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14th out of 83 books
—
399 voters
Pretty in Plaid: A Life, a Witch, and a Wardrobe, or, the Wonder Years Before the Condescending, Egomanical, Self-Centered Smart-Ass Phase
The hardcover debut from the New York Times bestselling author- the prequel to Bitter is the New Black.
In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.
Think Jen Lancaster was always "like Da...more
In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.
Think Jen Lancaster was always "like Da...more
Hardcover, 365 pages
Published
May 5th 2009
by NAL Hardcover
(first published April 4th 2009)
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Nov 24, 2009
Sabiel
rated it
2 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Jen's dogs, Maisy & Loki
Shelves:
read-non-fiction,
read-did-not-finish
Jen,
Please allow me to reprint for your edification a maxim from Little House on the Prairie, which perchance you shall abide by since you regard the Ingalls girls as fashion icons in high esteem:
First time is funny.
Second time is naughty;
Third time is a spanking .**
This is your fourth memoir***, and you're 42. And a decade or two younger emotionally. Not that that's a bad thing; we love you for it, and it entertains us. But I think the Veronica Mars knockoff novel you mentioned penning in your...more
Please allow me to reprint for your edification a maxim from Little House on the Prairie, which perchance you shall abide by since you regard the Ingalls girls as fashion icons in high esteem:
First time is funny.
Second time is naughty;
Third time is a spanking .**
This is your fourth memoir***, and you're 42. And a decade or two younger emotionally. Not that that's a bad thing; we love you for it, and it entertains us. But I think the Veronica Mars knockoff novel you mentioned penning in your...more
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I have been a huge fan of Jen Lancaster since I read her first book, and I loved the two that followed as much as the first. I have waited for this fourth book for over a year now and anxiously ordered it as soon as it was available. Sadly, this one just didn’t do it for me the way her other ones did. The others were hilarious, laugh-out-loud reads that had me wanting to snap my fingers in a Z and say, “Oh no she di-in’t!” to some of the outrageous things she says and does in her memoirs. I mean...more
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How cool is it that I got an advanced copy of this book from my secret publishing connection? So cool that it could only be surpassed by getting an advanced copy from Jen herself when I hung out with her at BlisDom!!! Which I did not. But apparently several people did. Only not me. OK, I didn't really "hang out" with her so much as blather incessantly in her presence a couple times. She's my author-idol.
Anywhore, the queen of memoir has done it again. I especially loved this one because - duh -...more
Anywhore, the queen of memoir has done it again. I especially loved this one because - duh -...more
Let me start by saying that Jen Lancaster is always funny. From the time I first read "Bitter is the New Black", Jen became one of my BFF's(although I have never met her and I am left to creep and lurk around her blog). I enjoy going through her life with her and laughing with her at all of her mishaps. With all of that said, I did not enjoy "Pretty Is the New Plaid" as much as her previous books.(gasp!I know) Now, before you start twisting your pearls in a knot, let me just say, Jen is still fu...more
I am a huge fan of Jen Lancaster. Huge. I have read (and bought) all of her books and her new one My Fair Lazy is on my shelf waiting to be read. It's in the que, as they'd say.
But this book is essentially the story of Jen growing up and each chapter is labeled with an article of clothing, thus making each chapter a story of those clothes. Now I know I went through my teen years in the 90's, but I do have a fond memory of Jordache jeans. I remember my uncle dating a girl because she had a pair o...more
But this book is essentially the story of Jen growing up and each chapter is labeled with an article of clothing, thus making each chapter a story of those clothes. Now I know I went through my teen years in the 90's, but I do have a fond memory of Jordache jeans. I remember my uncle dating a girl because she had a pair o...more
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Okay, fine, I'll admit it. I like this author! I agree with her on certain things (and of course, not on some). But since I keep reading her stuff, I'll come clean and admit defeat. Oddly, one of things I don't agree on with her is shopping. I can always always leave it. And this book was all about clothes and her history with them in her life. I could care less. I can't remember what I wore yesterday, much less 20 years ago. And she remembered everything! I guess my version of "this" are dates...more
a memoir told through clothes. kind of a cute idea, but it really blows my mind how many books (& they are LONG books) this author has been able to spin out of a not-terribly-eventful life. i OD'ed a little bit on all the crap in here about being in a sorority & how awesome & fun it is to hang out with frat guys & how sometimes when your friend wakes up naked in a frat house after passing out drunk & has no recollection of taking her off her own clothes, it's best to just lau...more
Mar 17, 2010
Curtis
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audiobooks,
bio-memoirs
I read her blog and watched her book trailers. Jen Lancaster is witty, funny and cute; some have even called her the female David Sedaris. Yet as I made my way through the beginning of Pretty in Plaid I was afraid that it might not be to my liking.
