Pretty in Plaid

by Jen Lancaster

Pretty in Plaid

by
Jen Lancaster

book data

1,839 ratings, 3.83 average rating, 403 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		27%
4		37%
3		27%
2		6%
1		1%

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published

May 5th 2009 by Penguin Group (USA)

details

Audio CD

literary awards

Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Nonfiction & Chick Lit (2009)

isbn

1440641048 (isbn13: 9781440641046)

description

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…more

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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 3,665)

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May 09, 2009

Sabiel rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

bookshelves: read-did-not-finish, read-non-fiction

Read in July, 2009

recommends it for: Jen's dogs, Maisy & Loki

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 Mar...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

2 comments

Feb 28, 2009

Robyn rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

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 memo...more 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 I know a book I’m reading is funny when I am snorting and making other unpleasant noises in an attempt to hold back outright laughter so that people around me at the coffee shop (where I’m reading her book) are either giving me the pity look for my obvious Tourette’s or giving me the raised eyebrow and/or pulling their children away from sitting too close to me (in case whatever affliction I have is contagious). Really, the first books were THAT funny. During the lulls between her books coming out, I have spent time on her blog reading her ridiculous rants and self-deprecating humor. I have loved her writing so much in the past that I could even forgive her biggest flaw: being a card-toting, Ann Coulter (Eew! – Even writing that name threatens to contaminate my computer!)-loving, proud to wear pearls seven days-a-week, Republican (…again, Eew!) [To my Repub friends and family – Chill out! - Don’t take it so personally!:] :-)

……… But I digress.

With this book, I simply think that Jen (we would sooo totally be friends if I knew her) simply ran out of material about which to write. She is only 40ish years-old and has not lived a particularly fascinating or unusual life, so it was stretching it to write three interesting memoirs. Even with her third book she had to create a stunt (a weight-loss journey) to write about, so when the publishers told her to get going on this book, she must have had to really stretch (and unfortunately came up short) for material because all her good stuff had already been used up. My advice to Ms. Lancaster is to either move on to attempt fiction writing – or go on some outrageous adventure (i.e., trek the mountains of Nepal, become a race car driver, have a kid or two, etc…) and then write about it. Just don’t go back in your past and try to dig up anything else to tell us about, because judging from this book, that well is dry.

I still totally love you, Jen Lancaster, and will soooo read your next book(s), so keep’um coming!
(less)

Like this review? yes (5 people liked it)

1 comment

Mar 11, 2009

Kalisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in February, 2009

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 thi...more

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Mar 17, 2010

Curtis rated it:

(review of isbn 0143144774)

bookshelves: audio-books, biographies-memoirs‎

Read in March, 2010

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, egoman...more

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Feb 04, 2010

Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

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...more

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1 comment

Dec 15, 2009

Limberlylou rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in May, 2009

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. I...more

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Oct 05, 2009

Jeni rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in October, 2009

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...more

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Aug 18, 2009

Jennifer rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

bookshelves: 2009, library-book

Read in July, 2009

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 ...more

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Jun 27, 2009

Judy rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

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 a...more

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Jul 29, 2009

Jenny rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

bookshelves: read-in-2009

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 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 life right after college graduation.

I did like this book, but overall, I have to say I was a little disappointed because I expected more. I am so used to laughing out loud throughout her books and this one didn't seem quite as funny. There were some good parts; I liked the one about the time she had lobster for her birthday -- it's something I could see myself doing as a child. But after a while I realized that combining her sense of humor with her actions as a child actually made her sound more bratty to me than anything else. The eighties explored college and was somewhat funnier. One of the better moments was all the focus on trying to dress right to fit in and on buying the expensive purse. But this section of the book got old after a while because it was so largely based on her sorority experiences.

But then when we got to the nineties where Jen talked about her naivete upon graduating college and how she thought she was rich, the Jen that I'm used to from her previous 3 books appeared again. This section of the book was by far the funniest to me and the most enjoyable to read. Maybe her sense of humor is only funny to me when it's applied to an adult who is confident and successful yet ironically naive and childlike at the same time. This is also the part of the book where Fletch makes his first appearances and I found I really like reading about the interactions between them too.

All that being said, if you like Jen Lancaster, I would definitely read this. And I do look forward to her next book (I think it might be about her quest to read classics or something along those lines?) If you haven't read her before, don't read this first both because it's not her best but also because she refers to things that, while you don't necessarily need to know, are funnier if you already know what she's talking about. I give this one 4 out of 5 stars. (less)

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Jun 12, 2009

Jen Marceaux rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

bookshelves: humor, memoirs, non-fiction

Read in June, 2009

** 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...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 Lancaster’s fourth book, a look into how she became who she was before she became who she is today.

