Fiction

Valley of the Dolls

Valley of the Dolls

  • Downloads：8469
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-07-12 08:54:16
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jacqueline Susann
  • ISBN：0349008329
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Summary

Before Jackie Collins， Candace Bushnell and Lena Dunham， Jacqueline Susann held the world rapt with her tales of the private passions of Hollywood starlets， high-powered industrialists and the jet-set。

Valley of the Dolls took the world by storm when it was first published， fifty years ago。 Never had a book been so frank about sex， drugs and show business。 It is often sited as the bestselling novel of all time。

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 beautiful women become best friends when they are young and in New York， struggling to make their names in the entertainment industry。 Only when they reach the peak of their careers do they find there's nowhere left to go but down - to the Valley of the Dolls。

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Reviews

Mesi ，

I’ve had this sitting on my shelf for years after picking it up at a used book sale。 I’m sooooo sad I didn’t read this earlier！ Has easily become one of my favorite books of all time。 Highly recommend if the aesthetics of old Hollywood are alluring to you （seeing as this was written in the 60’s， you get the idea）。 I have to set aside time to see the film adaptation with Sharon Tate ASAP。 Also， as much as I love this book， I warn you that the ending will enrage you。 But read it anyway。

Lili ，

A rollercoaster

Grace Look ，

A crazy book honestly。。it was a great read but wow I felt like my heart was dropping every second I read。 I needed a light hearted book after this one because of how attached I was to these three girls。 It was a great book and I loved the writing。 The only thing that bothered me was how there were no chapters or “checkpoints” and we rarely got to switch point of views until the later pages which caused me to get slowed down or bored。 Just my opinion but it was such a good book！

Ella ，

Like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo's older， more jaded sister。 Like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo's older， more jaded sister。 。。。more

Fernanda Vargas ，

All I can think right now is mitski words “But if I gave up on being pretty I wouldn't know how to be alive” 4。5/5 All I can think right now is mitski words “But if I gave up on being pretty I wouldn't know how to be alive” 4。5/5 。。。more

hannah ，

easy read， dissatisfying ending but interesting liked how it revolves around the three main characters and their perspectives！！

Jeanne Werth ，

I decided too read this one because it was the top selling book the year I was born。 It was a fine read - interesting characters。 The writing was very simple （may be reflection of the time） so it went pretty fast。 Just didn't wow me。 That's why I gave it 3 stars。 I decided too read this one because it was the top selling book the year I was born。 It was a fine read - interesting characters。 The writing was very simple （may be reflection of the time） so it went pretty fast。 Just didn't wow me。 That's why I gave it 3 stars。 。。。more

Lauren ，

（Rating 2。5） —- The first thing I noticed in this was how cringey and ‘on-the-nose’ the dialogue was but as it was written in the 60s I think this can be forgiven。 Something else that can be blamed on it being written in the 60s is the use of the f word but this， for me， was less easy to forgive。 I’m not sure if this word was acceptable to use in the 60s （I doubt it was） but I think in the context of this book it wasn’t used in an ignorant way， it was used as an insult。 I found it really tough a （Rating 2。5） —- The first thing I noticed in this was how cringey and ‘on-the-nose’ the dialogue was but as it was written in the 60s I think this can be forgiven。 Something else that can be blamed on it being written in the 60s is the use of the f word but this， for me， was less easy to forgive。 I’m not sure if this word was acceptable to use in the 60s （I doubt it was） but I think in the context of this book it wasn’t used in an ignorant way， it was used as an insult。 I found it really tough and harsh to hear it used over and over again。I assume this was/is considered a classic feminist book and I’m sure that if it was read in the 60s it would have been thought of as such but I think， reading it today， that it misses the mark。 Yes it would have been provocative in the 60s and seen as pushing against the patriarchal society and its pressures of women but reading it today it still has a lot of old fashioned assumptions that are very dated， especially when held up against todays standards of feminism。 I just don’t think it satirised the gender stereotypes enough， instead relying on just making all the characters annoying， cruel and mean。I think I’m giving this a lot of leeway due to it being written in the 60s and that is why I’ve rated it a 3 stars （rounded down to 2。5） but I don’t think it has stood the test of time。 。。。more

