Dolls: red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with vodka or swallowed straight—for Anne, Neely, and Jennifer, it doesn’t matter, as long as the pill bottle is within easy reach. These three women become best friends when they are young and struggling in New York City and then climb to the top of the entertainment industry—only to find that there is no place left to go but down—into the Valley of the Dolls.
Valley of the Dolls
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Sex and drugs and shlock and more--Jacqueline Susann's addictively entertaining trash classic about three showbiz girls clawing their way to the top and hitting bottom in New York City has it all. Though it's inspired by Susann's experience as a mid-century Broadway starlet who came heartbreakingly close to making it, but did not, and despite its reputation as THE roman á clef of the go-go 1960s, the novel turned out to be weirdly predictive of 1990s post-punk, post-feminist, post "riot grrrl" culture. Jackie Susann may not be a writer for the ages, but--alas!--she's still a writer for our times.
Review
About the most fun you can have without a prescription! Julie Burchill Much imitated, but never bettered DAILY TELEGRAPH Decades ahead of its time...Mesmerizing...The equation of emotional dependencies with drug addiction in one comprehensive personality disorder is, if anything, MORE CHIC TODAY. VILLAGE VOICE Jackie, it seemed, understood by instinct that her readers were ready for the RAW SIDE OF LOVE...for a franker sexuality and a tougher kind of story - for romance with tears AND oral sex. Michael Korda, THE NEW YORKER
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
55 of 58 people found the following review helpful
By nycgirl
Format:Paperback
If you're like me, you never read romance novels, never watch soap operas, and shun editorial trash like Cosmopolitan. But in this age of girl-power books (i.e. Bridget Jones, et al), "Valley Of The Dolls" has become popular once again, and a whole new crowd (the twentysomething female market)is now exposed to this cult classic.
And you know what? It's intriguing. It's captivating. Set back in the 50s, you heark back to the days of glamour girls, Hollywood pictures, and dapper leading men. In each chapter, Susann fleshes out the character portraits of 3 girls who made it big, rags-to-riches style: Anne--a model, Jennifer--a starlet, and Neely--a singer. I hate to admit it, but I was entranced by their stories of sex, scandal, and downward spiral into prescription drug addiction. It's drama about drama queens. I would ordinarily dismiss this book as trashy romance genre--but like others, i can't. Why? well, Susann wrote this book as a groundbreaker--It was written almost 50 years ago but the tales are so incredibly modern you'd think Susann was writing about modern-day life. She paved the way for the tell-all expose, the behind-the-scenes scandals, the agony and ecstasy, the poor problems of the rich and famous. It was "Dynasty" before "Dynasty" was even invented. It was a shocker, and it's tragic. You're not going to find much humor in this novel at all, especially being that the "Dolls" that the book revolves around are drugs. An added benefit of reading "Valley of the Dolls" is that it transports the reader back into the yesteryear; I feel like I'm in a black-and-white movie with Garbo and Monroe--Susann's detail for creating ambience are very much appreciated.
If you think this book is flimsy beach reading--it's not.
... Read more ›14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
By DevJohn01
Format:Paperback
Doesn't it seem like the best books are the ones that you've had on your wish list forever and just seemed to keep skipping over? I've had Jacqueline Susann's `VALLEY OF THE DOLLS' on my Amazon wish list for years and never got around to actually ordering it but I decided to start of the New Year with something different and this cult classic was just what the doctor ordered!
Anne, the wide-eyed girl from Lawrenceville escapes her doomed future as a housewife by moving to New York City in hopes of finding a life for herself. But no sooner than she arrives and gets settled in her new job and home does she end up on the cover of every newspaper and the talk of the town. But over the years Anne learns that the life she'd always dreamed of wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.
Neely is seventeen with all the enthusiasm her little body can handle. A performer in vaudeville since childhood Neely has what it takes to be a star. She is the ultimate triple threat she dances, sings like no other and can act too! Inevitably, by the age of twenty-one Neely becomes the biggest star around; unfortunately her ego grows just as big as her rising star. And with the help of her red, yellow and green "dolls" washed down with a little scotch nothing can stop her.
Jennifer has the face and the body to go far, however all she really wants is love. But unfortunately love doesn't pay the bills. And after a few failed marriages to some of Hollywood's most prominent players Jennifer realizes that her body is her ticket to stardom. Soon she becomes Europe's biggest star... because in Europe anything goes.
