Valley of the Dolls
by Jacqueline Susann
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 3106)
Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
lindsay lohan, britney spears, et al
If you haven't read this book, I suggest you quit dicking around on the internet and do absolutely whatever it takes to snag yourself a copy this instant. Granted it's probably not for everyone, but I gotta tell you, this is seriously among THE MOST VASTLY ENTERTAINING books I have ever read in my life.
Imagine you are lying in a silk-sheeted waterbed next to a vast swimming pool, smoking a ridiculously long cigarette, wearing an Italian bikini and extremely large, expensive hat, and you've j...more
Imagine you are lying in a silk-sheeted waterbed next to a vast swimming pool, smoking a ridiculously long cigarette, wearing an Italian bikini and extremely large, expensive hat, and you've j...more
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13 comments
Read in November, 2007
recommends it for:
Girls, brave boys. Anyone who liked Requiem for a Dream or The Bell Jar
Reading this book is like taking a voracious bite into an overripe nectarine-- in the best sense of the metaphor, of course; it is just THAT juicy. With that said, once I started it, I could not put this book down. It's a bit long, but hardly cumbersome. How could it be, given the juicy subject matter (i.e. sex and drugs)? The book, set in the 1940s, is about three young women's entrance into the world of New York's social elite. The book becomes interesting as it follows them through their subs...more
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Read in June, 2008
Jessica's review is so alarming that I feel I need to investigate this. As I recall, Jacqueline Susann gets an entry to herself in The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste
http://www.goodreads.com/book/...
so I will buy a copy for 10p at the Oxfam shop, switch on my lava lamp, recline on my La-Z-Boy (late 1970s Magic Fingers model), mix a bright puce cocktail with the amusing parasols stuffed in the tal...more
http://www.goodreads.com/book/...
so I will buy a copy for 10p at the Oxfam shop, switch on my lava lamp, recline on my La-Z-Boy (late 1970s Magic Fingers model), mix a bright puce cocktail with the amusing parasols stuffed in the tal...more
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24 comments
Read in May, 2008
recommended to Sarah Montambo by:
Jessica (the dead flamingo/killer rabbit)
I liked it. I'm not sure why. I think it was the easiest read I've experienced in years. No inferencing involved. No search for meaning, if you know what I mean. Everything, every character--so obvious!
(Anne's Mother) "You're a lady, Anne. That's why you don't love kissing. No lady does...There is no such thing as love, the way you talk about it. You'll only find that kind of love in cheap movies and novels."
(Neely) "He loves my sister. But that didn't mean that once in a...more
(Anne's Mother) "You're a lady, Anne. That's why you don't love kissing. No lady does...There is no such thing as love, the way you talk about it. You'll only find that kind of love in cheap movies and novels."
(Neely) "He loves my sister. But that didn't mean that once in a...more
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16 comments
Read in August, 2007
Well. I have conflicting opinions about this book. First, and most obviously, this was almost entirely meant to be a mental vacation after the insanity planning and executing a wedding in 6 months. In that capacity, "The Valley of the Dolls" shone brilliantly. I was highly entertained by the book and the easy trashiness was somehow comforting, as it always is.
But I couldn't help actually reading the book whilst I was busy regaining balance in my chi or whatever. It's ...more
But I couldn't help actually reading the book whilst I was busy regaining balance in my chi or whatever. It's ...more
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Read in January, 2008
I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but what I got certainly did not live up to my expectations. I knew what I was getting into and how trashy it was going to be, and I was okay with that. Trashy novels have their place in my life too. But for it being such a cult classic and much beloved, I expected something different.
What really bothered me, I think, was that nobody was ever happy in the book, and none of the three main characters had any sort of self-respect. They all needed to...more
What really bothered me, I think, was that nobody was ever happy in the book, and none of the three main characters had any sort of self-respect. They all needed to...more
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Read in January, 1996
I read this in high school... goodness knows why. I didn't particularly enjoy it, though it does keep moving along and kind of holds you in town hoping that eventually things will go right for the characters or that they will have some insight into their lives and take a little responsibility or face up and change eventually... but it never happens. This has got to be one of the most depressing books I've ever read. Unfortunately I can't even really say it presents women in a bad light or unfair...more
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Read in December, 2007
One of biggest selling novels of all time, this epic cult classic is about drugs, sex, and betrayal. Set in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, it follows the lives of three friends in their struggle for fame and fortune: Anne, a cosmetics model, Jennifer, a starlet, and Neely, a singer and showbiz wannabe. These friends rely on their bodies and stunningly good looks to catch them a man, so when the the boobs start to sag and fine lines begin to appear, their worlds come crashing down. "Dolls" is...more
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
insomniacs, masochists, glamour pusses
Back cover proclaimed that it was brilliant. Was in fact rubbish. Lyon Burke is basically a cardboard cutout, yet apparently everyone's in love with him. What. The narrative is bad enough to be bad, but not bad enough to be funny. You spend pretty much the first half of the book wondering when something actually interesting is going to happen, and then when it does, you've lost any and all interest in the people that things are happening to. The only character I liked was Helen. On and on and on...more
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recommends it for:
The retro-chic.
If you're going to write over-the-top, then do it like Jacqueline Susann and go all the way over!
Though the language is dated and hardly scandalous by today's bestsellers, when read in context of the times, it is easy to understand how this book rewrote the bestseller genre and redefined the NYT bestseller's list.
