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One cannot identify with the characters but if you are looking for a fun superficial story, this might interest you. From the author of The Devil wears Prada, this book does not seem to make it. It never takes off but rather superficially presents a story.
Bette, an overworked piss-ant in the banking industry up and quits one day on a spur-of-the-moment whim. Basically an un-slutty version of "Sex and the City," another one-note-wonder that gets acclaimed reviews. As a new PR rep Bette struggles to keep her private life out of her work life and finds out along the way that even though she's not meant to be a banker, she might also not be meant to be in the limelight.I have mixed feelings about "Everyone Worth Knowing." Yeah, it was a throwback to "Devil Wears Prada" and was essentially very similar in plotline with the endings almost identical, but despite the fact that "Everyone Worth Knowing" was so similar to its predecessor, I did like the book.While not a page-turner, and despite the fact that the ending was pretty predictable, "Everyone Worth Knowing" had a cool vibe running throughout the whole thing that made me want to get to the end. It's pretty much a classic case of the one-note-wonder that is Lauren Weisberger.
Not great, not unreadable or detestable, just.there. I hate being on the fence about books. I finished it, I didn't exalt in it, I didn't make any lasting relationships to the characters, but I did enjoy a glimpse into their world. Basically if you've read "Devil Wears Prada" and liked it you might be disappointed with "Everyone Worth Knowing." If you're new to Lauren Weisberger's work you might find yourself in for a treat. Overall this was a solid 3-star book. Not really knowing what she's going to do with herself, and after a few months of blissful unemployment the whole paying-rent issue rears its ugly head.Finally Bette's semi-notable uncle calls in a favor and Bette finds herself flung into the mysterious world of A-list celebs, all-night clubbing, drugs, alcohol, and the outrageous gossip columns that are the lifeblood of NYC.
I want to either love them or despise them, but "Everyone Worth Knowing" was not one of these. A Catch-22 book if I ever read one. Since it's not a very long or laborious read this was not hard in the least, and the book left me feeling satisfied if not jumping out of my chair to read more.I don't feel that the fact that the storyline is predictable is as sinful as some of the reviewers of this book have said. She writes about NYC, the nightlife, the atmosphere, and the relationships that result from it.
Also, she wants to be a writer, and everyone tells her how she would be such a great writer, which is another retread of The Devil Wears Prada, and a bit Mary Sue-ish to boot.Ergo, you're better off re-reading Prada rather than reading this book. And when the main character isn't out partying, she's lazing about her apartment in sweatpants whining about how horrible her life is. So, not only is it a derivative of The Devil Wears Prada, it's not even good.
A lot of people read Vogue and enjoy fashion, either directly, or from an armchair, so it's fun to watch them get lambasted, and because people are familiar with it, there's something relateable about The Devil Wears Prada.But who wants to be a party planner. Not so with Everyone Worth Knowing. This is basically a derivative of The Devil Wears Prada, which read well because it is a thinly-veiled stab at Anna Wintour (a real person) and Vogue (a real magazine).
Lauren Weisberger paints the job like the most glamorous job in the world, and yet all the main character does is whine about how awful it is, and how it's killing her soul and messing up her social life, etc. Or better yet, see the Prada movie. I kept on recalling that episode of Friends that Winona Rider guested on, where her character changed careers because she "wanted to help people," so she became a party planner.
At least then, the whole idea was funny because it was done ironically.
Don't take this book as a piece of classic literature. Bette is a party planner/publicist in NYC who is addicted to reading romance novels - how serious of a book can this be. Enjoy it for what it is and have fun. I liked this better than The Devil Wears Prada. Yes, it's predictable but it's fun for a weekend of light reading.
I should have known from the start where the story would end up.I willingly kept on listening, hoping that somehow it should get better, but I couldn't even make it to the end. The author clearly did not know how the NYC nightlife really was & wrote about it the way she was "imagining" it, making it sound SO cliché & Hollywood.(& I know this being a NYC & NJ transplant) There were also some racist stereotypical remarks that were messed up, not to mention, just plain wrong.
I just could not take a liking toward her. Most of the characters in the story were annoying & frustrating, especially the main character because all she did was complain about how awful her fabulous life was.
I tried to like this book, but it was awful & disappointing and the author disappointed me as well. There was no substance, no life & just a bunch of name drop babbling.
Read the book if you don't want to think, but beware, you might get a migraine from all the dead mindless words. I just listened to the audio version from the library & heard it at work, so thankfully no money was spent.
It's basically the same "Devil Wears Prada" story with different names for the characters.
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