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289th out of 4,698 books
—
31,964 voters
Valley of the Dolls
Sex and drugs and shlock and more -- Jacqueline Susann's addictively entertaining trash classic about three showbiz girls clawing their way to the top and hitting bottom in New York City has it all. Though it's inspired by Susann's experience as a mid-century Broadway starlet who came heartbreakingly close to making it, but did not, and despite its reputation as THE roman...more
Bookspan large print edition, 449 pages
Published
1997
by Grove Press
(first published 1961)
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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 just...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 just...more
106 likes · like · see review
view all 26 comments
I bought a copy for 10p at the Oxfam shop. I returned to my space age bachelor pad, switched on my lava lamp, reclined on my La-Z-Boy (late 1970s Magic Fingers model), mixed a bright puce cocktail made out of three parts flamingos and ten parts vermouth with amusing parasols stuffed in the tall tall glass, then I threw on that cd where some genius put modern beats to Gregorian chants, and with my ultramarine-dyed and topiaried poodle named Gregoire gazing raptly up at me I read up to page 100 an...more
23 likes · like · see review
Or How To Write An American Classic
This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out: The Valley of the Dolls is totally like The Great Gatsby.
One is a culturally-important, best-selling, drug-fueled, homoerotic classic with several unfortunate movie adaptations; the other is well, a culturally-important, best-selling, drug-fueled, homoerotic classic with this gem in it:
"Give me back my hair, you little bitch," Helen yelled. "It cost me three hundred bucks!"... "Hey--what the hell are you doing?" H...more
This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out: The Valley of the Dolls is totally like The Great Gatsby.
One is a culturally-important, best-selling, drug-fueled, homoerotic classic with several unfortunate movie adaptations; the other is well, a culturally-important, best-selling, drug-fueled, homoerotic classic with this gem in it:
"Give me back my hair, you little bitch," Helen yelled. "It cost me three hundred bucks!"... "Hey--what the hell are you doing?" H...more
15 likes · like · see review
Zzzzzzzzzz.....Valley of the Dulls is more like it.
One hundred pages was all I could stand of endless cheesy dialogue between a bunch of sleazy people with no personalities. Watch the movie instead. At least it's bad enough to be entertaining.
One hundred pages was all I could stand of endless cheesy dialogue between a bunch of sleazy people with no personalities. Watch the movie instead. At least it's bad enough to be entertaining.
11 likes · like · see review
May 13, 2013
Kirsty
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Kirsty by:
Clare
Perhaps I'm missing something here as everyone else seems to have really enjoyed this novel, but I struggled to get into it. I was really unsure as to what to expect from it, but this story wasn't quite it. It isn't bad in any way, but it just didn't appeal to me personally, and I spent the majority of the time whilst I was reading wishing something would happen. It became a little stronger towards the end, but I still found it difficult to understand why everyone did as they did at times. There...more
6 likes · like · see review
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 of 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 an irritating habit of m...more
But I couldn't help actually reading the book whilst I was busy regaining balance in my chi or whatever. It's an irritating habit of m...more
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
11 likes · like · see review
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
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
I've read this book at least three times. I must have read it at a very impressionable age (the first time), because it has burned itself in my memory. I love it; and every other time I've read it, it's been a guilty pleasure for me - just like reading US Weekly or InTouch magazine. Its a wondrous piece of thinly veiled fiction, chronicling the glamorous lives of three up-and-coming New York/Hollywood ladies. "Sparkle, Neely! Sparkle!" Jacqueline Susann is my heroine.
4 likes · like · see review
I think that Jacqueline Susann must have enjoyed destroying all her characters.
Yes, I understand that it was the culture, the life, showbiz that really destroyed them but Susann wrote them toward that.
First, I didn't understand the way the book was laid out. What started out as a streamlined story turned into a fragmented 3rd-person diary. The flipping of scenes from Jennifer to Neely and to Anne made the pacing (which seemed fixed about half way through the book) seem ever more chaotic to the...more
Yes, I understand that it was the culture, the life, showbiz that really destroyed them but Susann wrote them toward that.
First, I didn't understand the way the book was laid out. What started out as a streamlined story turned into a fragmented 3rd-person diary. The flipping of scenes from Jennifer to Neely and to Anne made the pacing (which seemed fixed about half way through the book) seem ever more chaotic to the...more
1 like · like · see review
Oct 18, 2012
Elle!
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Light readers not looking for any value.
Recommended to Elle! by:
Friend
A trashy treasure of a chick lit novel.
I'm so guilty..... For three things.
1. I liked how melodramatic this horrible written novel was.
2. I could feel my brain cells dwindling as I read it.
3. I stayed up for nights reading this book.
Errrr.........I'm very embarrassed but I'll give this a five, for enjoying it 100% percent , all the way to the sleazy cliche oversexed men to the dull cliche girls. I like it! Not for the literary stand -point of the novel because we all know there isn't any in thi...more
I'm so guilty..... For three things.
