As chicklitty as chicklit can get.
When it comes to chick-things, I am an unashamed fan of chickflicks. I’ve spent entire weekends with Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts. But chicklit, not so much. The movie is *always* better than the book. I had started this book several times and couldn’t go past the first few paragraphs where she struggles with a stickshift car, cigarette in hand and wearing some fancy shoes and breaking the heel. But I finally picked up the motivation to get past those first few pages and things started looking better.
The Devil takes on more importance than the typical whiny, self-deprecating chicklit heroine that Andrea is. So it makes the book tolerably spicy. Miranda Priestly is amazing. She is my role model now and I aspire to be a boss like her some day. Who wouldn’t love to have two young girls whom they could bully to death at their beck and call. Ahndrea, where’s my coffee? Ahndrea, this coffee is too cold. Ahndrea get me That restaurant review from That newspaper. You can read my mind as to which one I’m talking about. Ahndrea get me yet another $200 white Hermes scarf. Ahndrea, get my underwear drycleaned. How great would it be to call your assistant in New York from Paris and ask her to connect you to a mobile number in Paris or to get her to charter you a plane during a storm at midnight. Too bad that I’m basically a very wimpy niceguy. I’ll never make Boss.
Andrea is boring, but likeable. Especially when she does things like regularly buying Starbucks coffee for the homeless and charges it to the company account, or wiping her greasy fingers on Miranda’s Versace clothes that she has to get cleaned. Lily the BFF, Alex the good boyfriend and the mysterious Christian who turns up at the most unexpected places and flirts with her ( what is it with these guys named Christian) come and go and offer some twists in the tale. Stereotype gay men in the fashion industry, snooty senior assistants, designers, designers and more designer names. Bleh. The writing was painfully repetitive and predictable. Same old same old. But I rushed through reading those parts because I wanted to read more about Miranda being Miranda.
But what made this book more interesting was that it was actually a sort of tell-all book that was based on the author’s stint as Anna Wintour’s assistant. Anna Wintour is rumoured to be much more demanding than the fictional Miranda Priestly, if that is actually even possible. Miranda is this ice queen-fashionista-bitchbosswoman whose one look can get her assistants to change out their comfortable shoes and wear Jimmy Choo stillettos even when doing their coffee runs. I had a difficult time believing that part because daily-trimmed-perfect-bob notwithstanding, Anna Wintour wears the fugliest shoes ever. Maybe they are custom made Manolo Blahniks, but puhleese. These?
I checked out the movie trailer and that seemed more interesting. Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep are just perfect. I should watch the movie soon.
I’ve got Revenge Wears a Prada also, but that is going to just sit there for long time. Maybe I’ll wait for the movie instead.
The Book Story 
Convent school upbringing? Influence of Enid Blyton?
Probably there are more gay men in this industry… men who, due to some childhood trauma (guilt?), suppressed their “natural” tendencies and masked their feelings by becoming the opposite of what they really were (Reaction formation).
Hehe – just practising some psycho-analysis.
I remember reading this book quite some time ago, it was interesting, though it was dragging in parts.
I also saw the movie – I felt that the movie showed Priestly as more human than in the book.
Hehehe. Convent school should have made me bossy, but I’m too picky, so I’d rather do things myself. So no chance of me becoming Miranda Priestly.
Your psycho analysis might get you into trouble for stereotyping the stereotypes. It is now almost a qualification for men to be gay to be in fashion.
That’s an interesting statement. Arguably, books are more informative – i.e. well researched books that informs and lays down the facts as the story gallops on – and possibly forces you to imagine and create worlds (within the constraints of the author’s skills as a narrator and your own experience and knowledge) versus having it all done for you. But my guess is it’s an even match, even when existing books are modified to adapt to a form more meant for direct visual representation. Hits and misses, both ways.
Oh, I should have been more specific. This is only in the case of chicklit. PS I Love you, Brigette Jones, SATC…Probably because we tend to read them lightly. ‘Real’ books always end up as disappointing.movies because such books have already played inside your head and no fancy director can beat your own interpretation of those books
I missed that, so my bad. Anyway, clarity has been added on.
r u alive?
A bit too alive. On vacation 🙂
Painting the town red? come back soon …