I am someone who has read the book The Devil Wears Prada more than once. I've read Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns. I've seen the movie more times than I care to count. It sounds like I'm a huge fan of the franchise, just can't seem to get enough, right? Well, not so much.
Now the movie, this is an instance where the movie is better than the book. And not just because of the stellar cast (which is definitely part of the reason I've seen the movie so many times! Emily Blunt, I'm looking at you and can't wait to see you in Girl on the Train later this year! And Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci too? Such an embarrassment of riches right there!). It's better because it understands something that the books just don't get.
Recently I figured out why I keep coming back to the Prada books. Because I want to like these novels. There's some good there. But there's also something missing.
Each reading of the books reminds me that I want more for these characters, that I can't help but feel there is an emotional note missing, that maybe there needs to be a level of revenge or at least karma for the entitled, whiny, less-interesting-than-she-thinks-she-is Andrea Sachs, who looks down on everyone else in the novel from her high horse.
That's part of the reason I liked The Knockoff so much. It too is a satisfying story set in the whirlwind of New York City's fashion world. Both are about magazines. But where The Devil Wears Prada is about a young woman finding her place in a big world of fashion and power, The Knockoff is about an older woman finding her place in the quicksand of today's changing publishing universe. The Knockoff is well-written, fast paced, and includes all the elements that I both loved and missed in the Pradas. If you're looking for a good read about fashion or about magazines or just about how catty women can be to each other at times, reach for The Knockoff. You'll be happy you did.