Campus Doll

by Edwin West (Pseudonym), Donald E. Westlake

The intimate story of a coed who turned "love" into a big business!
At Clifton College the male students were never frustrated. When a campus cutie teased and ran, there was always Jackie Hayes' "study rooms" to resort to.
There you could do your "homework" in peace. There you could carry on experiments so dear to the hearts of all eager students, with tutors truly dedicated to their work: Sandy, Laura, Rita, Honey and even Jackie—the campus doll herself.
True, this extra-curricular work led to no degree but it did satisfy a need, with girls on your own mental level—coeds who knew as much about English Lit, Advanced Psychology—and Love—as you did.
But with all the fun comes a dark side. Jackie thought it would all be so simple. Turn a trick a few times a week and she would have enough money to stay in college. But it kept escalating. Now she was a Madame of the house and behind her back even Marijuana was being sold! She didn’t realize she’d need protection, even if that protection was unwanted and cruel. Men were the problem, Jackie was convinced, and that’s when she turned to the arms of innocent Rita.

First published in 1961 by Donald E. Westlake under the pen name, Edwin West.

"It's always interesting to read something by a favorite writer from the period when he was starting out. Campus Doll isn't going to win any literary prizes, and it's not going to do a thing to increase Westlake's reputation. It was probably written very quickly. Maybe over the weekend. But it's slick and short and fun to read as a literary and cultural artifact. It has a nice cover, too."- Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[David Macpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Donald Westlake sex novel, but with very few sex scenes. It's a season in the life of a brothel run by a college Junior. This book was surprisingly brutal. The men are monsters, the women are confusing self-interest with love. It does not turn out well. And in all cases, Westlake is a great writer and creates a great crime novel.

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Early Donald Westlake written under the Edwin West byline that reads like an Orrie Hitt novel. What's a co-ed to do when she can't pay her tuition? Become a hooker, of course. "They'll get an hour," she said, "for ten dollars." "Only ten bucks? You could get a hell of a lot more than that, Jackie." She had shaken her head. "The guys in school don't have a lot of money. Ten dollars is just about as much as they'll want to spend." Soon, supply and demand being what it was, Jackie had to move from her apartment to a five-bedroom house and had four other girls working for her. And so it goes. This was the censorship era so no explicit sex and things will have to end badly for Jackie. The prose is simple, without nuance, but does read smoothly. Easy speed reading. All plot focused exposition, including the dialog. Achieves the purpose intended, but unlike some of Westlake's other early pulp fiction forays, does not have anything to elevate it or to make it more interesting.