The Devil Wears Prada

By: Lauren Weisberger

Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A delightfully dishy novel about the all-time most impossible boss in the history of impossible bosses.

Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym.

With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child. The Devil Wears Prada gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about “The Boss from Hell.”

Narrated in Andrea’s smart, refreshingly disarming voice, it traces a deep, dark, devilish view of life at the top only hinted at in gossip columns and over Cosmopolitans at the trendiest cocktail parties. From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda’s children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day - and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone.

She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.

©2003 Lauren Weisberger (P)2003 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Miranda's behavior is so insanely over-the-top that it's a gas to see what she'll do next, and to try to guess which incidents were culled from real life." (Amazon.com)
"Weisberger has penned a comic novel that manages to rise to the upper echelons of the chick-lit genre." (Publishers Weekly)

Great Distraction

This was my first audiobook and I really enjoyed it once I got into it.
Great, light story to listen to while you walk.
My only complaint is that the narrator seemed a bit old for the 23 year old character she was portraying. By the end though, I was quite attached to that voice and didn't want the book to end.

A Fun Listen

This was a fun book to listen to. It had a good story line, the characters were consistent and well developed. And there was a moral to be learned at the end. It is not Pulitzer or Nobel prize winning material, but it certainly satisfies.

While the story was positive, the narrator was not as much. Overall I liked her voice, but she did not have much "range." All her male characters had a raspy voice. This was distracting, at best. I have heard many narrations where there was little voice change between characters. So don't try to make a change if it can't be done naturally.

Overall, I would very much recommend this. I ordered it after listening to a number of "heavy" books and this was a much needed lighter fare.

Great book

I thought it was very funny and a great read. Has that Sex in the City crossed with Bridget Jones thing going on.

Whimsy Turns Mean

Toward the end of this book, the heroine, a budding author, says her aim is to write stories with "just the right chords of funny and touching". After hearing that statement, I realized that that was exactly what Weisberger was trying to do with this book. Attempt acknowledged, but the effort failed.

At first, I asked myself what I had had in mind in selecting/downloading this book. Of course the answer was I wanted some whimsical, satirical, funny story lines. I completely forgot that I also need a certain amount of depth in characters in order to love/hate/enjoy them. So I made a note to self: "just what was I expecting?' I think the answer is I wanted fun -- but I got insipid.

The narrator was pretty good, particularly with female voices and accents. She tried a little too hard with the male voices and missed.

I did finish the book and didn't find it a complete miss. Some of the scenes and stories were entertaining. But all in all there was a pervasive sense of meanness that took over the book.

Fun book

I really enjoyed this book. I have been in a Stephan king kick but wanted something light and this was perfect fun.

meh...movie was better

really kind of disappointed. there isn't much to the story at all. it's all the same descriptions of day in and out of abuse and personal growth

entretenido

me gustó mucho la interpretación y la historia. si bien es una narración simple y coloquial, es realmente entretenido y te mantiene atento todo el tiempo.

holds up over time!

it has been almost 15 years since I read this book when it first came out! I recently watched the movie which doesn’t compare to the book, however is a fantastic movie, and I decided that I was in the mood for some nostalgic chick lit, and here I am. And I am not sorry! It’s still as good as the first time I read it!

By far my favorite book of all time

This book is unbelievable, fantastic character development, plot, and detail. I didn’t want this book to end. I will definitely listen again.

complexity

This is a great story of the compromises that we often make between our friends or family and our work. I was happy the author gave the lead complexity.