Модни битки

by Karen Yampolsky

Джил Уайт винаги е мечтала да направи свое списание, което да представя умни, духовити, истински жени с амбиции отвъд по-стройните бедра и по-бляскавите коси. Шефовете на Джил обаче имат своя версия за нещата и решават да направят живота й истински ад. Напрегнатата игра с удари под кръста и бесни интриги карат Джил да даде най-доброто от себе си и да извърти нещата в своя полза, така че да се разбере, че тя знае как да победи дори най-подлите участници.

Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Fashion, Contemporary, Adult, Novels

283 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2008

Reviews

[Ozma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book at a library book sale. It looked like "The Devil Wears Prada" from the perspective of the editor-in-chief, who is misunderstood. It also looked sufficiently dishy. There was a blurb about the author being the assistant to Jane Pratt of Sassy Magazine and Jane Magazine fame. Well, the author wasn't just Pratt's assistant. Judging from the novel, she appears to have been her entire life chronicler. The details of the novel were so accurate, so perfect, that it couldn't just be what the author had observed of Pratt in passing. Also, the assistant character (which is what the author as in real life) was lauded and praised as the perfect person throughout the novel. It was a bit much. Most of the novel read like a memoir of Pratt's with thinly veiled name changes (for instance, Drew Barrymore becomes Rory Bellmore; Kate Moss becomes Lila Bass, or some other not very well hidden naming device). At a certain point towards the end of the novel, it becomes obvious that the real Pratt could not write this story herself. I think she must have written it but had her assistant publish it, just to get her story out. Or, she must have no issue with her assistant publishing her life story! Either way, I did enjoy the novel. It was very dishy, with lots of details about the world of magazine publishing, celebrity gossip, and just overall a good story about a woman trying to make her mark on the world and being held down by small minds. The real shocker is how all this stuff was happening in real life in 2005, and I totally missed it! All this news and gossip came as a shock to me, and I consider myself fairly up on things. I guess I am a country bumpkin after all!

[Ocean · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was a huge fan of “Jane” and “Sassy” magazines, which is the only reason why I picked up this book. It’s a verrrrrrry thinly veiled Jane Pratt autobio-masquerading-as-fiction. The writing was terrible, but it was super-fun reading all the gossip surrounding Jane’s life (I also thought it was funny that the Drew Barrymore “fictionalization” happened to be black—WTF? Also, the Michael Stipe character had curly or long or some other distinctive hair. Way to throw us off!). Most of the time Jane’s character was totally self-absorbed & annoying. A lot of the characters are saying, “Wow, Jane! You’re so great and funky and cooooool!!” But we never get to see why Jane is so great and funky and cool, or anything less than a shallow pain-in-the-ass.
Throughout the whole book, I was wondering why this was written by Jane’s former assistant, and not Jane herself. It seemed really weird and unnecessary. But then at the end, it is revealed that part of Jane’s settlement package involves her signing a contract saying she’ll never talk bad about her parent company (Conde Nast). Hmm…..but her ASSISTANT never signed that contract, did she?!

[Hikachi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing really interesting to say about this book.
It's basically an OK book. So-so much in pretty much every level. The premise was interesting. About a hippie girl with a big dream to have her own magazine. I tried not to compare it much to The Devil's Wear Prada. Simply because I couldn't do it.

The jokes were different. They were dry, and quite hard to understand, unless you're either a hippie or anything similar. I'm not saying that this book wasn't funny. It was. It's pretty entertaining, but just like some cheap cupcake with thin and artificial frosting on top. Nothing to be expected much from this one. And obviously, the sweetness didn't last long.

The flashback took 2/3 part of the book, which is quite annoying. Cause I thought it'd be more about how Jill would survive and how she'd save her magazine. But the book preferred to be give more details about what Jill felt at that time. Including when she was on the strings of unhealthy relationships.

At least, nothing that annoyed me much. Except maybe how Liz and Ellen were pictured in a total negative manner. Couldn't blame the author though, but most characters weren't really three dimensional. But another good thing was that there were less romance. Which is always good in my book. xD

[Margie · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the blurbs on the back of this book says, "If you liked The Devil Wears Prada, you'll love this book!" I beg to differ.

I read The Devil Wears Prada expecting to hate it, because I don't generally enjoy people being mean to one another, and I'm not into fashion. Yet I enjoyed it. I read Falling Out Of Fashion expecting to enjoy it, because I admire Jane Pratt and thought Jane magazine was a great idea. Yet I couldn't wait to be done with it.

