Sequels are always a tricky old dog! It is not without reason that some of the greatest sequels in literature have been released without much delay. It doesn't serve much purpose if the audience has forgotten about the original, no matter how big a bestseller it may be.
The Devil Wears Prada hit the shelves in 2003 and took readers by storm. Supposedly inspired by Lauren Weisberger's own experience at American Vogue magazine, the book was a breakthrough in the chick-lit novel market. Miranda Priestly, made memorable on screen by Meryl Streep, struck terror. Speculations that Priestly was an adaptation of Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of American Vogue, only helped the publicity department. The book and its screen adaptation were equal hits.
Ten years later, Weisberger returned with the sequel, Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns. Andrea Sachs has moved on in life. She co-owns a successful wedding magazine, The Plunge and is married to Max Harrison, heir to the Harrison Publication Group. Weisberger probably intended this to be Andrea, alias, Andy's second tryst with The Devil. However, it is no more than Andy fighting her own fears.
The momentary reappearance of Miranda Priestly and constant conversations about her omnipresence, along with recurrence of other characters from the first book, are the only grounds of calling this book a sequel. But the ground is shaky! Andy could very well have been called anything else and we would still have the same story. Nothing in the book inspires readers enough to go back to the first book and find out the reasons for Andy's reservations. For those who may not have read the first book, the 'sequel' remains a standalone book. It definitely forces me to think, if some studio got interested in adapting the sequel to screen, what would Meryl Streep do this time around?
Having spoken to a few friends who are huge fans of the first book, I did not find a single person who was interested to know what happened to Andy after she unceremoniously quit The Runway. The readers could definitely have survived without the sequel.
Think its time for Weisberger to wrap up those Prada and put The Devil to rest.
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