Valley of the Dolls

The Valley: A love story?

This interesting stroy of three young women living in New York during the 1940's-1950's, trying to find their way in a new place. Anne,Jennifer, and Neely are tree young women who are making their way in the big city.They are very different in their personalities, Anne is a driven hard working girl who gets a job at Bellemy and Bellows who handle big important clients such as movie stars and actors. Jennifer is a young actress who is on broadway. She is looking for love in all the wrong places and ends up getting her heart broken a few times. Neely is the youngest of the three, she is a up and comming actress and singer and dancer who dreams of making it big.

This book tells the story of how they stuggle in thier hard work lives and also with their relationships they create. They don't always have the best judgment when it comes to men. Anne falls for an older attractive man who she struggles to keep the relationship a float. Jennifer who gets married a few times and divorced also ends up giving up children and a happy life. She ends up compensating for this by taking pills and focusing on her looks. Neely ends up going from guy to guy she takes any man she wants and doesnt care if he is already taken. She has two kids with a husband that leaves her. Neely takes pills called dolls to help her function from day to day. She drinks too much and ends up in a hospital. Jennifer finally finds a guy but soon finds out she has breast cancer, she ends up killing herself.

Anne is another story her life is mainly focused on her work. She ends up fallind for Lyon Burke. He is the biggest player in New York. She finally gets his to settel down with her and have a kid, but soon after he cheats on her with someone very close to her. She is betayed by her only friend she has after taking care of her for years. Anne is lost and doesnt know where to turn to, all alone in the big city. She stays with him for a while but soon gives in to the beautiful dolls that seem to offer a release.

This book was very emotional, anyone who chooses to read this book needs to be prepared for some heartbreaking stories. Jacquelin Susann writes a heart driven story of these young woman who loses themselves while trying to find who they think they want to be. I enjoyed this story, but it pulled my heart strings alot. It was hard to finish I kept wanting to stop, but still if you only push forward its worth the tears.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

Move over Sex and the City because 'Valley of the Dolls' came first. I'm usually not too into the trashy romance/soap opera genre but because Dolls is considered a 'classic' I decided to go for it. I am sooo glad I did. I LOVED this book...I LOVED the characters...I LOVED the NYC setting...I LOVED the plot...I basically LOVED everything about this book. I really invested myself into these characters and their lives...at one point I had a hard time falling asleep because I was so upset about what was happening in the book--haha! Truly, if you are looking for a book that moves like a soap opera but still has something to say, read this book. You will fall in love with the characters and may start to hate them too. My only regret is that Anne didn't stand up for herself!! And Jen was so sweet! So, put your goody goody pants away for a moment and enjoy this cult-classic.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Loved It!

Valley of the Dolls is a classic, written in a time when hollywood still had its secrets. When the book was originally released back in the 1950's, it was scorned upon because of it's content, and was viewed as a rebels book. However, it's enjoyable because it's raw and has truth to it. I recommend reading it with an open mind.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Loved the book

Midella Langford is a moron. The book was great couldn't put it down!

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

My boyfriend and I loved it

This book was F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! We snuggled up in front of the fireplace and read to each other over warm strussel. The Castro Distirct is a big fan of the author's writings. Cheers - Teddy L & Partner

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

One of the best books ever written!

This book is just in a word fabulous. Full of drama, it's better than a soap. The characters are as colorful as the glamourous world they live in. I especially loved Neely, she's a trip to say the least. The film intrerpretation in 1967 does no justice to the book, but Sharon Tate and Patty Duke do give it their best with the choppy script. The author is also in the film. The book is a MUST read!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

i coudn't put this book down

This book is full of alittle bit of everything, suspense, romance, betrayal, mystery, tradegy. Makes you never want to be famous.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

I read this book and I was very disappointed with the end.. I wa

I read this book and I was very disappointed with the end.. I was expecting a happier ending. I actually cried because of it... it brought back a lot of emotions that I've had with past relationships and I felt so sad for Anne. I feel that I am like Anne in many ways and it just kills me to see that something could happen to her like that, and that Neely could do that to her. Hell, Lyon should've known better. So sad and disappointed. Bittersweet feelings about this book.

Ugh

What crap. How this book ever got published is beyond me.

0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

From the moment I started reading it, I couldn't put this book d

From the moment I started reading it, I couldn't put this book down. The characters each had a way of making you relate and live through them. I loved it, but wish there had been more to the ending.

after watching the movie i decided to read the book, i thought i

after watching the movie i decided to read the book, i thought it well written and a good storyline, though i cant see why its one of the all time best sellers, other than at the time it was written it did contain content that would have been shocking at the time ( prescription drug abuse and addiction, frigid women, womenizing men,hints at homosexuality and the fact that sex may not be as amazing as the movies make it out to be) i guess its sort of a peyton place of the actor's world

Meh

The transitions between perspectives were choppy and confusing. The characters weren't very interesting and the plot wasn't exciting. Controversial for its time, sure, but I was not impressed!

Difficult to get through

I enjoyed the characters and story lines, but the structure was haphazard. The "controversial" parts were few and far between. It really wasn't as scandalous as I expected.

very good read

I love the campy movie and finally decided to read the book. I was surprised what a good read it turned out to be. We meet Anne, Jennifer, and Neely as young women who have come to New York to pursue their dreams. The story spans 20 years. I found the story surprisingly contemporary. Jennifer's story and ultimate conclusion really touched me.

Highly Recommended

A story of the country girl in the big city, and what the big city does to the country girl.

AWESOME!

I loved this book from beginning to end ... it was really mind blowing to me. From the differen perspectives and OH! Boy will the ending just about blow your mind. About to start reading another one of her books... think i've found my new favorite author :) Oh! Nd down part ... there are A LOT of typos but so what ... there are none that you cant understand ;)

Old Hollywood Glamour

I really enjoyed this book. From the very first page, I knew I was going to like the story and the characters. Even though the book was written in 1966, it's relevance and issues are still very present in our society today. The drama of the Broadway stage shows, high maintenance actresses, and the show business deals made this book a fun read. I also liked how with each new section of the book, the story was being told from a different characters' point of view. I grew to hate some characters and cheered for others! Great read!

Great Characters, Great Writing, Great Book

Wow, this book is amazing. I am a big fan of when the chapter changes, the character changes. I thought Jacqueline Susann wrote this book brilliantly. I really loved how she described old New York. She really makes you think that you are in the clubs with the characters. The ending was GREAT. At first, I was a little dissapointed about how it didnt necessarily conform to 95% of the books out there where everyone lives happily ever after. The ending is raw and real. Great book and i will definetly be keeping this in my permanent library.

Valley Of The Dolls, Oldie but a keeper

This was a book that mom was reading quite a few years ago, I happened to pick it up and began to read. Well, even from my open minded standpoint, I can say this book at some real steam in it ( especially for the time period it was written in ). However, the characters were captivating, the plot although sad, and a few disagreements with characters, but thats natural..This is part of my personal collection of keepers. Oldie but a goodie..a good book all around.

Great novel but poor quality ebook

Valley of the Dolls is a great story; however there are a lot of typos throughout this ebook. I am surprised Barnes & Noble would allow this ebook to be distributed in this condition.