Falling Out Of Fashion is not about fashion, and it's barely fictionalized. Rather, it is a thinly (microscopically) veiled blow-by-blow tell-all of the rise and fall of Jane magazine. If it were written as non-fiction it would work much better, but since that's not currently possible, a bit more disguise would have made it a bit more palatable. Or more of a story.

I'm glad the book was written, because fans of Jane deserve to know what happened. I just wish it had been written differently.

[Bridget · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a dumb, dumb book. Jane Pratt created Jane and then couldn't say anything bad about Conde Nast after her settlement, so she had her old assistant write the most thinly veiled novel/biography EVER. Instead of the magazine Jane, it was Jill. Jill's famous friends are paraded throughout the book "Serena Sax" is Courtney Cox, "Rory Bellmore" is Drew Barrymore, and there are several others that are easily identifiable. The stupidest part of this though is that while sometimes Karen & Jill changed the names, other times they used the actual celebrity names. It was a mish mosh of a book and makes Karen/Jill seem bitter. The book did not cast them in nearly the light it was intended to - and I believe that due mainly to crappy writing and blatant "Jill is such a great/hip/cool person" overtures without ever actually saying why. It was free on Amazon so I can't complain too much but I definitely don't recommend this book to anyone.

[Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Sassy and Jane Pratt as a teenager, so I read this thinly veiled pseudo-biography piece-of-nothing one afternoon when I probably should have been working.

[T.S.C. Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now this book was very different to its other little black dress sisters, and I enjoyed it for that reason.
Jill is already married, in a career where she shares her rise and falls, her successes and her mistakes and her learnings along the way.
Yes at the beginning of the book her ways are very...urgh. Deciding to drop her college degree to run off for a week to shag a rock star and declaring her undying love for him was...dumb, to say the least. But she also admits that was wrong of her.
Her neglect of her friends and family in pursuit of her dreams to be a magazine editor shows all too well the life of those in journalism or for that matter any hard working and time consuming job. Often our loved ones and even ourselves become suddenly second best, and anything personal is made to be held close to the chest or you are considered weak or unable to suddenly do your job.
I thoroughly enjoyed how this book was different and realistic in its portrayal, and that for once- FOR ONCE- the MC learnt from their mistakes and actively rectified them.
Onto the next!

[Dimana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Джил Уайт винаги е мечтала да направи свое списание, което да представя умни, духовити, истински жени с амбиции отвъд по-стройните бедра и по-бляскавите коси. Най-сетне този миг настъпва и списание Джил се превръща в голям хит. Когато мега-успешната Нестром медия поглъща компанията на Джил, нещата се променят.
Онова, което на пръв поглед прилича на екипен дух се превръща в горчива игра на удари под кръста и бесни интриги. Новите шефове на Джил успяват да превърнат живота й в истински ад. Тя не иска да напусне, но и не може да гледа как скъпото й списание губи облика си и се превръща в поредния нискокачествен парцал. Нищо друго не й остава, освен да отвърне на удара.

Всъщност неочаквано много ми хареса. Възходът и падението ръврят ръка за ръка в живота, важното е как преодоляваме спадовете.

[Lucky · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is nothing really interesting to say about this book. It's basically an okay book. Plenty on almost every level. The premise is interesting. About a hippie girl with big dreams of having her own magazine. I tried not to compare it too much to The Devil's Wear Prada. Simply because I couldn't.

Falling Out of Fashion isn't approximately fashion, and it is slightly fictionalized. Rather, it's miles a thinly (microscopically) veiled blow-by-blow tell-all the upward thrust and fall of Jane magazine. If it had been written as non-fiction it might paintings an awful lot better, however given that is now no longer presently possible, a piece extra hide could have made it a piece extra palatable. Or extra of a story.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

I took this out of the library because I was doing an alphabet challenge. It was compared to a Devil Wears Prada. After I read it I found out that this wasn't really fiction but based on the life of Jane Pratt who actually had a magazine. The main character of this story wasn't very likeable - she was pretty self centered. And parts of the story were closed over. The character had a talk show that took her away from the office. I think this was covered in about two paragraphs. Overall I would have liked a lot more insight into the magazine world and/or more humor.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a subscriber to both Sassy and Jane. I loved this book by Jane Pratt’s former Executive Assistant posing as a fictionalized memoir. The pseudonyms for some of the celebrity characters were hard to figure out and I have to admit I did google the Stepford Twins to see what they were up to. All in all a fun read for those of us that grew up not feeling like they looked liked the girls in the “other” magazines.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is true that if you liked The Devil Wears Prada you'll like this book. It was an easy read, but I felt a little disoriented at a few places when the timeline went back and forth. Overall, I enjoyed reading this book!

