Customer Reviews

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes -and- But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes: The Illuminating Diary of a Professional Lady

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I really think that American gentlemen are the best after all, because kissing your hand may make you feel very, very good but a diamond-and-safire bracelet lasts forever. -Lorelei Lee, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Up until now, I'd figured that the most ignominious fate that a significant 20th century writer had suffered was that T. S. Eliot will be best remembered for the fact that a book of his poems inspired the musical Cats. Here's a worse one : Anita Loos, author of one of the funniest novels ever written, may be remembered as the author whose book inspired the musical which inspired the music video of Madonna's Material Girl. This after all is a book which while it was being serialized made Harper's Bazaar into a best-selling magazine, went through 45 editions in 13 languages (including Chinese and Russian) upon publication, which Edith Wharton referred to as "the great American novel," which a nearly blind James Joyce chose as his preferred reading during the brief period he was allotted each day, and which won praise from readers as varied as Winston Churchill, William Faulkner, George Santayana, and Benito Mussolini.

Even before she wrote this story, Anita Loos had already established herself as a topflight Hollywood screenwriter, working with the likes of D. W. Griffith and Douglas Fairbanks, and she numbered H. L. Mencken among her many literary friends. In fact, the book is at least in part intended to poke fun at Mencken. Loos had previously noticed, with some amusement, the intellectually snobbish writer's contradictory weakness for ditzy blonde babes. So when she found herself traveling cross country on the Santa Fe Chief with her husband (the director John Emerson), Fairbanks, several other gentlemen and one blonde starlet, she was struck by the fact that the men stumbled over themselves trying to help the other woman, while Ms Loos was left to lug her own baggage:

Obviously there was some radical difference between that girl and me. But what was it? We were both in the pristine years of early youth; we were about the same degree of comeliness; as to our mental acumen, there was nothing to discuss : I was the smarter. Then why did that girl so far outdistance me in feminine allure? She was a natural blonde and I was a brunette.

Loos promptly began writing the first notes for what would become the hilarious adventures of Lorelei Lee, the flighty but conniving blonde to whom "Fate keeps on happening," and, when finished, sent them to Mencken, who was then editing The American Mercury.

He told her, "Little girl, you're making fun of sex, and that's never been clone before in the U.S.A.," but also suggested that she submit the story to Harper's Bazaar. The editor, Henry Sell, liked the initial story so much that he got her to write several more installments and serialized them in the magazine. The rest, as they say, is history...

The resulting novel reminds me a great deal of Ring Lardner's You Know Me, Al (see Orrin's review). It is presented in the form of Lorelei's diary, so is entirely in her unique voice, with tortured syntax, creative spelling and unintentionally revealing insight. Lorelei, like Lardner's antihero, is surpassing ignorant of culture and most of the world beyond her particular haunts, but, unlike Jack Keefe who is genuinely unenlightened about himself, she betrays a profound understanding that her looks and her general availability enable her to extract just about anything she wishes from gentlemen. And the most important similarity is that this is just a funny book, certainly one of the funniest ever written by an American author.

GRADE: A

This is a great little book (actually, two books in one). I laughed put loud throughout it and hoped that it would never end. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is rightly considered a classic, its sharp and bitingly witty insight is something one never seems to see in a book today (indeed, humour in a book today seems to be rare - sometimes it seems that all new fiction books are depressing and morbid; and if you feel this way too then you should read Loos' clever and refreshing novels). This is a classuc that you will want to read over and over.

It's impossible to hear this title without thinking of the stage musical with Channing or the later film version of it with Monroe. But Loos's novel is one of the funniest books of the twentieth century, and was beloved by everyone from James Joyce to Santayana. It's all told from Lorelei Lee's diary as she conquers New York, London, Paris, and (hardest of all) the Philadelphia Main Line, entirely by dint of her charm and comeliness. Lorelei is no fool, and exploits the desires of the old men who meet her to get all the jewels and orchids she can dream of, but nonetheless she remains very much an innocent--which is the greatest wellspring of the book's appeal. And her cynical friend Dorothy's sidecomments (which Lorelei frequently quotes) are absolutely hilarious.

"Kissing your hand may make you feel very good but a diamond bracelet lasts forever." So says Lorelei Lee in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes." With the emergence of Lorelei, Anita Loos invented the chick-lit genre as we know it, with witty looks at love, jewelry, and gold-digging in the sparkling 1920s.

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" is the diary of Lorelei Lee, a pretty young flapper originally from Little Rock. Since she has managed to get engaged to a married man, and might be hit with a scandal, Lorelei goes overseas. She cuts a gold-digging swathe through Europe, dazzling wealthy men, seeing the "Eyefull" Tower, and recording thoughts both witty and vapid.

Loos followed up her hit novel with "But Gentlemen Prefer Brunettes." The sequel is the story of Lorelei's travelling buddy Dorothy, as told by Lorelei. Dorothy has led a more colorful life -- she started off in the circus before heading to NYC. There, she became a Ziegfield Follies Girl, and then a "companion" to wealthy men.

Anita Loos's "Gentlemen" books first started when Loos encountered a starlet who had men tripping over themselves to help her with her things. Loos was as pretty, as young, and much smarter, but nobody helped her. What was different? Loos was a brunette, and the starlet was a blonde. You do the math.