Autumn Stewart ，

For fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath！3。75-4 stars。 I'm not too sure on my exact star rating， but I did enjoy this！ It's super easy to read and sucked into。 This book mainly follows three women and their rise to the top and how it can lead to demise and destruction。 I really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down when I was reading it。 I was never bored。 Initially in the beginning I was kind of underwhelmed， but I had to remind m For fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath！3。75-4 stars。 I'm not too sure on my exact star rating， but I did enjoy this！ It's super easy to read and sucked into。 This book mainly follows three women and their rise to the top and how it can lead to demise and destruction。 I really enjoyed the book and couldn't put it down when I was reading it。 I was never bored。 Initially in the beginning I was kind of underwhelmed， but I had to remind myself when this was written。 It was considered super scandalous for the time。 Unfortunately， the characters were very one-dimensional and I'm not sure if that was intentional to try to hyperbolize the Hollywood scene， but it bothered me in the beginning。 However， as time went on I became more used to it and I liked how it made the story feel even more dramatic。 By the end， I was sad and empty so I knew that the story and characters had struck a chord。 Overall， I enjoyed the story and even though the characters weren't very complex and the story was a little all over the place， I liked it a lot。 。。。more

Nancy ，

Interesting to read at this time。

Rebecca Maye Holiday ，

Valley of the Dolls isn't a good book。。。 yet， in spite of this， it's a。。。 a good book。Infamous as campy trash that inspired the equally campy movie by the same name， Valley of the Dolls has a lot of baggage and a bit of a scandalous reputation even today。 For its era of publication， it did address the futility of the entertainment industry and the struggle of the human condition in ways that were ahead of its time， and the resolution places the average person into a dead-end life if they want to Valley of the Dolls isn't a good book。。。 yet， in spite of this， it's a。。。 a good book。Infamous as campy trash that inspired the equally campy movie by the same name， Valley of the Dolls has a lot of baggage and a bit of a scandalous reputation even today。 For its era of publication， it did address the futility of the entertainment industry and the struggle of the human condition in ways that were ahead of its time， and the resolution places the average person into a dead-end life if they want to truly be happy， a message that seems rather bleak。 It can't be denied that this Twilight of the 1960's has more depth than people give it credit for。 All of the characters are either unlikable or just plain pitiful and irresponsible， but that's what makes them so relatable。The book follows the lives of three female friends from different backgrounds， all thrown together in the pursuit of the modern woman's American dream: there's Jennifer， who is beautiful but doesn't necessarily have star power or talent， there's Neely， an up-and-coming star， and Anne， a more conservative woman who never quite manages to fit into the scene。 The ruthlessness and recklessness demanded of their career path leaves them with some big uncertainties: what kind of future can they possibly have in their glittering malaise of drugs and substance abuse， and more importantly， what kind of legacy will they posthumously leave behind？ Does being a public figure mean you lose control of your own identity， and how the world perceives you？ What exactly is the ultimate goal for these characters， and what does it reflect about fame and money？This book is also hilariously melodramatic and silly at times， all part of its charm。 Neely in particular has run-ins with a vicious， aging star losing her moment in the limelight， moments all at once both extremely funny and painfully tragic， particularly since Neely， the younger and more fashionable of the two， is the more insecure one。 Not much here has changed in the digital age - in fact， Valley of the Dolls could be even more relevant in an age of perfection filters， deadnaming， and ageism on IMDb。 The internet never forgets， and makes every aspect of our lives so public that at times it's easy to feel hopeless and insecure as we evolve and make changes in our lives， leaving a paper trail， whereas the older generations already have their public image well-established pre-2000。 It's difficult not to consider modern-day social media stars who fall victim to the same kinds of behaviours and addictions as those portrayed in Valley of the Dolls， and what this reflects about society。 。。。more

Vrix ，

Justice for Neely O'Hara Justice for Neely O'Hara 。。。more

Ian MacIntyre ，

Still racy 50 years later。 A great summer escape read。

Uzma Ali ，

DUDES this is one of my new favorite books。 I wanna say it’s Bojack Horseman if Bojack Horseman was set in the 50s and revolves around women rising to fame in Hollywood。Even though this book was published over 50 years ago， it is still so relevant。 Fame can corrupt anyone and everyone， even those with the strongest of minds。 I love that Susann was able to reveal these truths that are still， unfortunately， valid to this day。 The dialogue and story felt so natural to me， it was incredible。 And don DUDES this is one of my new favorite books。 I wanna say it’s Bojack Horseman if Bojack Horseman was set in the 50s and revolves around women rising to fame in Hollywood。Even though this book was published over 50 years ago， it is still so relevant。 Fame can corrupt anyone and everyone， even those with the strongest of minds。 I love that Susann was able to reveal these truths that are still， unfortunately， valid to this day。 The dialogue and story felt so natural to me， it was incredible。 And don’t even get me started on the characters。 We grow up with them as they all struggle on their own ropes to fame and see how they change over time which really really makes the story feel so well-constructed。 It’s crazy how they can all change so much and still be the same people we met at the beginning of the story。Trigger warnings for drug abuse and self harm if you choose to read this book。 But oh my god I love everything about it， the aesthetics were the cherry on top。 READ THIS！！ 。。。more

hannah ，

this was genuinely one of the most fun and tumultuous experiences i had reading a book in a long time。 the plot itself was immensely intriguing to me before i even picked it up， i absolutely adore books that deal with hollywood and show business *cough cough evelyn hugo* so i knew it was up my ally。the way this book was written made it so so interesting to read。 it’s in no sense super complex or written with beautiful prose but it’s so engaging and matches the vibe of the book perfectly。 every s this was genuinely one of the most fun and tumultuous experiences i had reading a book in a long time。 the plot itself was immensely intriguing to me before i even picked it up， i absolutely adore books that deal with hollywood and show business *cough cough evelyn hugo* so i knew it was up my ally。the way this book was written made it so so interesting to read。 it’s in no sense super complex or written with beautiful prose but it’s so engaging and matches the vibe of the book perfectly。 every single character in this book is an absolutely terrible person which was what made this so fun to read。 the second half of the book especially is filled with some of the wackiest shit ever。overall as trashy as this book is it was a completely insane trip so it gets a 5 stars purely for entertainment。 。。。more

Maria ，

Wow！ I understand why some may think of the book as distasteful， because quite frankly， it is！ And I think that is the point of it all。 The characters were not meant to be loved and the industry itself was supposed to evoke disgust。 It follows three girls who have reached the top and acquired everything they must’ve dreamed of—all the glamour of beauty， fame， wealth， and even love—and yet still find themselves barren。

Carolyn C ，

Hollywood should make a limited series based on this

Sofia Ruiz ，

Es un libro que leí en el año pasado y me dio ganas de releerlo。 Esta bien desarrollado， plantea muy genial el mundo del espectáculo。 Hay un personaje bisexual oculto。 Se retrata fe forma correcta la enfermedad mental de una de las protagonistas。 Y el final definitivamente me impactó。

bethany！ ，

4。5 ⭐️

Isabella K ，

I have genuinely never hated another book as much as I hated this one。 I chucked it across the room the moment I read the last page。 What a waste of my time， 400 pages of pure fucking garbage。 Neely is one of the most insufferable characters I've ever read， I genuinely wished a gruesome literary death upon her。 She should have just downed a whole truckload of those "little red dolls" and done us all a favor。 And Lyon。。。seriously that character can go to hell。 Anne was a pathetic， mewling wimp wi I have genuinely never hated another book as much as I hated this one。 I chucked it across the room the moment I read the last page。 What a waste of my time， 400 pages of pure fucking garbage。 Neely is one of the most insufferable characters I've ever read， I genuinely wished a gruesome literary death upon her。 She should have just downed a whole truckload of those "little red dolls" and done us all a favor。 And Lyon。。。seriously that character can go to hell。 Anne was a pathetic， mewling wimp with zero backbone who had every opportunity to gain some goddamn dignity， and exact SOME RIGHTFULLY EARNED revenge upon all the fuckers who wronged her。 BUT NO。 She sits there and takes it while I'm sitting her tearing my hear out in frustration。 Biggest disappointment。 The things these three women do for mediocre love from grimy， half-wit， idiotic men makes me gag。 Feminism really imploded with this one。 UGHHHHH I can't believe I wasted brain cells reading this book！！！ I wish I could give this negative 5 stars。 Burn this book。 It had no reason being published。 Rip out the pages and use it for kindling if need be because that's all its good for。 。。。more