1. I liked how melodramatic this horrible written novel was.
2. I could feel my brain cells dwindling as I read it.
3. I stayed up for nights reading this book.
Errrr.........I'm very embarrassed but I'll give this a five, for enjoying it 100% percent , all the way to the sleazy cliche oversexed men to the dull cliche girls. I like it! Not for the literary stand -point of the novel because we all know there isn't any in thi...more
Jul 24, 2011
Sally
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
literature,
beloved-books
What an amazing book - I couldn't put it down. I had always envisaged this as old-school chick lit (and had avoided it until Virago released their delightful 30th Anniversary covers and I had to buy it for that) but it really isn't - it is a scathing attack on how women are used and abused by the entertainment media and spat right back out again while men are revered and protected. It is certainly bleak but the way the book is written with such clinical passion (yes I know - an oxymoron but apt)...more
6 likes · like · see review
Aug 25, 2008
Mitch
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People who like the bad movie adaptation
This book is BAD! Which is why I love it so much. Susann had no idea how to write a book.
Susann's shallowness and immaturity (you get the impression a 14-year-old wrote this) is rampant throughout the book. No one has real feelings. People get married as business contracts. All men cheat; women never do. Blonds are icy and cold. Brunettes are smart and nurturing, and only women with glossy blue-black hair are sexy and passionate (Susann's hair was black).
Her pacing in the book is just wacky. O...more
Susann's shallowness and immaturity (you get the impression a 14-year-old wrote this) is rampant throughout the book. No one has real feelings. People get married as business contracts. All men cheat; women never do. Blonds are icy and cold. Brunettes are smart and nurturing, and only women with glossy blue-black hair are sexy and passionate (Susann's hair was black).
Her pacing in the book is just wacky. O...more
Enter endless debauchery! I can see why people put up such a stink about Valley Of The Dolls when it was published. The book makes me happy to not have fame.
As an example of roman à clef, friends close to the author suspected that Susann wrote this book based her own experience, Ethel Merman, Judy Garland, Carol Landis, JFK, Monroe, Dean Martin etc. You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried. If you look up the real biographies, there are many parallels to the book.
Hollywood was and still see...more
As an example of roman à clef, friends close to the author suspected that Susann wrote this book based her own experience, Ethel Merman, Judy Garland, Carol Landis, JFK, Monroe, Dean Martin etc. You couldn't make this stuff up if you tried. If you look up the real biographies, there are many parallels to the book.
Hollywood was and still see...more
4 likes · like · see review
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 movies. I t...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 movies. I t...more
This is a good book, simple, easy, and nostalgic. It was emotionally difficult to read sometimes because I knew what was going to happen to Neely and Jennifer (I know an awful lot about Judy Garland and Marilyn Monroe), but I hoped for a happy ending with Anne. Didn't get it. So, I read the entire book to find out that this isn't a book I would have wanted to read, simply because I don't care for stories where nothing good ever happens. But it was well done. One read was enough.
1 like · like · see review
It must've been the naughtiest thing around when it was published in the mid 1960s, and surprisingly, Valley of the Dolls has held up well. The cautionary tale of three girls' attempts at Hollywood success, Valley was easy to read. The writing was conversational, the plot was juicy and the characters were likeable (in the beginning, anyway). I found myself getting lost in this book and actively wanting to read it, which is more than I can say for some books.
However, it was much, much too long....more
However, it was much, much too long....more
Feb 29, 2008
Alison
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to Alison by:
probably my Mom
Shelves:
lady-lit
Those who know me will recognize the startling similarities between my life and one of the main characters - she's a small town girl who moves to NYC without knowing anyone here. She lands the first job she interviews for and even stays at the same women's hotel I stayed at when I first moved here. But then the book and my life take a drastic split when she becomes a famous hairspray model and pill popper and I work in advertising and only take prescription medicine prescribed by my doctor.
3 likes · like · see review
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. It was the kind of book that makes a GREAT travel companion. I took it with me on a trip to Perth (which was a half business, half holiday trip) and relished the time I had to read it in bed, on the aeroplane and in transit. I loved the female characters portrayed. They were all flawed, but they were complex and interesting and I cared for them –I wanted to know how they were faring so would reach for the book every spare minute I had.
Set in Hollywood and Broad...more
Set in Hollywood and Broad...more
I loved Valley of the Dolls. This book is in my top ten of saddest stories of all time. This book is sad and honest, which makes it even worse. This book deals with addiction, the pressures of being a woman and maintaining a certain look, pills to make you look that way, fame and the pressures that come with it and of course, sexuality.
The character of Neely O'Hara was my favorite in the beginning. A young, vibrant girl who had talent, came from nothing and wanted to make it big. In the end, I f...more
The character of Neely O'Hara was my favorite in the beginning. A young, vibrant girl who had talent, came from nothing and wanted to make it big. In the end, I f...more
One of my top 3 favorite books. This 60's pop culture book is just as sensational, glamorous, and exciting as it was when it first came out. The story begins actually in the 1940s with 3 young women trying to make it and follow their individual dreams in show business in the Big Apple. Sardi's, El Morocco, the Copa are just a few of their frequent haunts. Susann really brings the 40s nyc show business culture to life. She definitely had an "in" in that crowd and she is sharing all the juicy goss...more
Softcover:
Another one of my favorites by Jacqueline Susann, this is the story of three women, two of whom who are trying to break into show business and one who trips into the profession accidentally. As the story unfolds, we watch these women climb to the highest peak of success only to fall into the bottomless pit via the path to self-destruction.
