Devil Wears Prada

[keire_ke]

This year I resolve to read books. First book of the year I actually started right before Christmas, but only finished yesterday, so I'm making a note of it, to have something to begin with. Naturally, I suspect I will forget, sooner or later, but I do resolve to start. At least!

So: Lauren Weisberger, The Devil Wears Prada.

The movie was better. Aside from the obvious (Meryl Streep), the movie gave a lot more room to sympathise with the characters in general. Miranda was still a boss from hell, but her attitude was shown as directly leading to the excellence for which she was praised, whereas in the book she was a bitch for the sake of being a bitch. And of course the scene in which she confesses to Andy that she is getting divorced, you can see she is a human being too, despite her mean river. Or ocean.

Andy too was somehow more sympathetic in the movie. Oddly enough, in the book her friends and relatives gave her a lot more leeway, which I thought was somewhat odd, considering her friends in the movie, but in the book the situations were more extreme - her sister had her first child, her friend was becoming an alcoholic, while in the movie the worst that happened was Andy missing her boyfriend's birthday party. I liked how Andy started defending Miranda at some point too.

Granted, the dramatic resignation was worthy of a lolcat, but the book wasn't much better. And, like I said, movie!Miranda was a lot more interesting and her relationship with Andy was, IMHO done extremely well. I'm not trying to say she wasn't a queen bitch, because she was, but whatever she did in the movie (well, most things), however over the top, was rational and out of necessity. She was a woman focused on her career, not a devil incarnate.

Also: Nigel. The movie had Nigel and he was absolutely awesome. That speech he gave Andy when she was about to resign? Winsome. One of the most masterful summaries of what tolerance is about I heard. The book could use a couple characters like him.

I'm not saying the read is not worth the time, because it is. It's a good book. But I recommend the movie anyway.

Comments

[katikat.livejournal.com]

Make a GoodReads account, dear. To me, it feels like an incentive to read more :)

[keire-ke.livejournal.com]

I find that incentives rarely help me. XD But thanks.

[yami-tai.livejournal.com]

I actually preferred the book to the film *g*! I felt that they put a happy spin on the film, you know, made it more 'Hollywood'. Whereas I felt the book was more true to life - some bosses are just evil for the sake of it, which unfortunately I know from experience.

[keire-ke.livejournal.com]

They did make the movie happier, true. And I'm not saying Miranda wasn't evil for the sake of it in the film either. It's just that the movie made more sense to me, as for why would Andy suffer through the ordeal and not just quit. In the book there is little she gets out of working for Runway, or that might just be my impression. In the movie she actually begins to enjoy being a part of the world. Still, I would hate working there. XD