Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns by Lauren Weisberger

Title: Revenge Wears Prada:  The Devil Returns
Author: Lauren Weisberger

Read by: Megan Hilty
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Length: Approximately 13.5 hours (11 CDs)
Source: Simon & Schuster Review Copy – Thank-you!

I have enjoyed Lauren Weisberger’s novels in the past, and The Devil Wears Prada was a particular favorite of mine.  I was very excited to review Revenge Wears Prada and it kept me entertained on the road for a couple of conferences that I had to attend for work this past month.

Sadly, although I was entertained, I mostly wanted to wring Andy’s neck in much of the book.  It is ten years after Andy Sachs quite her job working for the demanding, eccentric, boss from hell, Miranda Priestly at Runway magazine.  Andy hit a low period after that in which her best friend moved away, boyfriend left her, and her parents split.  But she rebounded, found a new job, became best friends with her former nemesis, Emily, and met the man of her dreams, Max Harrison.  Max is not only handsome and from a famous media family, but as the new head of his media giant, he backs Andy and Emily’s dream to start a high end bridal magazine called The Plunge.  The novel starts as Andy and Max are about to have their own fairy-tale wedding.  When Andy finds out that things are not quite as she dreamed, she has an attack of nerves on her wedding day.  The novel flashes back to the period between the first novel and Andy’s wedding to fill in the details.  Real excitement doesn’t return until Andy and Emily are faced with an exciting offer from the devil herself, Miranda Priestly.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I loved finding out what exactly had gone on in Andy’s life, but Andy annoyed the heck out of me in this book.  When she found the letter from her future mother-in-law on her wedding day telling her son not to marry Andy and hinting that Max had run into an old girlfriend, Andy lets this almost destroy her marriage.  I wanted to smack Andy – newsflash; most mother-in-laws do not like their future daughter-in-laws.  Ask Max about his old girlfriend, don’t just assume the worst.  Even worse was that later on in the novel, Andy meets up with her old boyfriend Alex and has lunch with him AND DOESN’T TELL MAX.  Pot, meet kettle.

Max seems like a great guy until the end when he does something that was pretty despicable to Andy.  But I couldn’t help but think that the entire situation could have been avoided if Andy would have ever actually sat down and talked with Max and Emily about the sale of the magazine. Max and Emily should not have done what they did, but Andy’s avoidance of the issue for months drove me crazy.  The book hinted that Max was having financial problems, but that was never resolved.  Andy seems to note that Max is stressed out about something, but never bothers to actually talk to him about it.  Did Max help with the sale because it was going to be the end of he and Andy’s perfect lifestyle? 

I was also very sad for Clementine, Max and Andy’s daughter.  She was only a baby and adored both of her parents, and now was going to grow up in a broken home.  I can understand why Andy was upset certainly, but she had a large part of the blame herself.  I’ll admit that as a child of divorce myself, I was sad that Andy didn’t even try to work things out at all.  I’m only hoping that at some point Andy will grow up and take a hard look at herself in the mirror.  Andy seemed stuck in a victim roll that she created for herself.

SPOILER END

Overall, I enjoyed listening to the story even though Andy enraged me throughout the book.  The real highlights of the book were when Miranda Priestly arrived on the scene.  I wish there would have been more of her in the book.  I’m still not sure what the title refers too.  What Miranda out to exact revenge on Andy and Emily?  It didn’t appear that way.  I think I preferred this book as an audiobook to print book. 

Megan Hilty was an entertaining narrator and I think of her as the voice of Andy now.  I would definitely listen to her again.

The Lady’s Maid by Dilly Court

The Lady’s Maid is a great story of friendship and of romance. 

 The story starts with two unwed young mothers in the 19^th century.  Both are forced to give up their babies due to circumstances.  One of the babies born to a Gypsy mother and aristocratic father becomes Josephine (Josie), the daughter of a Baronet.  The other, Kate, the daughter of an aristocratic mother and soldier father, becomes the daughter of a servant.  The two grow up as fast friends.  As young women, they both discover they are in love with men unsuitable for their station in life and that life isn’t easy for a single woman.

I love how very different the two women were and how it was very hard at that time to make a living without marriage.  I loved their friendship, although Josie’s unfeeling treatment of her friend often made me want to reach into the pages and smack her. The story was interesting and kept me wondering what was going to happen next.  It was the perfect book for the start of fall and left me wanting to read more Dilly Court novels.

I reviewed this book as part of the TLC Book Tour.  For more information on the tour, check out this site.





This novel is available as an e-book in the United States

The Never List by Koethi Zan

Title: The Never List
Author: Koethi Zan

Read by: Kristin Sieh
Publisher: Penguin Audio

Length: Approximately 8.5 hours (7 CDs)
Source: Penguin Audio Review Copy – Thank-you!