[Cadence Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was an incredibly slow read, hence the 3 star rating, but yet I still loved it. It was realistic, emotional, heartfelt. Jill is the woman people aspire to be, and she will forever hold a special place in my heart.

[Caitlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super strange. Felt like it should’ve been a biography.

[Sammy Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read, ideal book to take away on holiday, but missing depth to the story.

[Ifnur Hikmah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jill White, sejak kecil tinggal di komune hippie dan menjalani kehidupan ala hippie karena itulah pilihan orangtuanya. Ketika Jill masuk ke sekolah persiapan Hillander yang isinya kalangan A list, dia enggak punya teman. Orang-orang mengenalnya sebagai si aneh dan anak sumbangan. Tapi, Jill punya obsesi membuat majalah sendiri.
Akhirnya impiannya terwujud. Dia melahirkan majalah atas namanya sendiri, Jill. Majalah yang menampilkan perempuan apa adanya, tidak seperti majalah glossy lainnya. Tapi, dunia penerbitan begitu keras. Jill terus mendapat tekanan dari atasannya, Ellen Cutter dan Liz Alexander. Lama-lama kelamaan Jill kehilangan arah dan menjadi seperti majalah kebanyakan. Jill, rela enggak rela, terpaksa melihat bayi kesayangannya perlahan tapi pasti menuju ke kehancuran.
Not an another The Devil Wears Prada meski masih menyasar dunia penerbitan alias majalah. Kalo di luar negeri, dunia majalah masuk ke golongan juicy gossip penuh intrik sehingga banyak yang menjadikan dunia ini sebagai latar novel, film, atau serial televisi. Gue belum nemu Indonesia kayak gini padahal intrik di dunia majalah Indonesia enggak kalah juicy, lho, hehehe.
Gue udah lama beli novel ini tapi terpendam begitu saja dan tiba-tiba enggak sengaja lihat. Sempat khawatir karena gue takut akan ngecewain kayak Fashionista yang katanya the next The Devil Wears Prada. Kedua, gue enggak kenal siapa penulisnya. Tapi, untunglah kekhawatiran gue enggak terbukti.
Ternyata, gue menikmati buku ini. Sangat enjoy malah.
Cerita berlangsung dari sudut pandang orang pertama, Jill White, alias si editor in chief. Awal cerita sangat menjanjikan, tentang Jill yang dipanggil atasannya Ellen dan Liz dan dituntut untuk mengubah konten Jill menjadi lebih membumi seperti majalah kebanyakan demi menggaet pengiklan. Penolakan yang diajukan Jill enggak digubris dan dia terpaksa menelan kekecewaannya. Agak kecewa, sih, gue sedikit ketika masuk bab 2 cerita menjadi flashback ke masa kecil Jill, lalu masa-masa penuh tekanan dan pengucilan di Hillander, masa-masa kuliah yang menyenangkan di Bennington College dan masa-masa susah menjadi fresh graduate. Lalu perlahan kesuksesan menghampirinya. Di usia 24 tahun, Jill udah jadi editor in chief majalah remaja, Cheeky. WOW. Lalu, cerita beralih ke masa sekarang. Tentang intrik dan situasi genting di Jill.
Gue menikmati banget tentang gaya hidup hippie tahun 1970an, yaitu masa-masa remaja Jill. Gue ngerti perasaan Jill yang dipandang aneh hanya karena gaya hidupnya yang enggak lazim oleh teman-teman sekolahnya yang semuanya fake. Saking enggak tahannya, Jill sampai menyilet dirinya sendiri buat melampiaskan rasa sakit hatinya. Gue miris pas baca bagian ini. tapi, pengalaman inilah yang menempanya.
Kalau di The Devil Wears Prada ada Miranda Priestly, di sini ada Ellen Cutter dan Liz Alexander, atau yang disebut Jill dengan sebutan Stepford Twins. Sumpah, baca tokoh Liz ini gue jadi ingat seseorang. Si Liz ini omong besar, ngakunya bisa ngegaet banyak iklan, tapi hasilnya nol besar. Selalu Jill yang akhirnya turun tangan tapi pada akhirnya dialah yang menerima pujian si bos besar. Duo penjilat. Asli, tokoh Liz, dan posisi dia di majalah ini, cocok banget sama orang yang pernah gue kutuk-kutuk karena omong besar, penjilat, dan enggak becusnya sama kayak Liz. Untung aja gue enggak perlu berhadapan sama dia lagi, hahaha.
Novel ini chicklit banget. Maksud gue chicklit banget, ya, karena inti ceritanya cewek banget. Antara dia dan pekerjaannya. Itu yang paling dominan. Lalu ada persahabatan juga. Dan kisah cinta juga. Tapi, kisah cintanya enggak terlalu kuat. enggak banyak yang diceritain. Enggak ada tokoh cowok yang menonjol. But I love it. Berasa fresh aja.
Baca novel ini dijamin banyak tahu tentang behind the scene sebuah majalah dan intrik-intriknya. Mungkin karena dekat sama dunia kerja gue juga kali ya, makanya gue enjoy banget.
Di tengah-tengah baca, iseng gue googling nama penulisnya. Lalu, gue terdampar ke sebuah nama, Jane Pratt. Jane ini salah satu tokoh majalah terkenal di Amerika. Umur 24 jadi editor in chief majalah remaja Sassy lalu akhirnya membuat majalah dengan namanya sendiri, Jane. Lalu Jane dibeli oleh Conde Nast. Enggak lama setelah Jane keluar dari Jane, Jane bangkrut.
Kok mirip banget sama cerita ini? Ternyata oh ternyata, Karen Yampolski, penulisnya, mantan asisten Jane Pratt. Gue enggak ngerti alasan dia menulis kisah hidup Jane atau mungkin ada campur tangan Jane juga di dalamnya. Jadi, ketika gue tahu fakta ini, buku ini bisa dibilang autobiografi. Abis persis sama. bBhkan sampai ke masalah pribadi Jill pun mirip sama Jane. Trus, gue curiga si Karen ini yang jadi tokoh Casey, asisten Jill.
Overall, gue puas dengan buku ini. dari lima penulis yang gue tahu menulis tentang majalah, Sophie Kinsella, Candace Bushnell, Lauren Weisberger, Lynn Messina, dan sekarang Karen Yampolski, mereka semua awalnya kerja di majalah. Jadi tertantang buat bikin cerita berlatar majalah juga, hehehe.

