisberger's writing will improve with her next book. I, for one, am willing to give her another chance.


<< 1 .. 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates