The Love Machine (Jacqueline Susann) (Paperback)

~ (Author) "AT NINE IN THE MORNING, she was standing on the steps in front of the Plaza Hotel, shivering in a linen dress..." (more)
Key Phrases: Robin Stone, Christie Lane, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A blockbuster tale from the 1960s--available again after an absence of 15 years--"The Love Machine" tells the story of TV-network titan Robin Stone, "around whom women flutter like so many moths . . . and his rise and fall as he makes the international sex scene, ›drinks| unlimited quantities, ›and checks| out the latest Nielsens" ("Newsweek")

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press; 1st Grove Press Pbk. Ed edition (December 14, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802135447
• ISBN-13: 978-0802135445
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #92,584 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jacqueline Susann avoids sophomore slump, August 7, 1998

By A Customer

Those of you who loved VALLEY OF THE DOLLS will not be disappointed by Susann's follow-up novel. THE LOVE MACHINE is the story of Robin Stone, a network television executive who is as sexy, cold, and violent as the electronic medium he manipulates. Readers who hoped for a replay of VALLEY'S sheer enjoyability will be somewhat dismayed by this novel. No other Susann book even comes close for characters who are - to be blunt - utterly despicable. Robin Stone is without any redeeming features whatsoever, and the three women in his life may be described as follows: a vapid, masochistic and bubbleheaded model (Amanda), a selfish, arrogant, and corrupt tv-reporter-turned superstar-actress (Maggie), and a vain, obsessive, neurotic, and useless socialite (Judith). Despite (or perhaps because of)the flaws of the characters, the LOVE MACHINE is compelling reading - aren't the bad guys usually more interesting than the good guys! I could not put this book down. Although Sus! ann's characters are utterly hedonistic pleasure-seekers, her writing style maintains a subtle distance from them, resulting a peculiar type of reader identification - we enjoy her characters even as we condemn them. Susann may be the most perfectly American novelist of the late 20th century, and her books will doubtless one day be seen as the literary classics they are. I can't say that I enjoyed this book, but nevertheless, I couldn't stop reading it.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE MACHINE still a blcokbuster, January 8, 1998

By	Pageturner in NYC (Manhattan) - See all my reviews

Thanks to Grove-Atlantic Press, the novels of Jacqueline Susann are reappearing in print 15 years after the mass market Bantam editions went out of print. VALLEY OF THE DOLLS is still, after 30 years, the all-time bestselling novel of all time.Those expecting a weak sophmore effort in LOVE MACHINE will be glad to hear that her second novel is actually the best-written of all her novels. This insiders view of the television industry (and specifically the rise of womanizing heel, TV anchorman Robin Stone) is a riveting, compelling and compulsively-readable tale that benefits from Susann's real-life background as a TV spokesmodel and actress who was married to a TV producer.If you thought the showbiz folk in VALLEY were ruthless, wait until you get swallowed up by the cast of characters in LOVE MACHINE. There's also much more plot in LOVE than in VALLEY. This is no romance novel, Jacqueline Susann wrote anti-romance novels. She liked to show readers the exciting and torrid lives of the rich and famous and always made readers feel they were better off living in the midwest than starring in a Broadway show or hosting a network news show. The reissued VALLEY had a quaint feeling of once being a very blunt and racy novel that had mellowed over the years (probably due to it being the blueprint for countless bestsellers over the next three decades). But, THE LOVE MACHINE still packs a powerful punch. This is Jackie Susann at her most assured, writing the kind of story that is hard to resist and shouldn't be resisted.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Mutter...Mother...MOTHER!", February 17, 2005

By	Melissa Niksic (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

There are two major things that distinguish "The Love Machine" from Jacqueline Susann's other novels: the main character is a man, and the book has a happy ending (at least in my opinion).

This book is a very entertaining read. The story centers around Robin Stone, a smart and sexy television executive who's climbing the corporate ladder and breaking the hearts of many women along the way. Although it seems at times that Robin has no conscience because of the way he treats women, he really isn't a malicious character and doesn't intend to harm to anyone. Regardless of the fact that he always makes it clear that he's not interested in a long-term relationship, women still tend to fall for him, and they fall very hard. The book is divided into three main sections devoted to the women who are affected by Robin the most: Amanda, a beautiful and emotional model; Maggie, a brilliant journalist; and Judith, a middle-aged socialite.

Robin is a very interesting character. He's so charismatic that he even manages to charm the reader, and you'll be rooting for him in spite of all his indiscretions. There is also a deeply buried secret in Robin's past that makes him become vulnerable in very unexpected circumstances, and the mystery surrounding him will keep the reader guessing until the very end. I also enjoyed how Robin interacted differently with all the various women in his life. The last section in the book devoted to Judith was a little slow, but that could be because I was expecting a last-minute dramatic turn of events like I've seen in Susann's other novels, and this book was a little different.

If you enjoyed Jacqueline Susann's other novels, you really need to read "The Love Machine." My only disappointment is that this was the last book of Susann's I had left to read...I wish she had written many more!