In “Bitter is the New Black,” Jen Lancaster described how she went from being filthy rich in the dot com era, carrying and wearing designer labels, to a Target-loving, coupon clipping, purse pawning girl. I fell in love with this snarky girl-next-door. Only I sure as heck never wanted to live next door to her! (She’s kind of mean in a “fun to look at from the outside world” way.)

Jen tells us in “Pretty in Plaid” how she became the label snob she once was. She didn’t start out that way. She grew up in a middle class family with penny-pinching parents. She moved to a one horse town that would likely have been impressed with a label that read JC Penney. She was a Brownie and a Girl Scout, for crying out loud! (And we learn how much she loved that sash and all its glorious pins!)

There were a few chapters where I felt like the book just wasn’t as much fun as the old stuff. It was as though she was writing to fulfill her contract, not to entertain her readers. But most of the book was not only very good, it also reminded me so much of myself. *I* was that girl -- the one who did whatever it took fit in. I did the accents (Jen didn’t want to stand out with her “Yankee” accent in a Midwest town, and I quickly adopted “ya’ll” upon moving to the South), I begged for the labels (Jen ended up getting a pair of designer jeans from a friend of hers who could no longer fit into them, and I remember telling my mom I just HAD to have Jordache jeans or I’d absolutely DIE!) and I needed the approval of the girls who had status (Poor Jen never did get the approval of the long-haired sorority girl with the pretty purse, and I refuse to tell you how I parallel in this area on the basis that one of those girls I went to school with may read this blog since, thanks to Facebook, I am once again in touch with a lot of people from my school days).

(read the rest of the review at http://www.jennifermarceaux.com)(less)

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May 31, 2009

Rachel rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in May, 2009

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

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May 10, 2009

Kathryn rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in May, 2009

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 G...more

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Dec 01, 2009

Karen rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in November, 2009

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...more

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Jun 08, 2009

Maggie rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in June, 2009

Read the book in a day and 1/2, so it MUST be good. At first I thought "oh boy, another self-depricating humor book", but once Lancaster mentioned Bravo addictions and Tim Gunn, I knew I was in. This is exactly my style... very Jennifer Weiner, but a little more sarcastic and sassy. This was my 1st Lancaster book and I'm on to work my way back through her other books. I love that she's not a "woe is me" type of lady. She talks about being heavy but she loves herself and that'...more

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Apr 23, 2009

Margie Thomas rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in May, 2009

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (2 people liked it)

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May 07, 2009

Michelle (labbie) rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

bookshelves: read-in-2009

Read in June, 2009

I was looking forward to this book for months, and Jen didn't disappoint. I read the book in one day. While it didn't have as many laugh out loud parts for me as some of her other books, I definitely related to this book more than her others, almost 100%. Jen and I are close to the same age, so her remembrances of the 70's 80's and 90's are very close to my own. I was laughing out loud at her craving for Jordache jeans, perfectly feathered hair, and Dawn dolls (I had totally forgotten about thos...more

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Jul 25, 2009

Marylou rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in July, 2009

Hilarious! Especially how ruthless she was selling girl scout cookies. So, get it! Love her honest look at herself. Some funny comments:

I knock on my closest neighbors doors. first. Mrs. Schneider across the street obliges with a few boxes of Shortbread-excellent with tea, I remind her-and Mrs. DeGeorge stocks up on the sandwich and chocolate chip varieties. I appreciate her order, but honestly, the chocolate chips are the only clunkers in the bunch. They tend to be dry and the ...more

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Apr 26, 2009

Kris rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Read in May, 2009

I discovered Jen Lancaster one fateful day when I was down with strep throat. Such a Pretty Fat kept me so absorbed (and laughing hysterically) that I totally forgot I was sick and went out at nearly midnight in the snow (uphill both ways) to get her first two novels. After going through all that, I consider myself a fan for sure.

But Pretty in Plaid just didn't do it for me. I laughed out loud twice in the entire book - unheard of, when her other 3 had me crying and nearly peeing...more

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Jan 02, 2010

Brooke rated it:

(review of isbn 0451226801)

Jen Lancaster fancies herself to be a touch funnier than she is. Sometimes, during the course of the two books I've read by her, I've felt a strong compulsion to push her down, sometimes to push her down a short flight of stairs. However, balancing that violence I feel is the fact that I laugh out loud several times during the course of the book. So there's that. However, I don't think I'll remember this book by the end of next week. Recommended for the beach, a plane ride, something you co...more

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3 comments