Sex and drugs and shlock and more -- Jacqueline Susann's addictively entertaining trash classic about three showbiz girls clawing their way to the ...
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Sep 26, 2007
Jessica
rated it: 
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 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 More...
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May 08, 2011
Paul
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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
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(13 people liked it)
Jan 30, 2012
Briynne
rated it: 
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. I More...
But I couldn't help actually reading the book whilst I was busy regaining balance in my chi or whatever. I More...
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Jan 11, 2008
Megan
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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
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(8 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
sayDIE
rated it: 
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
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(12 people liked it)
Jan 07, 2008
Robin
rated it:
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
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(5 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
Jessica
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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.
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Oct 25, 2011
Sally
rated it:
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)
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Aug 25, 2008
Mitch
rated it:
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 t 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 t More...
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May 16, 2009
Alina
rated it:
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.
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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.
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 14, 2007
Xysea
rated it:
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 on 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 on More...
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Feb 26, 2009
Nena
rated it:
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.
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Dec 14, 2011
Ogwen
rated it:
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 More...
However, it was much, much too More...
Feb 29, 2008
Alison
rated it:
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.
Nov 05, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
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 J 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 J More...
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Oct 30, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
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 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 More...
Aug 31, 2011
Harmonybites
rated it:
James T. Kirk: You'll find it in all the literature of the period.
Spock: For example?
James T. Kirk: Oh, the neglected works of Jacqueline Susann, the novels of Harold Robbins....
Spock: Ah... The giants.
--Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Actually, although I blush a bit to admit it, I really relished reading Valley of the Dolls--which I basically gobbled down in one sitting--all 400 odd pages. Trash it may be, it's good trash--a compulsively readable, More...
Spock: For example?
James T. Kirk: Oh, the neglected works of Jacqueline Susann, the novels of Harold Robbins....
Spock: Ah... The giants.
--Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Actually, although I blush a bit to admit it, I really relished reading Valley of the Dolls--which I basically gobbled down in one sitting--all 400 odd pages. Trash it may be, it's good trash--a compulsively readable, More...
Feb 10, 2011
Jamie
rated it:
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.
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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.
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Jan 04, 2010
Rebekah
rated it:
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 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 More...
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Sep 05, 2009
Zed
rated it: 
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, cri 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, cri More...
Sep 08, 2009
D1wata
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Sep 01, 2011
“I’ve learned something — guys will leave you, your looks will go, your kids will grow up and everything you thought was great will go sour. All you can really count on is yourself and your talent,” Jacqueline Susann, Valley of the Dolls
As much as I love books and reading, I think books that shake you to your core don’t come by very often. I’m also of the opinion that they’re more likely to happen to you in your youth. A lot of my favourites, things that truly shook me, were read when More...
As much as I love books and reading, I think books that shake you to your core don’t come by very often. I’m also of the opinion that they’re more likely to happen to you in your youth. A lot of my favourites, things that truly shook me, were read when More...
Dec 20, 2008
Lisa
rated it:
I have read this book several times and seen the movie, so I'm very familiar with the story line: three young women in New York City in the 1940s through the 1960s, living the fabulous life as famous singers, actresses and models. The title of the book, of course, refers to the fact that even when you "have it all," you don't--and all three end up getting hooked on pills to help them sleep, lose weight and have energy. It's not an earthshaking piece of important literature, but it is a
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Jan 06, 2012
Sammi
rated it:
I bought this book with some money I got given for my birthday a few years back, it caught my eye - partly because of the new pretty hardback edition. So I picked it up, I read the blurb on a different edition and thought it sounded pretty good - even though its nothing like the books I usually would pick out to read myself. Anyway I bought it and when I went to read it I got to page 16 and put it away. I hated it. Its been a few years since then and I picked it up again because it annoys me whe
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May 27, 2011
Lainy
rated it:
LOVED IT! Introducing Anne and her humble beginnings and the blossoming friendship between herself and the starlets Neely and Jennifer. The story goes off pretty much in each chapter in depths into each character and their lives to present. We start off with fairly ordinary girls, each trying to get what they want out of life and their trials and experiences getting there.
Then introducing the dolls and how they play a part in each characters life.
I initially liked Anne, Nee More...
Then introducing the dolls and how they play a part in each characters life.
I initially liked Anne, Nee More...
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Mar 29, 2011
Marie
rated it:
As they say, this one is an oldie, but goodie. Long before Sex and the City or Bridget Jones Diary topped the best seller lists, Jacqueline Susann wrote Valley of the Dolls. Sure, the book received plenty of criticism when it was first published, but the facts speak for themselves: millions of copies have been sold and the book is still being read today.
The novel follows the lives of three friends: Anne, Neely and Jennifer as they search for fortune and love in New York, but what make More...
The novel follows the lives of three friends: Anne, Neely and Jennifer as they search for fortune and love in New York, but what make More...
Jan 11, 2012
Lisa
rated it:
Ok, this book is soooooooooooooooooooo bad, it's actually pretty awesome, but should be re-titled Valley of the Dumb Bitches. The language is so not PC and everyone gets screwed, but they pretty much ask for it.
Written in the 60's about women in post WWII NYC entertainment industry, it doesn't hold up after 40 years but is like being in a train wreck you can't put down.
Anne Welles- From boring New England, leaves behind the boring small town with the loveless mother and bori More...
Written in the 60's about women in post WWII NYC entertainment industry, it doesn't hold up after 40 years but is like being in a train wreck you can't put down.
Anne Welles- From boring New England, leaves behind the boring small town with the loveless mother and bori More...
Nov 22, 2011
Samantha
rated it:
HMMM. Ok. This isn't a very good book...but yet, it's tantalizing and really sucks you in so you honestly enjoy yourself while you're in the moment. When that moment passes (for me, it was about 2/3rds into the book), you just feel disgust, saddness and anger for every single character...but, you read on. In the end, no one really comes out on top, you feel a little depressed and slightly rage-filled since there are really no comeuppances for two jerk characters. And the main character, Ann
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May 15, 2011
Laura
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I will call this book mindless fun even though it ended up being pretty depressing. I'm torn between this book being ridiculously anti-feminist (full of women who define themselves by the love of a man and are so pretty they always get what they want) or this book being a cautionary tale about the dangers of showbiz, drugs and poor judgement. However, I'm pretty sure it's a realistic child of the time: the 1960's. I at least had hope for Anne since she seemed to always keep it together, but even
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Apr 17, 2011
Amanda
rated it:
When my book club chose this book my thoughts were "Great, some trashy old chick lit that I will barely be able to finish." I'm not going to say it was a good book, but I actually found myself getting interested and (gasp!) enjoying myself while I was reading it. It has no depth but it's an easy read and one of those books you just have to check out because it's a "classic", albeit a trashy one :)
The characters were not particularly likeable - Anne went back and More...
The characters were not particularly likeable - Anne went back and More...
