Lauren Weisberger
The Devil Wears Prada (2003)
Author: Lauren Weisberger
Genre: Chick Lit
Plot Summary:
Andrea ("Andy") Sachs graduates from college with one goal: to write for the New Yorker. She takes a job as an assistant to Miranda Pierce, the editor of the high-end fashion magazine, Runway; it's a job "millions of girls would die for," and a way to avoid years of editorial grunt work to make publishing industry connections. Andy is soon running around Manhattan in chauffeured town cars and painful stiletto heels, making sure Miranda never has to wait for a meeting, look up a phone number, or drink a cold latte. Meanwhile, her best friend descends slowly from PhD candidate to full-fledged alcoholic, and her extremely understanding boyfriend, an idealistic teacher in Brooklyn, loses patience with her living her life only for Miranda's whims. Andy gets a lot of free designer clothes, but she also has her appearance torn apart daily, misses her nephew's birth, and the only industry connection she makes is with a hot novelist. Miranda's antics are truly unbelievable – one of Andy's first tasks is to hunt down two copies of Harry Potter the day before it's released so she can send them, via private jet, to Paris for Miranda's daughters. Andy narrates the story, and her character is well developed, smart, and funny. Throughout the story, Andy struggles with the job as an opportunity to make publishing contacts and becoming completely caught up in Miranda's lifestyle. The other characters are largely stereotypes, especially Andy's co-workers, the "Clackers." The book is a funny, cynical look at the complicated mechanisms that produce fabulousness, and an honest portrayal of a young woman finding herself after college.
Geographical setting: New York City
Time period: present (2003)
Appeal characteristics:
The fashion industry; recent college graduates; people with hellish bosses; people who like Sex in the City or The Nanny Diaries.
Red flags: A few f-bombs are dropped
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