The Devil Wears Prada
Lauren Weisberger
Yes, I read this book. No, I am not ashamed. Yes, I made the decision fully on my own. Anyway, on to the show, eh? Considering that this book definitely falls within the not-so-subtle category of "chick lit", I was pretty impressed with its literary qualities. Though it does of course have its flaws, as all books must, it is highly enjoyable.
The biggest dealbreaker for me is the way that time and characters tend to fade out unexpectedly and without warning, resurfacing only when the reader is bludgeoned with a catch-up phrase. Four months disappear about two-thirds of the way through the novel, not to mention the newborn nephew (who conveniently resurfaced just as I stopped to wonder where he was) who mysteriously disappears after being introduced at length. He does indeed appear later, but only as a caveat. In similar fashion, two major storylines are left quite unfinished by the end of the novel, and seeing as they both have to deal with boys, I'm quite surprised. The least a chick lit novel can do is wrap up the boy situation, right?
The glue that holds this novel together, however, is the voice of the narrator. I'm in love with the narrator, who seems to have my attitude about most things (except my abhorrence of campy dialogue), though I hope I would never sell myself out to the fashion industry in any respect. The prose, however, is brilliantly sarcastic (if only it were allowed to speak for itself!) and I fell in love with the main character immediately. She has spunk and a great sense of humor. The way she finally manages to get herself fired is pure genius. If only I had stopped reading the book there, before all of the ends managed to stay loose and fractured and before the campy shared hatred took hold.
With regards to the movie, it was definitely casted well. It was also nice to be able to see fashions barely described in the novel. One thing they definitely improved was the ending, which just doesn't fly in the book. Not only does a vast amount of time expire, only to be accounted for far too late, but the book lapses into utter and absolute cliché. I almost think I would be better off with an ending at the dreadful mistake, rather than still wondering what happens to the narrator after she tries to explain. For chick lit, though, this is definitely a good pick.
Grade: B
Lauren Weisberger
Yes, I read this book. No, I am not ashamed. Yes, I made the decision fully on my own. Anyway, on to the show, eh? Considering that this book definitely falls within the not-so-subtle category of "chick lit", I was pretty impressed with its literary qualities. Though it does of course have its flaws, as all books must, it is highly enjoyable.
The biggest dealbreaker for me is the way that time and characters tend to fade out unexpectedly and without warning, resurfacing only when the reader is bludgeoned with a catch-up phrase. Four months disappear about two-thirds of the way through the novel, not to mention the newborn nephew (who conveniently resurfaced just as I stopped to wonder where he was) who mysteriously disappears after being introduced at length. He does indeed appear later, but only as a caveat. In similar fashion, two major storylines are left quite unfinished by the end of the novel, and seeing as they both have to deal with boys, I'm quite surprised. The least a chick lit novel can do is wrap up the boy situation, right?
The glue that holds this novel together, however, is the voice of the narrator. I'm in love with the narrator, who seems to have my attitude about most things (except my abhorrence of campy dialogue), though I hope I would never sell myself out to the fashion industry in any respect. The prose, however, is brilliantly sarcastic (if only it were allowed to speak for itself!) and I fell in love with the main character immediately. She has spunk and a great sense of humor. The way she finally manages to get herself fired is pure genius. If only I had stopped reading the book there, before all of the ends managed to stay loose and fractured and before the campy shared hatred took hold.
With regards to the movie, it was definitely casted well. It was also nice to be able to see fashions barely described in the novel. One thing they definitely improved was the ending, which just doesn't fly in the book. Not only does a vast amount of time expire, only to be accounted for far too late, but the book lapses into utter and absolute cliché. I almost think I would be better off with an ending at the dreadful mistake, rather than still wondering what happens to the narrator after she tries to explain. For chick lit, though, this is definitely a good pick.
Grade: B
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