I don’t think I will be able to sleep again after listening to The Never List.  The Never List is a great suspense story that seemed ripped from today’s headlines.  That feeling was actually an accident as this book was written before the real-life rescue of the three kidnapping victims (Michelle Knight, Gina Dejesus, and Amanda Berry) in Cleveland.

In The Never List, it has been ten years since Sarah escaped from her captivity in the basement of a madman.  She was able to lead to the rescue of two other women from the basement, but her childhood best friend, Jennifer, was killed before the rescue and her body has never been recovered.  Now afraid that her kidnapper will be released during parole, and wanting to discover where Jennifer was buried, Sarah starts on a journey to find the truth.  At this point in her life, Sarah lives basically alone in an apartment in New York and rarely ventures outside.  It is a monumental undertaking for her to start this journey.  She discovers that once she starts, the mystery is far deeper and far reaching then she could have ever imagined. 

The suspense in this book was great and kept me on the edge.  It was fantastic for making my journey to and from work seemingly sped by.  Kristen Sieh was a great narrator and did fantastic voices for the characters.  Overall, if you are looking for a great tail that will give you the shivers as we move towards Halloween, I highly recommend this novel.

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory

 Title: The White Princess

Author: Philippa Gregory

Read by: Bianca Amato
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Length: Approximately 18.5 hours (15 CDs)
Source: Simon & Schuster Review Copy – Thank-you!

If you have noticed, since school has gotten back into session, my reviews have diminished greatly.  I’m trying to get the second year of my program (new classes – new lab!) off the ground and things are quite hectic involving me working seven days a week.

Therefore, I’m going to try to do some brief reviews just to keep myself somewhat caught up on reviews. 

I enjoyed listening to The White Princess.  I am particularly fascinated by the War of the Roses, and The White Princess is the story of Elizabeth of York and her marriage to Henry Tudor that effectively ended the War of the Roses and created a new ruling house, the Tudors.  In this novel, Elizabeth pines away with love for her deceased Uncle Richard and is forced to marry Henry.  She despises him at first, but grows to love him over time.  Elizabeth was always a second fiddle in the Tudor court after Henry’s mother, Margaret, but she endures.

While I enjoyed this story, I grew weary of some of the repetitiveness of the story, especially Elizabeth lamenting the death of her lover, her Uncle Richard.  I was actually disgusted by this and felt no sympathy at all towards her.  I also thought it was strange that she and her mother hoped for a Yorkist prince to return and overthrow Henry.  At that point, Elizabeth’s own children were in line for the throne – why would you want to displace your own children?  It didn’t add up.

I thought that Bianca Amato was a great narrator and also enjoyed the medieval music that was played during breaks in the audiobook.  Overall, The White Princess was another enjoyable light historical fiction from Philippa Gregory.

Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding

To celebrate the bicentenary of Pride and Prejudice with Austenprose, I chose to reread Bridget Jones’s Diary and Bridget Jones:  The Edge of Reason.  I also thought it was timely as I am greatly looking forward to Bridget Jones:  Mad About the Boy being released in October.

I’ll admit that when I first read the two books, I was a Singleton and related too much of the material.  My life as a married mother of three is far different now, but I still found the two books to be hilarious.  I love that Bridget is a relatable woman and I also love how Bridget Jones’s Diary is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice, while Edge of Reason is a modern take on Persuasion.

In Bridget Jones’s diary, Bridget navigates the waters of life and love as a single British woman in her thirties.  Her witticisms and observations on life are quite hilarious.  Bridget at first falls for her boss, the dastardly Daniel Cleaver, but also has a love/hate relationship with the handsome haughty lawyer, Mark Darcy.

Some of my favorite passages are when Bridget relates to Pride and Prejudice:

“It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr. Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party.  It’s like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting, “Cathy” and banging your head against a tree.”

“That is precisely my feeling about Darcy and Elizabeth.  They are my chosen representatives in the field of shagging, or rather, courtship.  I do not, however, wish to see any actual goals.  I would hate to see Darcy and Elizabeth in bed, smoking a cigarette afterwards.  That would be unnatural and wrong and I would quickly lose interest.”

Overall, I loved reading Bridget Jones’s diary again and it really makes me want to watch the movie again.  Bridget Jones:  The Edge of Reason is a good sequel, and so much better than the movie version. I remember watching the movie at the theatre incensed that they totally blew the Persuasion theme of the novel.  In The Edge of Reason, Bridget is back and in a functional relationship with Mark Darcy.  Under the persuasion of self-help manuals and her friends, she is sure that something is wrong with her relationship and soon the two are divided.  Like Captain Wentworth and Anne, Darcy and Bridget move on, but can’t forget each other.

One of my favorite scenes is when Bridget interviews Colin Firth.  She is supposed to ask him about his new movie, but all she can talk about is his portrayal of a wet shirted Darcy.  Classic.

Both novels are well worth checking out for their humor and for their Austen moments.

Book Source:  My personal library.