[Amy Formanski Duffy]

This is "The Devil Wears Prada" for hipsters. The author was an assistant at Jane magazine for many years. The novel is written from the perspective of Jill White, a thinly disguised version of Jane Pratt. She's a alternative hippie girl who grew up in a commune, went on to Ivy league schools, and then edited a quirky magazine for teen girls in her early 20s. She's a media wunderkid featured in Time. She gets really famous and becomes friends with other famous people.

It's a fun read, but there doesn't seem to be enough tension to make for a very exciting plot. [This improves as the book goes on and the corporate folks get more feisty and awful. Then you find yourself rooting for Jill.] There are evil corporate bosses who keep trying to make the magazine more mainstream, and Jill doesn't have time to keep up with her old friends. That's about it. It's also annoying that they made the cover look EXACTLY like "The Devil Wears Prada." Oh, chick lit cliches, go away! Even the title isn't really representative of the novel. I have a feeling the author didn't pick it. The book is more about publishing than fashion.

The book is about how a magazine that was meant to be unconventional, honest, feminist, and fun got corrupted by the machine of mainstream media. Sadly, it's a true story. I do think that Jane Pratt started off with the best of intentions for her magazine. Unfortunately, it turned into a fluffy piece of crap. I never really liked Jane. It seemed ditzy and without substance. It never lived up to what it was trying to be. And yet the announcement this week that the magazine is folding does make me a bit sad. At least it was a mainsteam mag for women that was trying to be a bit more savvy than the others. RIP Jane! I'll go back to reading my newest issue of Bust now. ;)