In this, her fourth memoir, Lancaster takes us from the pre-teen years as a smart-ass fashionista through the college years as a smarter, smart-ass fashionista.
At first I was slightly put off by her bratty, materialistic, egomaniac rants, but as her li...more
In this, her fourth memoir, Lancaster takes us from the pre-teen years as a smart-ass fashionista through the college years as a smarter, smart-ass fashionista.
At first I was slightly put off by her bratty, materialistic, egomaniac rants, but as her li...more
This is the fourth Jen Lancaster memoir that I've read and I enjoyed this one as much as the previous books. The book starts with memories of her 8th birthday, moving to Indiana a few years later, college/sorority years, and beginning her post-college work life, all linked with a running theme of what clothing she wore at the time. She is very in tune with the pop culture of the time and clothing name brands. I must be about the same age as the author, because I could completely identify with th...more
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May is like my second Christmas. Each year I wait with bated breath for Jen Lancaster's new memoir to come out. Expectations are raised, and each year they're exceeded. Which is perhaps the problem.
This book is broken up into anecdotes from Lancaster's childhood and young adult life, and the tie that binds (at some time by a tattered thread) is clothing...a Girl Scout uniform, a prom dress, a Chicago Cubs hat.
The main issue with this book is the voice/narration. It takes a long time to get use...more
This book is broken up into anecdotes from Lancaster's childhood and young adult life, and the tie that binds (at some time by a tattered thread) is clothing...a Girl Scout uniform, a prom dress, a Chicago Cubs hat.
The main issue with this book is the voice/narration. It takes a long time to get use...more
Jen Lancaster is one of my favorite writers. Everything she writes is just a delicious treat. From her twitter to her blog to her books-I love it.
Which is why my dislike for her 4th book, Pretty in Plaid, is very disappointing.
As a side note: this was the first book I ever read on my Kindle. Don't read Jen Lancaster on a Kindle. She is famously known for her awesome sub-scripts. On a Kindle, you have to scroll to and select each number. Once there, you select, each number, go the page it's on, t...more
Which is why my dislike for her 4th book, Pretty in Plaid, is very disappointing.
As a side note: this was the first book I ever read on my Kindle. Don't read Jen Lancaster on a Kindle. She is famously known for her awesome sub-scripts. On a Kindle, you have to scroll to and select each number. Once there, you select, each number, go the page it's on, t...more
Thoughts before reading:
I've seen this book recommended by others, and after reading through her blog, it intrigued me all the more and I wanted to read the book. The next stop I made was to my library web site. Unfortunately, it was not there! So, I sent in a request to the library system to purchase the book. Imagine my delight when less than a month later, it's in their collection! Yeah, baby. Immediately, I clicked within to request a check-out, only to be put in line. I figured after all t...more
I've seen this book recommended by others, and after reading through her blog, it intrigued me all the more and I wanted to read the book. The next stop I made was to my library web site. Unfortunately, it was not there! So, I sent in a request to the library system to purchase the book. Imagine my delight when less than a month later, it's in their collection! Yeah, baby. Immediately, I clicked within to request a check-out, only to be put in line. I figured after all t...more
I floored by the fact that I only gave two stars to a Jen Lancaster book, but, frankly, this one was disappointing. Such a Pretty Fat was my introduction to Jen Lancaster and I LOVED it. I quickly bought and read her other two books and liked them. This book seems to be a rehash of all of the same smart comments (which, I have to admit are still funny, but predictable). The two parts of the book that I enjoyed the most were Lancaster forging Girl Scout badges while in elementary school and atten...more
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In her fourth memoir, Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster takes us back to her life as a child and teen all the way up to where we start off in Bitter is the New Black. She breaks the book up into three parts -- the seventies, the eighties, and the nineties. The seventies are filled mainly with stories about moving to Indiana, trying to fit in at school, and being part of the brownies and girl scouts. The eighties fast forward through high school and college, while the nineties take a look at her lif...more
I almost didn't buy this book. It was actually was in the clearance bin at WalMart. It looked like it might be fun so I figured why not, it was only $3.97. It then set on my shelf for two months. I decided to read it because I wanted something "frilly" to read and I was at a standstill with my current reads. Boy, am I glad that I did.
