Gentlemen Prefer Blondes [Paperback]

Anita Loos (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 17, 1998

The delirious 1925 Jazz-Age classic that no less an authority than Edith Wharton called "the great American novel."

If any American fictional character of the twentieth century seems likely to be immortal, it is Lorelei Lee of Little Rock, Arkansas, the not-so-dumb blonde who knew that diamonds are a girl's best friend. Outrageous, charming, and unforgettable, she's been portrayed on stage and screen by Carol Channing and Marilyn Monroe and has become the archetype of the footloose, good-hearted gold digger, with an insatiable appetite for orchids, champagne, and precious stones. Here are her "diaries," created by Anita Loos in the Roaring Twenties, as Lorelei and her friend Dorothy barrel across Europe meeting everyone from the Prince of Wales to "Doctor Froyd"-and then back home again to marry a Main Line millionaire and become a movie star. In this delightfully droll and witty book, Lorelei Lee's wild antics, unique outlook, and imaginative way with language shine.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes brings back the durable Lorelei Lee, the 'Little Girl From Little Rock,' whose successful career as a paid companion to gents-usually married-('Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend') has fueled several successful stage musicals and movies...Lorelei tours the world, going from man to man in a lighthearted spoof of 'traditional family values.' -- The Arizona Daily Star, August 1998

It is not often that a great book makes a great movie, but this is the case here: Both are superb....I see from the book's cover that Edith Wharton called Loos's book "the great American novel." that goes a little too far, but I see what she--she, in particular--means. A girl like I thinks it makes an ideal valentine. -- Boston Sunday Globe, Katherine A. Powers, 14 February 1999

It's a pleasure to report that Anita Loos's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is once more in print....The sect to Loos's novel is that it's narrated by Lorelei, a beautiful smart/dumb woman who as at once calculating, strong-willed, and ignorant about anything except her remarkable expertise at Subject A....Lorelei is a calculating monster; [but] she's charming and funny. You might say she gives good value....You won't be sorry. -- Palm Beach Post, Scott Eyman, 15 November 1998

The great American novel. -- Edith Wharton

About the Author

Born in California in 1893, Anita Loos was herself a celebrity of the Jazz Age that produced Lorelei Lee. She began writing movie scripts by the time she was twelve, and before her death in 1981 she had written an enormous number of stories, screenplays, and more. She was also the author of an autobiography, A Girl Like I.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Liveright (August 17, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871401703
• ISBN-13: 978-0871401700
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #232,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Blondes DO have more fun August 14, 2004

By E. A Solinas HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

You could say that author/screenwriter Anita Loos invented the chick-lit genre. Her entertainingly fluffy satire "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" certainly fits the bill, with its love-seeking heroine and amusing jokes. It never dips far below the surface, but its lightness is part of its appeal.

"A gentleman friend and I were dining at the Ritz last evening and he said that if I took a pencil and a paper and put down all of my thoughts it would make a book." Meet Lorelei Lee, a pretty blonde socialite with a love of jewels, men, and luxury. She has a married boyfriend, but is convinced to go abroad so her name won't be "smirched."

So Lorelei and her pal Dorothy head off to Europe, bumping into exalted people (like "Dr. Froyd") and winning the hearts of wealthy men, in between days-long parties. Gold-digging, millionaires, money and love all get wrapped up in the tangle of Lorelei's everyday life...

Lorelei first appeared in Harper's Bazaar, and a short story stretched out into a full-length novel that appeared in serials. A first edition sold out almost instantly. Now Lorelei has countless descendents -- sure, those determined gals have been updated for the twenty-first century, with jobs and Web access. But light women's fiction could be seen to stem from Loos's novel.

A satirical edge runs through "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," poking fun at the jazzy gals whom Loos had to deal with regularly. Loos doesn't spare anything -- the book is riddled with intentional typos, like "encyclopediacs," "safires" and "maskerades" (yet she can spell "champagne"). The shallowness of the flappers is best shown in straight-faced jokes about the latest Parisian styles of buttons.... Loos's satire doesn't bite down to the bone, but it does scratch lightly in a deliciously catty way.