[Mirkat · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not exactly sure when I read this book, though it must have been before I signed up for Goodreads. So, I'm in the library today, browsing the "fiction" shelves, when this book catches my eye, mostly because the cover inevitably reminds me of the cover for The Devil Wears Prada . The copy on the cover even tries to draw in fans of that book, assuring them that they'll love this book, too. When I read the blurb inside of the book jacket, I realize that I've read this book already. Yes, it all comes back to me. I decided to do a brief write-up just to keep myself from forgetting again. Jill in this narrative is a very thinly veiled version of Jane Pratt, and the magazine Jill is, of course, a thinly veiled version of Pratt's [former] magazine Jane. Although the author, Karen Yampolsky, had been Pratt's assistant, the story is told from the perspective of the Jane/Jill character. Though the minor character based on Yampolsky is super-awesome at her job, and Jill can't fathom how she manages to juggle the job with her home life (such perfection!). Whereas Devil oozes with Weisberger's bitterness toward Anna Wintour, Yampolsky clearly loved her boss, and this fictionalized biography comes across more like a hagiography. Jill is super-cool, and she has friends who are thinly veiled versions of Michael Stipe, Drew Barrymore, and Courtney Cox! And she's just awesome! The magazine industry, though, is evil and drove her out! She was just too good for that world.

[Lisa Tanoetirta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tadinya menarik banget ini buku. Tadinya.
Jill & Jill (Falling Out Fashion) Menceritakan tentang Jill, seorang jurnalis yang unik dan punya bakat brilian, menerbitkan majalah dengan genre yang berbeda. Majalah remaja - dewasa muda yang menampilkan semua apa adanya, berlawanan dengan majalah-majalah remaja yng umumnya menampilkan semuanya dengan polesan.

Tadinya...menarik.
Sampai, salah saya sendiri, saking tertariknya cari tau tentang buku ini, saya dapat fakta bahwa, this book is soo much alike with Karen's former Boss life. Jane Pratt.
Jane Pratt itulah "Jill" , Karen itu mantan asistennya Jill.
Got the clue?
Rasanya kaya ketipu. Mending kalau pinter ngetwist, ini plek ketiplek hidupnya Jane difiksi'in.
Tokoh-tokoh selebritas dengan clumsy diganti dikit namanya.

Mungkin ini emang proyek balas dendam Jane yang ditikung bosnya sendiri.
Jadi menceritakan versi'nya.

Saran saya, jangan cari tau tentang Jane Pratt kalau mau baca buku ini.
Ceritanya menarik. Leave Jane Pratt here. Okay? Tapi malah penasaran kan? hihihi

Well, the choice is all yours. =))

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a fictionalized account of Sassy and Jane magazine founder and editor Jane Pratt's life, in the same vein as The Devil Wears Prada. The main character is Jill White, the editor and founder of Cheeky (Sassy) magazine and Jill (Jane) magazine. The author was Jane's assistant for nine years and it is widely rumored that Jane Pratt was the ghostwriter for this book.

I grew up reading Sassy and also read Jane for a while before it got lame so it was really fun reading this book. All the celebrity names have been fictionalized of course, but it is really easy to figure out who they really are. Serena Sax is Courteney Cox and Rory Bellmore is Drew Barrymore for example.

I highly recommend this book for fans of Sassy and/or Jane.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read but for some reason, I expected something different or more or I don't know....I really liked how the author formatted the structure of the novel, however, beginning in the presetn and then taking the reader all the way back to the heroine's beginning, showing her life as a kid, growing up on a commune in Georgia. From there, the story grows as does its leading lady, Jill White until we are back tot he present moment where chaos is breaking out at her magazine, Jill, as well as in her personal life with her husband, as they try to conceive their first child. I heard a rumor that this book was based on the true story behind the woman responsible for the magazine, Jane, but I have yet to confirm its truth. Oddly enough, if there were some truth to this story, it would definitely sway my opinion more positively if it were true.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was still in the mood for fiction with Latina characters so I pulled this one off of my bookshelf where it has been sitting for almost a year. Dulce Maria (Mary) Guevara is a real estate agent on the rise in Miami. After divorcing her husband she has landed on her feet and is raising her son and closing big deals. She innocently answers the door to her home one day and finds DEA agents surrounding her. They ransack her home, arrest her, accuse her of being a high level drug trafficker. Even though the charges are eventually dropped, Mary has lost her job and custody of her son. She then takes it upon herself to clear her name and find the real cocaine queen she has been mistaken for. It was a quick moving, action-packed story with some humor and romance. Loved it.