I absolutely could not put this book down.... Read more ›
Anne, the wide-eyed girl from Lawrenceville escapes her doomed future as a housewife by moving to New York City in hopes of finding a life for herself. But no sooner than she arrives and gets settled in her new job and home does she end up on the cover of every newspaper and the talk of the town. But over the years Anne learns that the life she'd always dreamed of wasn't all that it was cracked up to be.
Neely is seventeen with all the enthusiasm her little body can handle. A performer in vaudeville since childhood Neely has what it takes to be a star. She is the ultimate triple threat she dances, sings like no other and can act too! Inevitably, by the age of twenty-one Neely becomes the biggest star around; unfortunately her ego grows just as big as her rising star. And with the help of her red, yellow and green "dolls" washed down with a little scotch nothing can stop her.
Jennifer has the face and the body to go far, however all she really wants is love. But unfortunately love doesn't pay the bills. And after a few failed marriages to some of Hollywood's most prominent players Jennifer realizes that her body is her ticket to stardom. Soon she becomes Europe's biggest star... because in Europe anything goes.
I absolutely could not put this book down.... Read more ›
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was entertaining from the first few pages... it's long, but it doesn't seem tooooo long and doesn't drag on. It tracks the lives of three girls... and has ups and downs that the reader feels and experiences. Incredibly well written with not a slow moment. It seems timeless to me... of course, show business has changed, and drugs are easier to come by and more common.... this book appeals to people of all generations. ENJOY it over and over.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is my favorite Jacqueline Susann. I first read all of her books back in the 70's, when their shock value was much greater than today. I picked up all three again when they were re-released and have thoroughly enjoyed them all over again. Susann is the bottom of the junk-trash novel and yet her stories are compelling and interesting. Maybe just for the lack of character all of her characters have.
Dolls starts in New York, where Anne, Neely, and Jennifer have all arrived to climb the ladder of fame and fortune. Anne takes a job with a theatrical attorney, and meets both Neely and Jennifer through her job. They become friends, and so begins their story. From New York to California to Paris, they all become successes and all have to deal with their own deamons. With Neely, it's her drive for success and her addition to drugs. With Jennifer, it's her greedy family and her conviction that her body is the only asset that she has. With Anne, it's her cold, sheltered childhood and her obsession with a self-centered egotistical man.
The other character I must mention is Helen, the Broadway star, who is professional and revered on-stage and a sniping, childlike, phony off-stage. She pulls Anne into her web briefly, but her hard edged tactics soon push Anne away. They reach amazing highs, fall into abyssmal lows, and all crash hard. Yet this book remains an amazing read, you can't put it down though your mouth is gaping open at the excessivness of it all. Plus, it is more enjoyable to this generation, I think, because of the very real environment of the area it was written in. Definately worth price, and don't feel guilty for enjoying it!!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long time no see...
Hadn't read this in years. Enjoyed reading it again. Wonderful story teller and it was fun to go back and read again.
Published 5 days ago by F. Shain
3.0 out of 5 stars
1950's sex and drug abuse was not my thing
This is a bit of history and is interesting how Hollywood and the people there got caught up in crazyness!
Published 13 days ago by Susie brown
5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved the design of the book, the story is great and the characters...
I loved the design of the book, the story is great and the characters are fascinating. Even though I read it many years ago, it's still a great read.
Published 20 days ago by Geraldine P. Williams
3.0 out of 5 stars
Okay
The book was interesting in that it took place in old hollywood and the old New York scene and the characters are based on people the author knew. Read more
Published 21 days ago by R. Deegan
5.0 out of 5 stars
one of my all-time favorites
Read this for the first time when I was in seventh grade. I re-read it until the binding broke and then I kept one half in my bedroom and one half in my bathroom. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars
great classic
this book has been around forever and my only regret is that it took me so long to read it.
Published 1 month ago by Tanya J. Simpson
3.0 out of 5 stars
Kindle version is horrible!
I have of course heard about this book for years but never picked it up. Not because I was worried that it would be "trashy" or something I would not be interested in just because... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Dierdra Byrd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic
This is a classic book. I read this in my book club and after we watched the movie. Of course we all loved the book more! Read more
Published 2 months ago by Suz
3.0 out of 5 stars
Glad to have this classic on my Kindle Fire, but wish it was a better...
This is a classic "trash" book from the mid '60s and looking at the way it is layed out for the Kindle reminds you of this. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Monty
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ahead of its tiime!!!
This was a book about three women growing up in the 50s. It was a glamorous account of how the rise to stardom and success can wind up being anything but... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Sunset sweetie
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