Rumor has it that these characters are based on real Hollywood celebrities of the time (which is the 40's, 50's and 60's).
The dramas never end and...more
Another one of my favorites by Jacqueline Susann, this is the story of three women, two of whom who are trying to break into show business and one who trips into the profession accidentally. As the story unfolds, we watch these women climb to the highest peak of success only to fall into the bottomless pit via the path to self-destruction.
Rumor has it that these characters are based on real Hollywood celebrities of the time (which is the 40's, 50's and 60's).
The dramas never end and...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Goodness, this is a DEPRESSING book. Just... gah.
But it's great. I mean, the writing is sharp and easy to read, but not overly simplistic. It did bother me that there were so many slurs-- I spent half the thing cringing-- but I guess it's authentic for the time period and the way the characters would have spoken. I feel like this is more complex than a lot of novels, because it really does go into the inner lives of the three leads, and they really are all shades of grey-- with Jennifer probably...more
But it's great. I mean, the writing is sharp and easy to read, but not overly simplistic. It did bother me that there were so many slurs-- I spent half the thing cringing-- but I guess it's authentic for the time period and the way the characters would have spoken. I feel like this is more complex than a lot of novels, because it really does go into the inner lives of the three leads, and they really are all shades of grey-- with Jennifer probably...more
Pills 101 – Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann is described as a cult classic that boasts having sold more than 30 million copies world-wide. It was first published in 1966 and became an instant success. Jacqueline Susann became the first female author to sell such quantities of her novels, helping to pave the way for future female fiction writers, especially in the genre of chic-lit.
What are dolls: red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with...more
Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann is described as a cult classic that boasts having sold more than 30 million copies world-wide. It was first published in 1966 and became an instant success. Jacqueline Susann became the first female author to sell such quantities of her novels, helping to pave the way for future female fiction writers, especially in the genre of chic-lit.
What are dolls: red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with...more
Feb 10, 2011
Jamie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
anyone who reads the first chapter and can't stop reading. you might as well finish.
I love how whenever a seriously addictive book becomes a bestseller, all the book snobs get in line to tell you how much it sucks. Even the back cover classifies this book as a guilty pleasure.
Actually, as far as chick-lit goes, Valley of the Dolls is pretty much the gold standard. It starts with 3 very promising girls trying to make it in post-war New York and follows them as they spiral out of control and their lives become total train wrecks. It's anything but boring.
Obviously, Susann's immo...more
Actually, as far as chick-lit goes, Valley of the Dolls is pretty much the gold standard. It starts with 3 very promising girls trying to make it in post-war New York and follows them as they spiral out of control and their lives become total train wrecks. It's anything but boring.
Obviously, Susann's immo...more
Having just finished Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann I really just want to cry. No character ends with a positive note. They get their dream and then find out it is sour and poison.
Set in the 50's through the 70's the women fight their situation fight for the right to have love, and finally find that the fight leaves them emotionally destroyed in a male dominated world. Arguing that women need emotional fulfillment more than a man and playing on the double cross that young women are ac...more
Set in the 50's through the 70's the women fight their situation fight for the right to have love, and finally find that the fight leaves them emotionally destroyed in a male dominated world. Arguing that women need emotional fulfillment more than a man and playing on the double cross that young women are ac...more
I heard about this phenomenally popular book years ago. I didn't know what it was about, but the title intrigued me, so I was delighted to find a copy in a second hand shop.
It turns out to be the tale of three young American women who enter the entertainment business in the mid-40s, only to be plagued by drug addiction and misery. Though they suffer at the hands of the industry and time, one has limited sympathy for them. Julie Burchill writes an irritatingly sneery introduction, criticising all...more
It turns out to be the tale of three young American women who enter the entertainment business in the mid-40s, only to be plagued by drug addiction and misery. Though they suffer at the hands of the industry and time, one has limited sympathy for them. Julie Burchill writes an irritatingly sneery introduction, criticising all...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barely disguised non-fiction? | 3 | 29 | Mar 10, 2013 08:06am | |
| What novel would you recommend about drug use, depression etc? | 6 | 26 | Feb 14, 2013 03:26pm | |
| Boomers and Books: A quiz the group may enjoy-about Valley of the Dolls | 1 | 8 | Feb 02, 2012 03:16pm |
Jacqueline Susann was one of the most successful writers in the history of American publishing. Her first novel, Valley of the Dolls, published in 1966, is one of the best-selling books of all time. When The Love Machine was published in 1969, it too became an immediate #1 bestseller and held that position for five months. When Once is Not Enough was published in 1973, it also moved to the top of...more
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“Never judge anyone by another's opinions. We all have different sides that we show to different people.”
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45 people liked it
“Love shouldn't make a beggar of one. I wouldn't want love if I had to beg for it, to barter or qualify it. And I should despise it if anyone ever begged for my love. Love is something that must be given -- it can't be bought with words or pity, or even reason.”
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45 people liked it
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