[Angelic Zaizai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chiklit yang agak beda, bukan murni soal bos yang kejam dan lika-liku dunia penerbitan
lebih pada kehidupan Jill - dari awal sampai sukses menjadi anak emas dunia penerbitan
majalah Jill semula bergaya 'indie' tapi begitu dibeli jaringan media raksasa, pelan-pelan (errr ga juga sih) dipaksa berubah jadi majalah yang berbeda
akhirnya Jill pun ditendang dari 'bayi'nya

selain tentang kerjaan Jill, juga ada cerita tentang kehidupan pribadi Jill
seperti usahanya yang susah payah menjalani terapi demi mendapatkan anak tapi bolak-balik gagal.

baca-baca review orang
katanya ini mirip dengan kisah majalah Jane (ga tau, ga pernah denger, apalagi baca)
dan penulis novel ini, adalah mantan asisten Jane Pratt, pendiri majalah Jane..

[Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, I got this book free for my kindle and thought I'd give it a try because it looked light and fun. It's a very fast read and to be honest I'm really not sure how to review it. It's less fiction and more a slightly fictionalized biography of Jane Pratt (Sassy and Jane magazines). I was a subscriber to both those magazines so it was fun to reminisce about my teen years with Sassy especially. The book is more of Yampolsky's way to set the record straight about how Jane magazine was torn apart by it's publisher than a "Devil Wears Prada" chick-lit. It's not particularly well-written, but it is somewhat interesting if you care about Jane Pratt, her magazines and her celebrity friends (who are easy to spot throughout).

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is in no way award-winning literature, but I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would (especially once I realized that it's a true story).

Falling Out of Fashion is the thinly veiled account of Sassy/Jane Magazine Founder Jane Pratt's rise to fame and fall from grace. Conveniently written by her assistant (since Jane herself is not legally allowed to tell her story), little effort is made to conceal the identities of those involved, including celebrities, Conde Nast employees, etc.

If you are interested in the magazine industry, celebrity gossip, or even just stories about successful women, this will be an enjoyable, mindless read.

[Bree · Rating 2 out of 5]

This "novel" started off sharp with the corporate intrigue, but got bogged down immediately telling the main character's backstory. Should have been much more succinct - you'd think someone who worked in the magazine industry would know about editing.... Just when I was about to abandon book, we were back to the industry and personal drama.

An interesting novelization of the Sassy/Jane years, I would have liked more about the significance of "Jill" magazine, rather than all the self-congratulations, and more introspection, which was largely glossed over at the end. While the corporate struggle was interesting fading, it felt largely impersonal.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was one of the worst books I have read in a while. Firstly, I didn't think this would be the re-telling of the main characters whole life story, but of her work-life. And yes she talks about her work-life for pretty much the entire book but in the past tense. I love reading about glamour and drama, but the way it was presented made me so uninterested. Either the main character was complaining about how horrible her life was that she had to sell her loft, or she was on top of the world, name-dropping about meeting celebrities. Also, I never got the feeling that she that great of a person at all, but just nice to those who kissed up to her.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is priceless if you're into Sassy/Jane magazine gossip. The thinly-veiled characters are based on Jane Pratt and her celebrity associations - Drew Barrymore, Michael Stipe, and other real life associates. The story follows what occurred - Sassy, then Jane, then Jane is bought out and redesigned in a spectacularly horrible way, then Jane Pratt leaves and the magazine folds. It's a bit odd that the book is written by Jane's former longtime assistant using the first-person voice of Jane herself. And the cover is terrible.

[SeaBae · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another one from the book stash. It should have stayed there.

This isn't so much as a novel as a case study in exposition, full of heavy handed prose and one dimensional characterization. It gets one star for its barely veiled celebrity gossip, and I'm being generous. By comparison, other roman-a-clef novels, such as The Devil Wears Prada, read like high literature. It's a pity, because Jane Pratt - whose life this novel sluggishly details - edited some of the most interesting, outrageous magazines around. She deserves better.

[Mirella Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

yah, 3 1/2 bintang deh, buat novel ini. si Jill White ini -menurut pendapatku- terlalu stress, makanya susah punya anak. Toh kebukti pas doi ngelepas pekerjaannya yang segudang itu dan relaks, doi berhasil hamil dan punya anak. Meskipun harus nunggu sampe umur nyaris 40 tahun to get all those things (pregnant and having a baby).

Bosnya doi, si Stepford Twins... doooh, dah kaya di novel The Devil Wears Prada aja. Ampyunnnn deh, jangan jangan, emang banyak bos or direktris seperti itu di US sono yeeee??