Roxie ，

This book is a pill of its own。 Valley of the Dolls takes a GRIM look at the ugly perils lurking beneath a beautiful veneer of success and fame， but it's all deceptively wrapped up in the most luxurious mink coat and tossed back with a sparkling glass of the good stuff。 Despite the fact that the story was written 50+ years ago and is set between the 1940s and 1960s， thus marking that fascinating transition from the golden era of big movie studios to the advent of all things television， the cultu This book is a pill of its own。 Valley of the Dolls takes a GRIM look at the ugly perils lurking beneath a beautiful veneer of success and fame， but it's all deceptively wrapped up in the most luxurious mink coat and tossed back with a sparkling glass of the good stuff。 Despite the fact that the story was written 50+ years ago and is set between the 1940s and 1960s， thus marking that fascinating transition from the golden era of big movie studios to the advent of all things television， the culture of celebrity pitfalls remains the same。 I think that was the best （and worst） part of the novel—it is unfortunately timeless， （view spoiler）[the frickin' Lyons of the world included （hide spoiler）]。 Jacqueline Susann kicks off the book from the POV of Anne Welles， easily the most relatable character to us normies， then eventually expands to also include her friends Neely and Jennifer。 The general premise is that the higher these women attempt to climb in terms of whatever they consider success—stardom， independence， love—the more hollow and isolated （and drugged up） they will eventually become。 The actions of one character in particular became so intolerable that my enjoyment of the novel simply could not recover。 I'm glad I read it in the sense that it is a major part of the '60s zeitgeist and is an obvious predecessor to so many of the stories we're still telling today， but it's a bummer of a tale when it comes to all the worst clichés surrounding female friendship。That said， no one could claim that the Valley of the Dolls is boring or forgettable。 I mean， that LITERAL WIG SNATCHING scene？？ WOWEEEE。 。。。more

jimena ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I really enjoyed this book ， i recommend it to anyone it’s a really good book for anyone who likes any kind of genre。 （spoiler） the ending of the book where it’s anne’s last pov i was in shock of what neely did i wasn’t that surprised but i was still very disappointed！ anyways this book is super good I’m probably going to read it again later on but yeah those are my thoughts！

bella ，

dnf pg。 170

Rachelle ，

100 Books to Read in a Lifetime。2021 Summer Reading Challenge - Fiction BookThis is the story of 3 women who let little pills affect their lives。 Things get crazy and they feel life is running away from them， they take a pill and it makes it all better。 That saddest thing about this book is that although Fiction， it sadly could have been happening in real life during that period of our History。 The book really wasn't my cup of tea， but it wasn't horrible。 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime。2021 Summer Reading Challenge - Fiction BookThis is the story of 3 women who let little pills affect their lives。 Things get crazy and they feel life is running away from them， they take a pill and it makes it all better。 That saddest thing about this book is that although Fiction， it sadly could have been happening in real life during that period of our History。 The book really wasn't my cup of tea， but it wasn't horrible。 。。。more

Cindy ，

Lots of LADIES TAKING PILLS。

Nikita ，

I'M SO MAD I'M SO MAD 。。。more

Shana ，

Summer book #1。 Not sure which moral to go with - Men are pigs - You can’t have it all - Society’s obsession with appearance is our downfall。4。5 rounded up。 What’s up with all of the typos？

Jasmine ，

I couldn't put this book down， it was like watching a guilty pleasure reality TV show even as you're wondering why you're into it。 I would almost say it was like a New York City version of East of Eden， as you follow the lives of three women over 15-20 years， and watch them transform （whether for the good， or bad） over time。 There are a few insights on men in a certain kind of society， on the effects of celebrity culture on individuals， and on relationships and life。 The novel actually touched a I couldn't put this book down， it was like watching a guilty pleasure reality TV show even as you're wondering why you're into it。 I would almost say it was like a New York City version of East of Eden， as you follow the lives of three women over 15-20 years， and watch them transform （whether for the good， or bad） over time。 There are a few insights on men in a certain kind of society， on the effects of celebrity culture on individuals， and on relationships and life。 The novel actually touched a few topics I was surprised by （apart from drugs and sex）， and I was drawn by the characters' stories， particularly Anne， who seems like a person with a good head on her shoulders， and has a strong affinity for the city of New York。 It was a bit of a pity I only understood the meaning of the book's title after reading the promotional blurb， as that indicates to me that the concept wasn't developed enough to warrant it as the title。 。。。more

Geena Sondy ，

I really wish that this book was satire because it might have actually been funny and/or good。 It reads like a dated Lifetime movie。 This book is straight up terrible。 The women are all weak and only successful if they’re skinny， beautiful， and with a man。 How mental illness， queerness， and mental handicap is discussed is horrifying。

Beth ，

Oh my goodness - such a tale of drama and woe。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Valley of the Dolls

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Valley of the Dolls&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Valley of the Dolls&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0