Jen Lancaster writes in that fun self-deprecating voice that made me fall in love with Erma Bombeck when I was a kid. I love humor and real life stories. This defin...more
Jen Lancaster writes in that fun self-deprecating voice that made me fall in love with Erma Bombeck when I was a kid. I love humor and real life stories. This defin...more
Jen Lancaster delivers again.
Don't get me wrong, this was not my favorite of her works (that is reserved for either her original or Such a Pretty Fat) and at times I found myself rolling my eyes at the silly little teenager but her writing style remains the same. Fun, funny and surprisingly touching. Reading one of her books is like having a glass of wine with an old friend and laughing over embarrassing moments from her life. But unlike the glass of wine you don't wake up with a hangover or in...more
Don't get me wrong, this was not my favorite of her works (that is reserved for either her original or Such a Pretty Fat) and at times I found myself rolling my eyes at the silly little teenager but her writing style remains the same. Fun, funny and surprisingly touching. Reading one of her books is like having a glass of wine with an old friend and laughing over embarrassing moments from her life. But unlike the glass of wine you don't wake up with a hangover or in...more
This was my first introduction to Jen Lancaster, even though she has three previous books. I think it was a fine place to start, especially with it focusing on her childhood, so it almost felt like this could've been the first in the 'series' about her life.
When I picked up this book, I expected it to be really focused on the clothing and trendy, expensive 'labels' she would wear through her life, like so many 'chick' books are so focused on, but I was pleasantly corrected to see she was simply...more
When I picked up this book, I expected it to be really focused on the clothing and trendy, expensive 'labels' she would wear through her life, like so many 'chick' books are so focused on, but I was pleasantly corrected to see she was simply...more
Anyone coming of age in the 80s probably has fond memories of big hair, parachute pants, and popped collars. In Jen Lancaster's last book, Pretty in Plaid, she recounts her metamorphosis from small-town Midwestern girl to fashion-forward, Prada-loving businesswoman.
The book begins when Jen is still Jenni, and she is living with her family in New Jersey. It is the late 70s, and she is rockin' a retro-60's vibe in her hand-me-down fringe vests. Before long, her father moves the family to a small t...more
The book begins when Jen is still Jenni, and she is living with her family in New Jersey. It is the late 70s, and she is rockin' a retro-60's vibe in her hand-me-down fringe vests. Before long, her father moves the family to a small t...more
This is more memoir styled writing from Jen Lancaster, with the theme of 'fashion' tying it all together - if a bit loosely.
I had a bit of a hard time getting into this at first, as the author starts with stories from her children. Lancaster as a child comes across as precocious bordering on obnoxious. Them there is the section where she is a teen, which is amusing. The college years kind of had me bamboozled, as a lot of it was about her sorority life. We don't have these in my country, so all...more
I had a bit of a hard time getting into this at first, as the author starts with stories from her children. Lancaster as a child comes across as precocious bordering on obnoxious. Them there is the section where she is a teen, which is amusing. The college years kind of had me bamboozled, as a lot of it was about her sorority life. We don't have these in my country, so all...more
Jen Lancaster's memoir of her youth is told through particular items of clothing that she owned. It's a cute concept, and the fashion items usually play a role in the stories she tells. The essays themselves are for the most part entertaining, but after a while, the reader starts to realize that Lancaster is using a lot of words to not say much at all.
The problem inherent in the writing career Lancaster has built for herself is that this is her fourth memoir (she's since released a FIFTH), and s...more
The problem inherent in the writing career Lancaster has built for herself is that this is her fourth memoir (she's since released a FIFTH), and s...more
** I downloaded this onto my Kindle & then read it on the Kindle app on my iPhone. There were two mistakes a noted in the electronic version. In one case, there was no link for footnote 126. The other problem was that it appeared to be missing an electronic page. I'm not sure if it was a few words, a paragraph or an entire page. I'm not sure how much I missed or if it was only in the Kindle for iPhone version or if it was for the Kindle version as well. **
I just finished reading Jen Lancaste...more
I just finished reading Jen Lancaste...more
Oct 21, 2010
Jennifer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
audio_books,
work-out_audio-book,
driving_to_work_books,
2010,
memoirs,
fun,
jen_lancaster,
non-fiction
I have a serious heart on for Jen Lancaster right now. Having just listened to my first "Jen" book I am full of Jen-ness. In a total state of Jen. Yeah. I am Jen-ed to the max!
