Rating: 
Summary: entertaining, yes; literary, no
Review: Lauren Weisberger has written a moderately entertaining novel- but the lady needs to learn to spell, write grammatically and inject some soul into her prose. Drum-role? Heroine-chic? Eek. How does someone get published by Doubleday with such horrendous typos? For someone who claims to know nothing about fashion, Andrea Sachs, the protagonist, sure drops those designer names from the get-go. (more errrors: Bobbi Brown, the makeup guru, is re-christened Bobby). She tries hard to make us feel pity, or at least empathy for her suffering at the hands of hellish boss Miranda Priestly, but doesn't quite succeed. Andrea herself is too flawed- a bigot who thinks all southerners are rednecks, a self-centered person who'd rather flirt with the hot writer with his 'adorable curl' than spend some quality time with her boyfriend. Yes, her boss is quite an insufferable character. But Andrea knows from day one what her job will be like, and she is compensated accordingly, 'making out like a bandit' at the end. If Weisberger's intent is to tar and feather Miranda Priestley (based on Vogue's Anna Wintour, we are told), she succeeds to only a limited degree. And if Andrea's dreams of writing for the New Yorker are in fact, Lauren's, she has a long hard road ahead of her. In its praise, the book is quite an entertaining read, if you are moderately interested in fashion and couture. The book definitely conveys the workings of the fashion world- everything from the anorexia and shallowness to the price of a Chanel gown to the frenetic pace of work at a magazine. For someone who scoffs at fashion and wears her declassé Ann Taylor shoes to work (to Miranda's great displeasure), Andrea succumbs to the whole thing too easily. When a desperate teenager writes to Miranda about how she hates her own body and craves Miranda's help, Andrea has the opportunity to give the girl a lesson in self-esteem, but fails. Ultimately it's a shallow book about shallow people. Don't buy the book if you can borrow it.
Rating:
Summary: "A million girls would die for your job" ---from the book
Review: "A million girls would die for your job,"---everyone seems to tell Andrea this, from the moment she gets her job as assistant to chief editor Miranda Priestly at Runway, the hottest fashion magazine.
Fresh out of college, Andrea Sachs is hoping to enter the world of magazine publishing at the New Yorker, but breaking into the occupation isn't all that easy. So, she applies for a job as assistant to the editor and miraculously gets it. Unfortunately, its not at the New Yorker, its at Runway, a fashion magazine (Andrea doesn't even care about fashion.)
From her first day on the job, Andrea dislikes it, but this grows to a hatred of it. she works amidst beautiful, anorexic models who consider her size six fat, and other intresting characters. Unfortunately, Andrea barely gets to meet any of them, as she is always busy following the huge demands placed on her by Miranda Priestly. Lunch must be on time and warm, or Andrea has to go out again, the layout for the magazine must be brought to her house a night no matter how late, and a trip to Europe can be demanded of Andrea at a moments notice. Those arn't even the worst scenarios, Miranda often eaves incoherant instructions, that must be followed without question, or Andrea will be promptly fired.
The demands of her job cause Andrea to lose track of what's truly important in her life. Her best friends alcoholism (until its too late) her boyfriend (or should I say ex) and family. Andrea is left to choose her family and friends or job.
This novel blends the serious with comical expertly. However, the plot tends to be overly simplified and is quite predicatable, making this a great read for stress relief or on the beach but not so great for intelligent brain stimulation.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Title, Great Book
Review: I adore this book. Part of me didn't want to - but the more I read, the more I found myself thoroughly enjoying it. We've all had a Miranda Priestly in our life at some point, and I often found myself relating to Andrea in the novel. It was highly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it. Be forewarned - if you are not a fashionista or are not up on fashion, you will not enjoy this book. There are many "insider" type fashion references that one without a thorough knowledge of fashion and the industry would not appreciate or understand.
Rating: 
Summary: The shoes don't fit
Review: Reading this book is like wearing a pair of Manolo's that don't fit. They cost a lot of money and look good but at the end of the day they hurt. A cute book but not worth the time to read the entire thing. Wait for the Cliff Notes.
