Everyone Worth Knowing - Lauren Weisberger

 

I just finished reading Everyone Worth Knowing by Lauren Weisberger.  She's the same author that wrote The Devil Wears Prada, which was immensely popular especially due to the movie with Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway.  Hard to believe that The Devil Wears Prada was her very first book ever to have published!  I personally didn't find the book that great.  In fact, it gave me a lot of stress reading it.  But I do think it's a cute idea (and a great title) and I did like the movie a lot.  Then I read her next book Chasing Harry Winston, again another great title to get all the girls to grab it right away.  I liked it more than the first one, and I heard that they are making it into a movie or a TV show too.  But not sure if/when that will happen.

I think Lauren Weisberger definitely came out at the right time with all this "chick lit" stuff being very popular as a result of authors like Candace Bushnell (think Sex and the City, Lipstick Jungle, etc.).  I guess there is something very captivating to read or watch about the lives of the "young and fabulous".  It's like watching Heidi and Spencer on The Hills, hating them but can't stop watching at the same time just to see what stupid shit they are up to next.  The main characters in these books are always a "regular" girl, very relate-able to the rest of us, and quite content being invisible.  But they somehow always manage to get their foot into the "other world" of the elite society, however willing or unwilling.  Of course the girls always have a job like a writer most of the time (for fashion and social magazines and newspaper columns), an aspiring writer, a fashion designer, or in PR.  The stories are pretty similar too, the girl will either have a rich girl friend or meet a nice rich guy (who they fall in love with) who introduces them into the other world.  They will in turn have fabulous high end designer shoes, purses, clothes, accessories, but they always remain true to their former selves, and realize at the end what truly matters.  Ok there, that's the gist of all the plots in every single one of these books.

Of course, however predictable the plots are, I still have read all of them!  They are just fun and entertaining to read.  If you start reading them knowing that they won't be the next greatest English novel, then you will most likely enjoy them more.  I guess I could use my spare time more wisely by reading classics, but sometimes I just don't want to think too much!  Haha... these books are totally easy reads that I can finish in a few days.  They don't use big words, and they have some funny plots/conversations and pop culture references.  I'm sure the authors bank on this type of books though, especially when they get made into movies or shows.  Not a bad life at all!  Maybe I should look into this... afterall, it doesn't seem to require much writing skills to be able to become a chick lit writer!  I just need to have some decent ideas, come up with an amazing girly title and cover, and really learn about all the high end brands and popular restaurants/places (I'm almost there already!).  All in the name of "research".

Anyway, back to Everyone Worth Knowing.  Like I said, the plot and writing style are pretty much exactly the same as the other books.  The main character Bette starts as a girl with a regular banking job in NYC, gets fed up and quits.  Then stumbles upon a job in the "it" PR firm, then her life transforms and she's frequenting fabulous places with fabulous people.  Of course there is a guy or two in the plot as well.  I don't want to spoil too much.  It seems that Lauren Weisberger has been developing her characters a little better than her prior books.  For example, Bette comes from an extremely hippie family, and she has a gay Republican uncle.  So at least there are some more colorful characters that are memorable.  All in all I enjoyed reading it.  I would give it 3 stars out of 5.