3.5 starsIn Defense of Miranda PriestlyThe premise of this novel as most know it is OMG, my boss is a total dragon lady!!!, but I think that is both an unfair assumption and oversimplification. Little background is given of the title character other than she grew up in a lower class family, changed her name, and worked her way up the corporate ladder to her current position as editor-in-chief. The audience isn’t given much more than that to round out her character, though Meryl Streep gives her depth in the movie adaptation—which isn’t saying much since Streep could star in the biography of a paper bag and still win an Oscar. #QueenInstead, we see Anna Wintour Miranda Priestly through the doe eyes of Andrea “Andy” Sachs, who doesn’t realize that perhaps she is the real antagonist of the novel. Through her own confession she has no clue about the company nor her potential boss when she takes on the role of Miranda’s 2nd assistant, nor does she seem to really care. While her coworkers at Runway are said to be vapid and stuck up, they have a much better work ethic than the lazy Andy who complains about every part of her job (except all the perks, of which there are plenty). She is ungrateful for the experience and the contacts she gains while doing Miranda’s errands, instead she focuses on moaning about having to actually earn her dues. I see her as an unreliable narrator since nearly all of her commentary comes from the place of entitlement.Priestly is cast as the villain because she is difficult and demands efficiency, though one could argue that this book wouldn’t be given nearly the mileage or popularity if the accusations hurled against her were by a male main character instead of speshul snowflake Andy. There is a trope in modern culture that women in leadership positions have to fight double standards for acting the same way as their male counterparts, and this is never touched upon in the novel. Can Miranda be cold and condescending at times? Yes, however it is important to understand how much she has accomplished, her worth to the magazine and the fashion world, and the respect she has garnered in the industry. She wouldn’t have gotten where she was if she didn’t have talent and gumption.If there’s an unlikeable character here, it’s unappreciative Andy who doesn’t like that she has to live outside the bubble she grew up in. While she keeps being reminded that hers is a job that “a million girls would die for” and that working for Miranda for a year would save her 3-5 years of experience elsewhere, she decides to blow up at her boss in the 11th hour. While the author was probably looking for the audience to cheer at the childish outburst of “Fuck you, Miranda. Fuck you.” (p. 342) and the resulting flouncing from Paris, I found this tantrum to be déclassé and further proof of Andy’s wanton unprofessionalism.
Llegué al libro por haber visto la película (sino no se hasta qué punto me hubiese interesado por él), y aunque esperaba que se parecieran, terminaron siendo dos historias muy diferentes. Se mantiene la idea básica de la jefa déspota, pero nada más.El argumento es bastante sencillo, ya que gira en torno al trabajo de la protagonista y las relaciones y emociones pasan a un segundo o tercer plano (además de que aunque quisiera seguir con su vida, no tendría tiempo de hacerlo).El diablo viste de Prada me resultó realmente divertido. En serio. Hay una cantidad considerable de sarcasmo e ironía, y me he reido mucho con la forma en que se cuentan las situaciones que padece la pobre Andrea a causa de su jefa, con sus exigencias tan diversas como ridículas.Trabajar para Miranda Priestly es malo para la salud. Andrea decide tomar ese empleo porque resistir un año con Miranda equivale en experiencia a cinco años en otros lugares. Lo que no le dijeron es que ese trabajo por el que miles de chicas darían un ojo de la cara sería como perder cinco años de vida, y despertaría en ella instintos asesinos (llevados con mucho humor). "Miranda llevaba su ropa sucia a la oficina y a mí me correspondía, qué afortunada, llamar a la tintorería y comunicarles que teníamos mercancía. (...) Mi trabajo era, intelectualmente, cada vez más estimulante."Me gustó especialmente que aunque estuviese sumergida en el mundo de la moda, a Andrea no pudieran importarle menos su aspecto, las marcas carísimas por las que todos se desviven o el glamour del que se ve rodeada. Si la personalidad de la protagonista hubiese sido diferente, parte del encanto del libro se habría perdido.Reseña de Fantasía Mágica
What do You think about The Devil Wears Prada (2006)?
While my cousin and I were rummaging through the stacks of books in BookSale, she found this and coaxed me into buying it. It was one of those overrated books out there, so I thought it would be good, plus my cousin likes it, hence, I added it with my purchases.Andrea Sachs or “Andy” was a girl fresh out of college from Brown. She landed a job in a successful fashion magazine, Runway, as a junior-assistant for Miranda Priestly, the Editor-in-chief of the said magazine. Instead, her heaven sent job that “a million girls would die for” turned out to be a living nightmare. Miranda was a bitch extraordinaire, and just outrageously crazy. Andy endured all the ridiculous tasks such as sending Miranda’s clothes to the dry cleaner, coffee runs, getting the latest out-of-stores-yet Harry Potter books, and other downright ludicrous errands—in hoping that a year as Miranda’s assistant will open the doors to her dream of becoming a writer in The New Yorker. Seriously, this book almost killed me. It took me a very long time to finish it and while I am reading, my brain is seemingly out of its place; I cannot focus and I just want to put it down and attend to other things. I do not care about the brands that yell Prada! Louis Vuitton! Versace! Armani! Just hearing those gets me broke. I just graduated from a teen/fashion magazine known here in our country, Candy magazine, and they feature more affordable local brands, local and international celebrities, plus highlights inspirational encouragements for teens. I’d rather read something that has valuable content in it than something that has ridiculously overpriced clothes worn by super skinny models.I didn’t like the protagonist at all and I keep restraining myself from strangling the she-devil though she’s just made out of thoughts, paper, and ink. I didn’t like the plot too. It was very repetitive and the conflict didn’t happen until you’ve ran out of pages to read. Because of that, I am deducting one star from my original rating.
—Rae
Well, that was a waste of time. I LOVE the film. It's one of my favourites and I've seen it dozens of times. The book, however, was not even remotely impressive. The dialogue was just so...flat. I felt no emotion in any of the characters and none of them really felt individual to me. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them and their interactions seemed so stiff and forced. Most of the book is taken up with references to fashion labels, so much so that it was like reading one big giant advertisement. I am quite disappointed but I guess it's just a rare case of the movie actually being better than the book.
—Nicola
Main character: Andrea Sachs – in her early 20’s; wants to be a writer for the New Yorker, and lands a job as a junior assistant to this bitch magazine editor, Miranda Priestly. She puts up with all her crap, thinking that perhaps Miranda might give her a good recommendation to the New Yorker after she has paid her dues. I think I like the character of Andrea’s best friend Lily the best – she’s such a free spirit (although that characteristic gets her in trouble). Andrea almost gives up the most important things in her life for this job, and of course needs to decide whether it’s worth it or not…. Kind of chick lit, but at least there was a good moral to the story. A fairly easy read, too. I borrowed this from mom. Lent it to Shel. Did she ever read it, and did she like it? :-)
—Audra
