Miranda Priestly et al. return

‘Revenge Wears Prada’ a good, but not great, summer read

Who said fashion is all about the next new thing? Author Lauren Weisberger revisits her over-the-top characters from “The Devil Wears Prada,” including top magazine editor and ice friend Emily, also a formerly tortured Runway employee. For Miranda to make small talk with these women — and even invite them into her home — in an attempt to court them to sell her an idea that she couldn’t take credit for is practically mind-boggling. Of course it doesn’t take her long to revert back to her normal self, but it’s fun to see her try so hard to be civil and gracious, and especially to see her flirt with tennis star Rafael Nadal. (Wintour is a famous fan of tennis and its top players.)

Andy, however, isn’t all that interesting. At times, the reader can appreciate her principles and even some of her insecurities. Sometimes they are a little too much. It seems hard to imagine that in the relatively small, insular world of fashion magazines and, taking into consideration Andy’s success, she still trembles at the mere mention of Miranda’s name.

And, while she has a very high horse about honesty, she isn’t quite what you’d call forthcoming.

The book successfully sprinkles pop culture tidbits to keep up the breezy tone, but the mix of real and fictional references can be puzzling: Why use the real names of Nadal, designer Monique Lhuillier and hairstylist Oscar Blandi when the celebrities that seem so obviously fashioned on Beyonce and Jay-Z are called Harper Hallow and Clarence “Mack” Dexter?

The of-the-moment shout-outs might also limit the shelf life of the book, but for this summer, it’s a pleasant, entertaining read in a tabloid magazine sort of way.