Rating:
Summary: Not classic literature but then that was never the intention
Review: I have just read this book from cover to cover whilst holidaying in Manhattan over the New Year period. I just wish I'd met people as colourful as this whilst I was there. People who don't feel sympathy for the narrator obviously work in industries, like fashion, where they misguidedly believe that junior workers have the right to be mistreated. It seems that too many of the reviews centre around a character assassination of the author (no doubt these have been written by Anna Wintour's army of adoring, vacuous fans). Yes, the narrator does feel she's above the industry for which she works, but then again anyone with any brains would. As an avid enthusiast of haute couture who can still see the industry for what it is - a sea of cloth and textile (cleverly put together), anorexic models and industry hypocrites - I would never put up with a boss like that, however thankful I ought to be for such a great opportunity. If the book is semi-autobiographical, I salute Lauren Weisberger and now despise the sour-faced Anna Wintour more than ever! But tip to Lauren, use some of that alleged six-figure sum to pay for writing lessons - sentences far too convoluted, grammar awful. Grade C writing, grade A for subject matter and bitchiness.
Rating:
Summary: detailed, hilarious appraisal of the first post-college year
Review: Listening to the audio version of this book in my car provided me with as many moments of hilarity, frustration, and angst as the main character passes through herself during her grueling year of work as a fashion editor's assistant. Even though Weisberger concentrates on the rarefied world of high fashion, I think any recent grad can sympathize with the changes that come about in Andrea's life because of her new occupation, and the difficulties she has with the quirks of her job. Also, I think some of the other reviewers missed the point of Andrea as a character...she wasn't looking to even be in the world of fashion in the first place -- instead she considers herself an intellectual and a writer who wants to be a part of the New Yorker. If you are looking for a fashion "fan's" perspective, you won't find that here and you probably won't "get" this character. But I found her to be a sympathetic character, if only becuase I too am a j-crew wearing fashion nobody post-English major who over-analyzes everything.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't Put It Down
Review: I thought this book was fascinating. I could not put it down. To be privvy to a life that most of us can't even imagine was fun and voyeristic. I highly recommend it as a quick, fun read. The only unanswered question I had was what happened to Christian and was that story based on someone real?
Rating:
Summary: Outrageously Hilarious
Review: This is a great "Beach Read". Airhead Andrea suffering abominable abuse from the iniquitous villain Miranda. What's so funny is anticipating what outrageous thing Miranda will do next that can top what she just did. But Miranda steps up to the plate and consistently delivers. Miranda has earned the right to be ruthless and mean. It is a perk for all her assiduous and brilliant work. The hired help are just insignificant creatures to be used and discarded like used kleenexes with never a thought for how her egregious behavior affects them. How dare Andrea complain! She should consider herself lucky to lick Miranda's Jimmy Choo shoes. You can be sure that Anna Wintour, in her wildest dreams, never believed for one moment, that she would ever have to answer for her mistreatment of Lauren Weissberger. So, it is poetic justice that Weissberger was able to exact her revenge on Wintour by putting out a New York Times Best Seller. And now Wintour is righteously feeling the searing ignominy that she has so insouciantly inflicted on others. The great Anna Wintour has been humiliated by an ingenue and now can not dine at Le Cirque or Daniel without enduring snears and snide remarks from her former legion of adoring fans. My only question is: Are Anna Wintour and Hillary Clinton identical twins who were separated at birth?
Rating: 
Summary: Was I supposed to HATE the narrator?
Review: I think we were supposed to hate the boss but frankly, the whinny, self-pitying narrator got most of my wrath. So she works for a hard boss, a lot of us do and with a lot less perks than this chick got...plus, she knew it was only for a year - big deal! Did she think that she didn't have to pay dues like the rest of the world? I work in the entertainment world and have worked for people like this and know that it's a means to an end - I didn't take it out on coworkers, friends and my work...and I didn't really enjoy reading about someone who does. My advice - don't waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: Nanny does fashion world
Review: The book is essentially The Nanny Diaries set in a fashion magazine - evil, unreasonable boss; excesses of filthy rich lifestyle in Manhattan, etc., etc.
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