Lorelei has an entertaining mix of determination, idiocy, and a constant belief in her own towering intellect. She's so much fun it's hard not to like her, in spite of the fact that she's an utter airhead. She talks matter-of-factly about how she has "almost one of everything" (diamond-wise), and tries to reform the entire world (without success, needless to say).

Gentlemen may prefer blondes, and people seeking a fun light read may prefer "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." If you are in the mood for vintage chick-lit, Loos's witty little novel is a fun diversion. Read more ›

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious December 15, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Anita Loos's "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is a comic masterpiece. Loos tells the story of Lorelei Lee, a blond, money-seeker, opportunist girl on a trip through Europe. From Now York to London, to Paries and all the way through Vienna Lorelei meets lots of gentlemen, charms them, gets money and jewels from them and then light-heartedly leaves them with a short note in which she promises she will meet them somewhere else, perhaps. A real strumpet, Lorelei Lee emerges as a delicius crature from Loos genial prose, and by the end of the book, we have learned to love her.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Light-hearted and wonderful May 5, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

What a fun, funny little book. Lorelei's thoughts and interpretations of her life as she effortlessly moves from one gentleman to another are very amusing. There is never a dull moment as she sweeps across America and Europe, leaving a trail of used up gentlemen behind her. Fascinating and wickedly funny. I'm very glad I read this. (And I can't wait to see the movie with Marilyn Monroe.)

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolute Blast. . .Context, People! March 9, 2009

By Sye Sye

Format:Paperback

I am surprised to find reviews dipping below the appropriate 5 star. I guess many people in our era look from 'politically correct' viewpoints. Any book you read comes from a specific point in time and social view point. Boring advice aside:

This is one of the best comedy books around, so deliciously light and speedy, the reader needs a few reads to really understand the depth of Loos' genius. But, upfront, this is a laugh a minute and should be read in bed on a rainy Sunday morning with phones off.

"Dorothy looked at me and looked at me and she really said she thought my brains were a miracle. I mean she said my brains reminded her of a radio because you listen to it for days and days and you get discouradged and just when you are getting ready to smash it, something comes out that is a masterpiece."

Read, enjoy, repeat. But try to get an edition with Ralph Barton's intimate illustrations.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Lorelei will make you laugh! May 16, 2004

By Gypsi Phillips Bates VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes has long been one of my favorite movies, so I was tickled to discover that it was a magazine serial first. Until I stumbled across the book, I had just assumed that Loos wrote it for the screen.

Lorelei is a beautiful blonde with a conflicting amount of predatory logic, downright dumbness and a deep conviction of her own intelligence. The book is the journal she kept during the few months she was traveling abroad (Mr. Eisman is "educating" her) with her friend Dorothy, who "really does not care about her mind and I always scold her because she does nothing but waste her time by going around with gentlemen who do not have anything".

Mr. Eisman (never called Gus, because "when a gentleman who is as important as Mr. Eisman, spends quite a lot of money education a girl, it really does not show reverence to call a gentleman by his first name") makes the mistake of not going with Lorelei, and so with just Dorothy to chaperone, she makes conquests of kind rich men all across Europe.

Loos has written an amusing story, and though at times I got tired of the purposeful misspellings and grammatical errors, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The few not-as-interesting parts were completely forgotten as soon as I read another one of Loos' little gems such as "Well, it's been three days since my debut party started but I finally got tired and left the party last night and went to bed because I always seem to lose all of my interest in a party after a few days" or "So, she found a box of liqueur candies that are full of liqueurs and she was really very delighted. So I finally got dressed and she threw the empty box away and I helped her down stairs to the Dining room...."

If you've seen the movie, you should definitely read this as it gives a little more depth to Lorelei. If you've not, the book will still be a fun trip back to the 20's where bootleggers, gold diggers and millionaires party side by side. Read more ›