Loos had a fun, deft sense of humor. She skewered flappers and/or gold-diggers, wealthy men, and the social mores of the 1920s. She also deliberately litters her books with misspellings and run-on sentences, adding to the feeling of overal ditziness. At the same time, her books are such good light fun that they can be read without taking note of the satire.

"Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes" gives a wink-nudge look at the flapper era, while giving us the origins of the present-day lite chick-lit genre. Fun, fluffy and amusing.

My brother gifted me a copy of GPB and BGMB for Christmas, and I was laughing until Valentine's Day. It's one of the smartest books I've ever read with one of the ditsiest narrators, but that's debatable -- there's certainly method to Lorelei's materialistic madness! I wish I could also read a Dorothy's journal, she's a stand-out character and (of course) my favorite. Read the book if you're curious about the 20's and those notorious rich ladies, but would rather hear it from a rebel's perspective.

I adored this book! I purchased it because I'd seen both of the movies, but the book is so much wittier! I'd recommend it to anyone with an extremely sophisticated sense of humor, otherwise it would be hard to understand - not for lightweights!

This is one of the funniest books I have ever read -- Bridget Jones before Bridget Jones, and much, much funnier than the film (which isn't bad itself).

It says a lot that, according to the introduction, when the author James Joyce was losing his eyesight and could read very little, the serialization of this book in Harpers Bazaar is one of the few things he read.

This edition in particular is great because it has the two companion pieces -- and a great introduction.

I've bought this book for countless people. It is a pleasure, and more understatedly witty than most anything out there.

Some excellent turns of phrase, typified by describing a rival as "an immitation Russian countess of the vampire type" . . .

Anita Loos, though having sad turns of events in her own life and choice of partner (one of those awkward guys who put all of her money in his name), was an absolute master of turning social dis-ease and annoying observation into pure spun, cotton-candy gold.

As they say, "Buy two copies, give one to a friend. . ."

It was fun to read about Lorelie's meeting with "Dr.Froyd" and her thoughts of "the Eyefull tower", but mostly it was fun to be wrapped up in the fickle days of the flapper. Hysterical and fun to read, not to mention important in terms of it's impact of literature. (Would there ever have been a Bridget Jones without a Loerlei or Dorthey?) Enjoy!

I first saw the Marilyn Monroe movie Gentlemen Prefer Blonds as a youth years ago and have a vague recollection of it being whimsical fun but my general memory of the film is pretty limited. I need to go back and watch it as an adult and see it from fresher eyes.

Reading these books was a great experience. They were generally a quick read, although it took the first couple of chapters for me to get used to the style...which slowed me down as I re-read segments to double check grammar and spelling. Anita Loos does an exquisite job of capturing the singular voice of Lorelei Lee. I absolutely love the narrative style and the oblivious ignorance with which Lorelei approaches the world.

The story itself is not terribly remarkable. It largely plays out as a series of humorous anecdotes as Lorelei and her friend Dorothy travel the world to be properly "educated." Presenting the story from Lorelei's point of view makes her own comments and actions all the more hilarious while also making Dorothy's comments so much fun, especially since Lorelei never really understands the full meaning of her friend's remarks.

I really enjoyed the style and would love to read more by Loos. She started her writing career as a screenwriter and as I looked at her list of novels is fairly short, which is a shame.

Don't expect anything really deep going into these books (unless your idea of depth is the same as Lorelei's, in which case this book may be over your head). These books are a fabulous portrayal of life in the 20s as seen through the eyes of the gold-digging blonde (in the literal and stereotypical sense). It's a great light-hearted satirical look at life and romance.

****
4 out of 5 stars

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes conjures up images of Marilyn Monroe, golddiggers, blonde jokes, but the reality of Anita Loos' Lorelei Lee is ever so much richer than the stereotype. Lorelei is no dumb blonde. An unabashed golddigger, certainly, she gives value in return, for she knows what the gentlemen want--to shower her with presents, of course. When they seem on the verge of wanting more, she knows how to escape without ruffling feathers. She adheres to the adage enunciated by her maid, "Leave them while you're looking good." Like that other Lee, Gypsy Rose, she leaves them wanting more.

Loos, in her "Biography of a Book," included in this volume, reports that George Santayana considered GPB the best book of philosophy written by an American. What philosophy? Lorelei's might be summed up in the title of a philosophical book, Smile, Smile, Smile, presented to her by an admirer. Resourceful, and smiling, Lorelei turns her trial for attempted murder into a ticket to Hollywood, turns aside a threatened lawsuit over alienation of affection by enchanting the wife's lawyers, charms her once-reproving, future mother-in-law by appealing to her vanity and plying her with champaign. Fate keeps on happening to her, as she says, but she always works it to her advantage. Not through connivance, but by finding a break in the clouds to let warm sunshine infuse the opposition. Win them over with warmth.

Loos wins us over with the humor in Lorelei and the wit of her friend, Dorothy, that still lives today because it derives from the human condition, the same now as then. Lorelei leaves us with this bit of Zen, "everything always turns out for the best." Everything is as it should be.