Valley of the Dolls 50th Anniversary Edition

Absolutely incredible book

On the back of the book, there is a quote by a reviewer who spouts that most tired of cliches "I literally couldn't put it down" or something liked that. For once, I'd have to agree wholeheartedly - 450 pages and never a dull moment. The prose is lively, sensitive and articulate. The story itself - the trials and tribulations of three women in the entertainment industry over a 20 year period - captivating and engaging. Also dug the way Susann rejects explicit sex scenes and places sexual/personal politics in its place. Makes the whole thing far more believable and realistic (plus her ability to write 'romantic' scenes is more cheesy than sexual as the few ill-advised attempts here seem to confirm). Actually, Valley Of The Dolls (the book, not the film) reminded me of Goodfellas in a way which may sound like a bizarre comparison but it has that same quasi-documentary feel, a whirlwind tour of 20 years in the lives of a small microcosm of people. Like the Scorsese masterpiece, significant events occur, are pondered briefly and then swiftly forgotten in a heady rush to get to the end of the gals' glamorous/sordid lives. If there are drawbacks, it's to do with inconsistent characterisations. People's personas suddenly change totally at various points in the book and at times you feel as though you're dealing with a totally different person. Also, Susann doesn't seem to like her characters equally, or she starts with a concept about them (Jennifer) and gets bored midway through and ceases to bother developing them after a while. Of the three main characters, it's clearly Neely who seems to interest Susann most and she gets quite deeply into her. But I think it's at the expense of the other characters and does weaken the novel if we were to look at it from a technical standpoint (which I don't). On the plus side, super-tuff ending! Why don't we ever get stuff like this in the movies!?! Very dark and downbeat, again giving it a more realistic tinge. Finally, don't dismiss this as chick lit or proto-feminism etc or whatever crass marketing terms are currently in vogue to describe writing by women. This is a great novel in its own right and just cos its written by a girl doesn't necessarily mean its FOR girls. Women may be the central characters in this tale of the ups and downs of the post-war showbiz world, but ultimately, it's a book about people. So read it, everyone!

The thing that frustrates me about this book is also what I love - The allegory and the emotional blindness of the characters. Warning, spoilers! Anne is living a real "three strikes and you're out" psychological baseball game. She seeks excitement and love. She blows it with Allen, who's loaded and crazy about her, who offers all kinds of fun, whatever she could want. Yet she blows it because it's too easy. When Lyon finally wants to marry her and be with her, since he wants to live in her simple home town, it isn't good enough. She blows it. Then, when she has Kevin, who agrees to marry her and wants to take her around the world, it's not good enough because he's offering it too easily, and Lyon stumbles back in the picture. Yet, she never really does anything on her own; she just piggybacks off the success of others and never grows out of being a spoiled, cossetted teenager. Neely is just as emotionally crippled. She finds a man to love her, like she wants, but Neely's vision of love from the start means being with a man that's more successful. As her fame grows, her love wanes for her men. Yet she demands constant attention. She's a true diva, and she can never hold onto anything. Neely does not know how to love, only how to be addicted. From the start, we see she's selfish and incapable of being considerate of others. She never learns, and even though the novel doesn't exactly indicate how Neely's future will look, we can guess, and it's not pretty. Jennifer perhaps was the only really good, likable character in the novel. However, she's ultimately betrayed by her own body that she's relied on. Perhaps, if she'd learned to make emotional connections, we would have seen a happier ending. I wonder how the novel would have turned out if Anne would have tried to get to know Allen as a person, if Neely would have let her first man be a man and stayed in NYC, and Jennifer would have told her mother to stuff it and gone to live the life SHE wanted. Would have been less interesting, but I can't help wishing one girl would have gone straight and come to her senses. It's a fun novel and a great read. This book does not discourage success, but it does discourage riding on other people's backs to get there, and is a great lesson about using people and stepping on people, that it still hurts you even if you have good intentions. It's a tale about what happens when you forget about the humanity of the people you're using, that in that, you lose your own humanity. It's a beautiful, sad, timeless story, and I can't wait to read more Susann!

great bookActually, Valley Of The Dolls (the book, not the film) reminded me of Goodfellas in a way which may sound like a bizarre comparison but it has that same quasi-documentary feel

Un livre incroyable; à lire absolument. C’est piquant je l’ai dévoré !

Il libro è arrivato in ottime condizioni, e la confezione non rovinata nonostante fosse un giorno di pioggia. Il libro in sé è stato davvero una chicca inaspettata. L’ho letto dopo aver per caso visto la copertina - del quale non avevo capito il significato - e devo dire che mi ha estremamente sorpresa l’onestà e la schiettezza di alcuni termini (a partire dal titolo), soprattutto considerando gli anni in cui è stato scritto. Io ho preferito leggerlo in lingua originale, e a parte alcuni termini usati negli anni 60’ che non sono così conosciuti per noi, è di facile lettura. Se siete fan del mondo dello spettacolo, sopratutto Broadway e Hollywood, avete trovato il vostro libro.

There must be a 100 films out there which touches on these stories / plot lines. Whilst the tales are very serious in many ways it is still so enjoyable to read. I was hooked from the beginning - the story is so wonderfully fluent yet changing in an instant - gripping stuff. Neely in the mental hospital is just superb writing . It just feels like there's something on every page that gets you. This is a 10/10 read - I don't think I've enjoyed a book so much and it's so easy to read. - it flows. Some would that this is all old hat now but it's still a powerful read.

Snabb leverans! Mycket nöjd! Min dotter tycker om författaren och boken!