This being my only Jen book under my belt I can give my opinion of this as a Lancaster virgin. Sure I had spotted her books in the Target book aisles - chuckled at the pithy titles. Thought - Maybe. Well Maybe is today bitches!
I laughed out loud several times. I actually got teary once while at work. (I forget the actual p...more
This being my only Jen book under my belt I can give my opinion of this as a Lancaster virgin. Sure I had spotted her books in the Target book aisles - chuckled at the pithy titles. Thought - Maybe. Well Maybe is today bitches!
I laughed out loud several times. I actually got teary once while at work. (I forget the actual p...more
2 likes
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I liked this book more than her other books. While her other books are funny, I always felt like I was reading about a persona more than a regular person. Sort of how in real life stand up comedians aren't exactly how they are on stage. Her other books seemed like a technicolor version of her life. Close to the truth but more colorful. This book seemed more genuine and while time really started to fly by at the end there, a more complete look at her as a person.
I had hoped to learn more about: t...more
I had hoped to learn more about: t...more
Well, the book released on May 5th, I got it on May 6th (only because I couldn't get to the book store the day before) and finished it May 9th. This is not great literature, but Jen Lancaster's books are funny and fun to read, and her 4th, Pretty in Plaid does not disappoint. She's as self-centered and ego-maniacal as ever.
This book is a memoir of her days from grade school through college and into her first few jobs. Some of the memoir moments are her super-competitiveness in the Girl Scouts,...more
This book is a memoir of her days from grade school through college and into her first few jobs. Some of the memoir moments are her super-competitiveness in the Girl Scouts,...more
In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals some flashes, from growing up in Cow Town, Indiana, to her time as a sorority girl during her eleven years of college, to her first profession post-college. Like her previous books, Pretty in Plaid is written as a series of essays, all of which are connected by the theme of clothing. From her Girl Scout uniform, covered in (I wish I thought of this when I was a girl scout) illegally earned patches, to her first job interview ensemble, Jen explains how cl...more
Jen Lancaster continually delivers very funny material. I am a follower of her blog, and because this book takes place primarily in her childhood through early adulthood, not much of her blog material was reproduced in this book (which has happened in the past with Bright Lights and Pretty Fat). In this memoir we get a clearer idea of who Jen is and how she came to be the way she is. I don't remember much of the 80's (seeing as I was only 6 when the decade ended) so I can't relate to a lot on he...more
It's been a while (a little over a year) since I read the last Jen Lancaster book. But in a way it doesn't really matter because you could read this one even if you haven't read her other books. In some ways this book is a prequel, at least as much as a memoir can be considered a prequel. It's start when Jen, or Jeni as she goes by then, is 8 and ends a few years before the start of bitter. Each story or chapter i centered around an item of clothing. Except since I'm not really a clothing person...more
I really like Jen Lancaster. She has fantastic stories, is very funny (I often feel the need to stop and read sections of her books aloud to anyone who is willing to listen) and she just seems like someone that you would want to have as your best friend. This being said, her latest book, “Pretty in Plaid” was a stretch. It seems like she might be running out of funny stories. It just didn’t seem as fresh or as hilarious as some of her earlier books. I still like Lancaster and will give her next...more
I was supremely disappointed in this book. I ADORE Jen Lancaster- I think she is just brilliant. This, however, felt that it was entirely cobbled together from bits and pieces. It lacks her trademark "spark" that makes you adore her in spite of her general evil. (Love the evil...) I'm hoping that her latest tome, My Fair Lazy, is an improvement. This pieces together a series of "short stories" that take place at various points of her life. Having read her other books, I'm vaguely familiar with s...more
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Jen Lancaster is the author of her own memoirs including: as Bitter is the New Black, Bright Lights, Big Ass, Such A Pretty Fat, Pretty in Plaid, My Fair Lazy, and the newest: Jeneration X.
She has also dabbled with fiction in her first book, If You Were Here.
More about Jen Lancaster...
She has also dabbled with fiction in her first book, If You Were Here.
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“As I examine my life through this book, I can't help but wonder if my mother was right. Maybe I really was what I ate. And maybe if she'd let me eat a little more sugar, I'd have come out sweeter.”
—
35 people liked it
“For the record? I have never been her baby. In fact, I reject the notion of coming out of her body. I prefer to believe I was hatched, or perhaps purchased.”
—
29 people liked it
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