You'd think that after a smart novel like The Devil Wears Prada, one that made millions of dollars for everyone involved, the publishers would vigilantly edit whatever Weisberger came out with next. I can only imagine that either her publishers lazily retreated and let her reputation sell the book, or that her ego stood in the way of the editing process. Either way, somebody dropped the ball.
Weisberger's tale involves three women seeking love and husbands as they approach their 30th birthdays. One is too promiscuous, one is too monogamous, and the third doesn't love the man she's with. Like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, one's too hot, one too cold and so on...
The book is too long, too shallow, and it's crowded with too many plotlines, men and inexplicable plot meanderings--such as these beauties...
p. 196-197: Two characters argue for 2 whole pages about one character's penchant for popular chick lit, detailing such works as Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Bridget Jones's Diary and The Nanny Diaries.
p. 247: One character leaves her OB-GYN exam (which has NOTHING to do with the plot):
"After dressing, Emmy jumped on the 4 train to Union Square. She figured on a brisk walk directly home to shower--something she always felt compelled to do after the K-Y-heavy exams--but as she exited the subway at Fourteenth and Broadway she found herself heading directly toward Leigh and Adriana's building. With Leigh's breakup only a week old and Adriana's newfound commitment to work, she figured at least one of them had to be home, sulking or writing or both, but the doorman shook his head [...] By the time she reached her building and trudged up the five flights of stairs, she was drenched from head to toe: her hair from the freezing rain, her feet from the filthy slush, and her ladyparts from the overzealous application of medical-grade lube."
Isn't it terrible?-- the overuse of the word "directly," the fact that this does nothing to advance the plot and finally, it's not even well-written!
Harper Collins is going all out to make sure this book gets on the radar of every bookseller, teen girl and adult woman possible. It's pretty stunning how much money is being spent to promote an author's first book. They are marketing it as the next Gossip Girls phenomenon.
There are the Prada fragrance giveaways at http://theluxebooks.com/contests.vm, the $1000 sweepstakes to Bloomingdale's (plus a copy of the book) at http://www.harperteen-theluxe.com/contest/rules.html, the author interview podcasts at http://www.harperteen.com/features/podcast/index.asp, and apparently, when they were still promoting the book from within the industry, they hired the cover model to wear that dress and pass out advance copies at a party.
Just for kicks, here's a tidbit from the official book website:
Hey! I just wanted to say, LOVED your book and I COULDN'T put it down! Can you give us a hint to what happens in Rumors?" -- posted by: Nikki
Nikki, it makes me so happy to hear that you liked The Luxe! I'm putting the final touches on Rumors, and getting really dorkily excited about it, so I'm glad to hear you're looking forward to it too! I can promise a ton more gowns, a few big parties, the spilling of some crazy secrets, a lot of extravagant backstabbing, one good, old-fashioned makeover, and a wedding or two. I really hope you enjoy the sequel as much as you did the first book! xx
--Anna
I loved this book. Loved it the way that you love a croissant when you're biting into its warm crispy outer layers--you fully enjoy the moment, but it's not meant to satisfy you in the long run.
A high-powered corporate journalist with two children is getting fed up. For as many hours as she works, her lawyer husband is around even less. Her girls are handling everything ok, but her son is retreating further into his shell every day. To her staff of housekeeper, drivers and nanny, she adds a young graduate student to act as her son's "manny."
It's totally unrealistic except in its descriptions of the insane lifestyles led by the rich in America. The draw of the book is observing the differences between "them" and "us," so the lack of real emotion is not too noticeable.
You'd think that after a smart novel like The Devil Wears Prada, one that made millions of dollars for everyone involved, the publishers would vigilantly edit whatever Weisberger came out with next. I can only imagine that either her publishers lazily retreated and let her reputation sell the book, or that her ego stood in the way of the editing process. Either way, somebody dropped the ball.
