Songs of the Humpback Whale 英文原版

　　Alice O’Keeffe
　　The working title of The Doorman Wears Dolce makes this instantly recognisable as the follow-up to surely the most fabulously titled debut of 2003 The Devil Wears Prada. For her second novel Lauren Weisberger sticks with what she knows; New York City, but this time it’s the achingly cool world of Manhattan’s party people rather than the fashion pack. At the beginning of the novel Bette (Bettina) Robinson, 27 year old daughter of vegan hippie parents is working eighty-hour weeks as a corporate drone in the offices of investment bank CWK Hoffman. The highlight of her social calendar is a dinner date with her uncle and his boyfriend every Thursday night. Handily, said uncle is also a famous, highly syndicated columnist who manages to secure Bette a shiny new job as a party planner at top PR agency. Cue our heroine’s descent into Manhattan’s social whirl as she struggles with the outrageous demands of celebrity clients plus unwelcome exposure in a regular gossip column. It’s a perfect escapist read, and fans of The Devil Wears Prada will love it but if you’re missing your SATC fix then I’d recommend Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin and Midnight in Manhattan by Francesca Delbanco as altogether more satisfying slices of the Big Apple.

　　Review
　　PRAISE FOR THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA: ‘This little gem mixes Sex and the City charm with dry New York wit.’ REAL ‘Sassy, insightful and sooo Sex and The City, you’ll be rushing to the bookshop for your copy like it’s a half price Prada sale.’ COMPANY ‘Not since the heyday of Sex and the City has a story so caught the imagination of ladies who lunch.’ HARPERS & QUEEN ‘The most fun we’ve had in ages.’ HEAT ‘Delicious!a great insight into the world of magazines and fashion.’ RED ‘Perfect reading in the bath with a flute of champagne.’ EVENING STANDARD ‘A fabulous book you won’t put down.’ THE SUN ‘A fun read.’ DAILY EXPRESS ‘A rattling read.’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ‘Laugh out loud at this fictional fash editor’s outrageous shenanigans.’ ELLE GIRL ‘An entertaining read.’ GUARDIAN

　　Marie Claire
　　”A giddying read, like watching an entire episode of Sex and the City on
　　fast-forward”

 

　　The in-crowd wears Gucci but one girl wears her heart on her sleeve…From the bestselling author of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA comes a no-holds barred expose of the world of the Manhattan super-rich. Bette gets paid to party ! Well, to plan them, anyway. And she can hardly believe her luck. Running with celebs, gaining VIP access to Manhattan’s hottest spots and meeting ‘everyone worth knowing’ is a million miles away from her old banking job. Overnight, New York has become her sexy late-night playground. But quicker than you can say Birkin bag, Bette turns up in the gossip columns as girlfriend to a notorious British playboy. It’s news to her — but news that delights her publicity-hungry new boss. Her family and old friends, however, think it’s not very Bette. What happened to the girl they know and love — who always had time for romantic novels, 80s music and junk food, not to mention them? As her new and old worlds threaten to collide, can Bette say goodbye to the glamour and the Gucci, the parties and the Prada, and step back into the real world — and find a prince who’s got a heart to match his charm?

　　Lauren Weisberger grew up in Pennsylvania and, after graduating from an Ivy League College, moved to New York to work as an assistant on a fashion magazine where she drew inspiration for The Devil Wears Prada, one of the most talked about novels of 2003. It has been published in 29 countries and a film adaptation, starring Meryl Streep, is currently in production with Fox 2000.