The Devil Wears Prada Continues: Now in E-book Form!
Hello there!
I've never written a book review before, but it brought back memories of my literature classes in school.
A little backstory.
I first got introduced to the book 'The Devil Wears Prada' after watching the movie adaptation in 2006, which had an amazing cast, including Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly, Anne Hathaway as Andy Sachs, Emily Blunt as Emily, Stanley Tucci as Nigel, and more.
The movie's tagline was really intriguing: 'This season, the devil will wear stilettos…'
I re-watched the movie a few times because I loved it so much. Then, I decided to read the book, hoping that the interesting moments wouldn't be lost in the movie adaptation. But I was wrong – the book fell short for me.
Fast forward to 2013, when the sequel 'Revenge Wears Prada' was released. I was waiting for the movie adaptation, but it never happened. Recently, I finally got around to reading the second part of the story.
Let's get into the details.
Cover: I read the e-book, but the cover design is stylish and thought-provoking. It would be nice to have a physical copy at home.
Page count: 893 pages in the e-book
Chapters: The book has 23 chapters.Warning: spoilers ahead!
The book follows Andy Sachs' (Emily Blunt) journey after her fallout with Miranda Priestly and her departure from Runway magazine. It explores the challenges she faced over the last 10 years to achieve success, find love, and start her own wedding magazine, 'Dekolté'.
The first few chapters focused on Andy, her wedding to Max, her relationship with her mother-in-law, her friendship with Emily (Miranda's former assistant), and the launch of Dekolté magazine.
Andy's role in Miranda's, the rush, and the big puddle she got caught in, makes you wonder what's next for the thrilling storyline of Miranda and Andy's rivalry and leadership.
The 5th chapter is where the main characters finally meet on the yacht, literally for a couple of minutes. The author puts a lot of emphasis on Miranda's outfit:
Cobalt blue Prada loafers...the only accessory is a wide enamel cuff from Hermes, the same color as her shoes
After all these years, Miranda's still the same.
It's not until chapter 11 that Miranda shows up again, inviting Andy and Emily to her office. And where's the 'revenge'? We've already read half the book and Andy and Emily don't feel anything towards her except fear and panic. Yes, in these chapters, we're told about Andy's feelings for Max, the prolonged doubts about his bachelor party, the memory of Alex, and a very long story leading up to the news about their future child - an event that was pretty obvious at their wedding.
The main storyline that would reflect the title of the book, 'Revenge Wears Prada', starts after chapter 11. But it's so slow-paced, the author constantly diverts the plot to other (Miranda's) events. We get it, Miranda wants to buy the 'Decollete' and add it to her magazine, so she can rise above her former secretaries, especially Andy, who she dumped harshly in Paris.
We're left with no insight into Miranda's thoughts, her plans - we're just left guessing about her 'robot' thinking.
I was surprised by Mrs. Priestly's reaction to Andy when she was pregnant. She sent Andy gifts, a list of essentials for the baby girl - it was a nice gesture. I was hoping for a more human response from her, a different storyline. But no, Miranda Priestly doesn't change.
I was also disappointed with Emily - her behavior, her narrow-minded thinking to achieve her goal. It's like she wants to become the next Miranda Priestly.
Naturally, Andy doesn't want to sell the magazine - it's her hard work and dedication, she understands Miranda's vision. But what a betrayal and disappointment awaits her.
Chapter 21 was a game-changer for me! Reading it, I completely forgot about all the book's flaws that bugged me – the straightforward narrative style, the slow pace, and the predictability of the events. The double whammy from people I'm closest to... I didn't see that coming.
The final chapters were straightforward and easy to follow, although the author tried to leave some food for thought about Andy's personal life. To be honest, it didn't quite work for me.
Objectively speaking, the book deserves 3 stars, but I couldn't bring myself to give them to it… The final chapters made me sit up and take a closer look at the entire storyline, the main characters' reflections, their actions, and decisions.
I'm eagerly waiting for the movie to come out, and I'm sure it'll be just as gripping as the first one. The main characters will definitely get more screen time.
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