The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger: A Review
The Devil Wears Prada is a novel written by debutant author Lauren Weisberger. It revolves around the story of Andrea Sachs, a 23-year-old small-town woman who is freshly graduated and aspires to become a writer at The New Yorker. The story takes the reader through the struggles of Andrea who lands a job at Runway Magazine, as a junior assistant to the ‘Devil’ of the Novel, Miranda Priestly. The premise of this novel is ‘OMG, my boss is a dragon lady!!!’ – a sentiment which many of you can undoubtedly relate to!
A Brief Summary
Andrea Sach, a graduate from Ivy League Brown University, dreams of a career in journalism.
Hence, with limited knowledge and fashion sense, Andy joins one of the most prestigious fashion magazines. But, working for Miranda is no cake walk. It involves dealing with unrealistic demands, unsupportive coworkers, an ‘evil’ boss, and to top it off, constant disapproval of her fashion sense. Andrea’s struggle is to find a way to work around these adversities to ensure that she keeps this job, for the simple reason that a year working for Miranda Priestly can open many doors for her in the industry.
So, is Andy ready to sacrifice it all? Is she ready for the what’s coming her way?
You’ll need to check out the book to find out!
Prominent Themes
One of the main themes of the novel is the notion of finding one’s identity and making choices about what is more important in one’s life. Keeping a work-life balance is something Andrea fails at in the novel. She keeps sacrificing the needs of her family and friend’s to fulfill the impossible demands of her devilish boss, as she is eyeing on the end-of-the-year-servitude prize to get the job of her choice in future. The author creatively shows how this dream affects Andrea’s relations with the people closest to her. Trying to live up to the expectations of the egotistic people within the sophisticated atmosphere of the fashion world adds to the stress of striving to be successful in her career.
Another central focus of the novel is the depiction of a devilish character and how some of the most beautifully clad people can do horrible things to their subordinates. Miranda is one hell of a boss who is impeccably dressed, well groomed and the very epitome of class. Yet, she is cruel to her staff, especially Andrea and berates everyone who fails to complete her over-the-top demands and tasks.
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Main Characters
Andrea Sachs: A small-town woman fresh out of college who lands the the job “a million girls would die for.” She is a simple, innocent, hardworking, individual who is tolerant, sensitive, vulnerable yet strong-willed. She is one of those girls who like to push the limits to get a successful career. She always dreamed of being a writer and to fulfill her dreams she ends up neglecting the other important aspects of her life.
Miranda Priestly: Miranda Priestly is a renowned fashion editor-in-chief of the high-profile Runway magazine. She is at times rude, brutal, demanding, and goal-oriented. She is highly-polished, well groomed and oozes sophistication through every piece of her wardrobe. But her sophisticatication belies her vicious nature, which becomes evident as she lashes out at her subordinates.
Emily Charlton: She is Andrea’s senior and Miranda’s first Assistant. She is responsible for more business-related matters and has a conflicted love-hate relationship with Andrea.
The Devil Wears Prada is a compelling chick-lit novel set against the backdrop of High Fashion in New York City. The characters of the novel are believable and the reader can truly empathize with Andrea’s character. It is a great depiction of the lives and struggles of young girls determined to pursue their dreams at any cost. All of these factors have, naturally, contributed to this book becoming the highly-popular and iconic work that it is today!