Of course, 'Valley of the Dolls' now carries the cult tag, when paired with the equally over-wrought film starring Patty Duke (Sparkle, Neely, sparkle!) and Sharon Tate whose ap...more
Though the language is dated and hardly scandalous by today's bestsellers, when read in context of the times, it is easy to understand how this book rewrote the bestseller genre and redefined the NYT bestseller's list.
Of course, 'Valley of the Dolls' now carries the cult tag, when paired with the equally over-wrought film starring Patty Duke (Sparkle, Neely, sparkle!) and Sharon Tate whose ap...more
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Read in March, 2008
I was lucky to stumble across a copy of this book at a Goodwill in Tennessee. My copy was printed in '74 and has beautifully yellowed pages, and I'm grateful, because I hate the glossy pink cover. I knew this was a cult classic, but I was surprised to see reviewers refer to it as trashy, even in an affectionate way. It has its share of scenes you wouldn't share with your mother, but it's a fabulous book. I felt inspired by the writing style, and I was impressed by the author's techniques. More t...more
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Read in March, 2008
how depressing. this whole book is about manhattan (and eventually hollywood) after world war 2, through the sixties. it follows three main women, who are all trying to make it in the city as preformers, but they all eventually become horrible and addicted to pills, and every man in their lives only value them if they are young and beautiful. and in a way, it is a good relfection of society at that time, but it is still depressing, you feel the impending doom along with the title characters. no ...more
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Whilst this book was an OK read, I've read better. I was expecting a lot from this book, given that it has a title of 'cult classic', but I was disappointed. It took me a while to get into, and was quite slow in some places. On the flip-side, it had me coming back for more without really knowing why. At points I felt like slapping one or all of the main characters and telling them to have some self respect(!!), but then I also found myself sympathising with them, and willing everything to get be...more
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Read in January, 2008
Sarah and I listened to this book on our trip from Austin to DC. I have to say I was less than impressed with it, but I honestly know nothing about it. Maybe if I read enough comments like "one of the most important books of all time" or "hands down the best trashy novel ever!" then I will start to understand or at least pretend I liked it. Until then, however, my opinions are as follows:
1. The version I read was abridged, which hopefully means "all juicy parts are rem...more
1. The version I read was abridged, which hopefully means "all juicy parts are rem...more
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Read in January, 2008
recommended to Heather by:
Mariannerecommends it for: Everyone
I'd really give this 4.5 stars, it was RIGHT on the edge. Great story. I LOVED the leisurely pace and the 'rawness' of the book. I felt like I was eavedropping and I LOVED IT! And as my friend said, this book found some way to be both trashy and classy at the same time! I also really enjoyed that it was written in the 40's and 50's, that was really fun!
It was a gripping book because I genuinely became interested in what happened to our three main characters. I'd say it kept me coming back f...more
It was a gripping book because I genuinely became interested in what happened to our three main characters. I'd say it kept me coming back f...more
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Read in March, 2006
recommends it for:
Those with no shame
Yes, folks, it's another one of those books I'm embarrassed to love. It's sheer trashy soap opera, and pure fun to read. If you think the movie is one of those so-bad-it's-good classics (and it is), run out and get the book THIS SECOND. First of all, you won't be distracted by the dreadful, dreadful acting by Sharon Tate, Barbara Parkins, and of course Patty Duke. (Granted, the book doesn't have Susan Hayward, but nothing is perfect.) Second, you don't have to sit through the suck-ass musical nu...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who likes the 40's and showbusiness, who wants to see the dark side of the glamour!
I have been through this book six times now. It really is the only book I have ever read that often.
I guess it's rather girly and not for everybody, but it's the most entertaining book there is!
The story of three women coming to New York to start a new life and find their true selves has so much glamour and drama.
And at the same time we get to see the dark side of it all.
The way showbusiness and the "high-society" is depicted sucks you right into the story and I for myself r...more
I guess it's rather girly and not for everybody, but it's the most entertaining book there is!
The story of three women coming to New York to start a new life and find their true selves has so much glamour and drama.
And at the same time we get to see the dark side of it all.
The way showbusiness and the "high-society" is depicted sucks you right into the story and I for myself r...more
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Oh, this book was awful! It's been years since I've read it - it was when I was going through this phase where I read truly trashy novels just because...Judith Krantz, Joan Collins, Lawrence Sanders, Sidney Sheldon, Danielle Steele, et al.
The plot, the characters, the drugs, the sex! The only way it makes sense is to look at it as a parody of the culture at the time - but this book is *entirely* serious!
They made a dreadful movie out of it, too. It may be so bad its one of those cult ...more
The plot, the characters, the drugs, the sex! The only way it makes sense is to look at it as a parody of the culture at the time - but this book is *entirely* serious!
They made a dreadful movie out of it, too. It may be so bad its one of those cult ...more
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Read in January, 2008
I don't know why I had never heard of this book until now. I owe Goodreads for this one! What a great read! It was trashy in a classy way (if that's possible!). I could not put this book down and was very anxious to see how it ended. The one thing that I found difficult was that I could not picture the main character, Anne at all. The author really gave no description of her physical appearance so the whole time I read I was not able to form a mental picture. That and the shallowness of t...more
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i remember the first time i read valley of the dolls. i picked it up, instantly hated it, and then read it nonstop for a series of days. i hated that neelie was such a bitch, and that anne could be so haughty. and that other chick.. yeah, you know the one. the porn one who went to spain or whatever. anyway. in the entire course of the book i found myself loving the girls, hating them, feeling mortified when they made a scene in public, and ultimately, hurting with them when they fell from their ...more
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