Book 3/30.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I started rereading Valley of the Dolls on February 10th which was the sixtieth anniversary of the book’s publication. I was super excited to reread it as I enjoyed it so much when I first read it a decade ago that I devoured it in two days 🤩🤓
In my 2016 Goodreads review I wrote:
“This was set to be the easiest 5 stars I gave a book this year. It was right up my alley – light and fun, just pure escapism. Until the last 20 pages or so. The ending was too … well, just too shitty for me. Still a great read, but it would have been a solid 5 stars if things had ended differently for/with Anne.”
Reading it this time around I knew it would remain a 4-star read (at best), and I also no longer feel badly about how things ended for/with Anne as she got ~exactly~ the ending she deserved.
Set in post-war New York, Valley of the Dolls follows three ambitious young women whose lives become intertwined as they pursue success, love and independence. Anne, a recent Radcliffe graduate, begins her career at a prestigious law firm representing celebrities, while the breathtakingly beautiful Jennifer finds herself drawn into the world of fame through her marriage to a famous singer. Neely, the youngest of the three, dreams of becoming a performer and eventually finds herself rising to stardom in Hollywood.
As their careers and relationships develop, each woman encounters the pressures and limitations of a male-dominated society. Fame, romance and ambition bring opportunities, but also exploitation, disappointment and heartbreak. Their struggles are further complicated by their growing dependence on the drugs they come to call “dolls”, offering an escape that gradually threatens to consume their lives.
Through the intertwined stories of Anne, Jennifer and Neely, the novel explores the darker side of glamour, success and the pursuit of happiness in a world where women are often expected to sacrifice themselves to get ahead.
Interestingly, Jacqueline Susann drew heavily on her own experience in the entertainment world, having worked as a Broadway actor and entertainer herself. Her insider knowledge gave the novel an intimate, often unflinching look at the lives of performers and celebrities. When Valley of the Dolls was published, its candid treatment of sex, drug addiction and the darker excesses of fame made it controversial, but also helped propel it to the top of the bestseller lists. The novel is also often regarded as a roman à clef, with readers drawing connections between its fictional characters and real-life actresses from the entertainment industry.
View all my reviews
** A guide to ratings **
1 star – did not like it
2 stars – it was okay
3 stars – liked it
4 stars – really liked it
5 stars – it was amazing