Will I love The Devil Wears Prada?

I loved this fictitious expose of the New York fashion industry because it asks what we would sacrifice for ‘a job a million girls/boys would die for?’ Sometimes, in the creative industries, power can be concentrated in the hands of people for whom ‘the meaning of their life’ is about a creative project being successful.

This can lead them to make the lives of people around them miserable. How much abuse, poor pay, lack of credit, ‘self-exploitation’, being absent for loved ones, how much of this would you tolerate? What if you had to sell your soul to fulfill your… show more.

Yes, (almost) everyone has watched the movie. Sure, Meryl Streep was perfect for the role, but the book gives a whole different meaning to “The Boss from Hell.” The plot is more realistic too, in my opinion, and the world of fashion crueller and more difficult compared to the one described in the movie.

Saying that, there are many hilarious moments, too. Fun, fabulous, and, at times, slightly disturbing...

Are you surprised to find this here? I am too. Or maybe not.

The Devil Wears Prada is, after all, a novel that practically established its own genre within fiction, a juicy, pop-culture-laden fashion/magazine/media/entertainment narrative about a doe-eyed protagonist getting wrapped up in the glitzy world of celebrity—i.e. the premise of one out of every three new streaming shows these days.

The book is funny, gossipy, fast-paced, and makes quite a different concluding statement than the hugely popular film based on it. Still, it’s an entertaining read that makes it crystal clear why it’s been copied so many times over… show more.

Anyone who ever had a cold, demanding, and impossible boss can relate to Andrea Sachs, a young intern who needs to work for one year for Miranda Priestly, a character based on Vogue’s Anna Wintour.

Andrea is a well-adjusted young woman from a privileged background but she’s not without deceptions in her ambition. She takes a job at a fashion magazine even though she has little interest in fashion and it’s a job that “a million other girls would die for.” She also becomes like the boss she detests as her star rises and her personal life falters.

This… show more.

I love this book because it puts a face, a name, and some levity behind the humorless and confusing subject of workplace bullying.

In Miranda Priestly, we are introduced to the queen of all bullies. Her consistent pattern of health-harming mistreatment of staff makes it obvious that people should not only get out of her way, but, better still, leave their job. Immediately. Yet, in her prime target, Andi, we see ourselves and the lengths we’ll go to just to stay in “the game.”

This book puts workplace bullying in your face, where you can’t look away—and that’s the first… show more.

Have you ever had a nightmarish boss? He or she cannot possibly be as bad as Miranda Priestley. Rumor has it that Weisberger got her inspiration from real life as she was working as an editor’s assistant at Vogue, and some of the situations in this novel are so far-fetched they have to be true.

Andrea Sachs is the average small-town girl who wants to make it big while keeping her integrity, but the moment she gets a job at Runway Magazine, she learns that life can be a living hell. And her new boss is the devil. Absurdly demanding,… show more.

Even if you never worked in New York publishing, the main character’s career struggles are so relatable that you can help but love her. We watch with fascination as her dream of doing big important journalism is reduced to being the whipping girl of the most notorious woman in fashion. Both book and movie are popcorn-worthy for every delicious detail of the fashion magazine world. The Devil Wears Prada rings true for anyone who has ever had the job from hell.