Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Valley of the Dolls

The Valley of the Dolls
The Valley of the Dolls
Author: Jacqueline Susann
Its three protagonists--Anne Welles, the uptight-but-full-of-a-strange-yearning New England beauty; Neely O'Hara, the Judy Garland clef; and Jennifer North, who is sort of the Marilyn Monroe clef and also sort of the Brigitte Bardot clef but mainly sort of the least realized character in the book--all spend most of the novel with what they wa...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780937858028
ISBN-10: 0937858021
Publication Date: 10/1981
Pages: 442
Rating:
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
 5

3.7 stars, based on 5 ratings
Publisher: Newmarket Pr
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio Cassette, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

scrapbooklady avatar reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 472 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 10
Although "Valley of the Dolls" was written in 1966, neither the plotline nor the message is dated. Susann asks whether having everything you ever wanted really is the key to happiness. There is a reason why this book has remained a bestseller and continues to enthrall a new generation of readers.
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
This has been added to my "guilty pleasures" shelf: it's entertaining, easy to read, and provides an indulgent glance into a life I will probably never experience. Although this was published over 40 years ago, the story line is not dated. Things have changed since Jacqueline Susann penned this drama, but the novel's overall themes and the main characters' misadventures are still relevant to those of today: sex, marriage, success, drugs, social status, money, greed, happiness; all are questioned and toyed with in "Valley of the Dolls."
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 31 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This is the kind of book I like to read while sitting on the beach. The kind of book you read for fun when you need a break.

The "Dolls" refers to the three women in the book (who are friends sometimes and then not other times) and also to the pills (they call "dolls") that they take.

It seems like a silly book at initial glance (especially with the pink cover) but after finishing the book I was left thinking about women, friends, circumstances in life and how we make our choices of what to do.
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 193 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I have never seen the movie and decided to read the book first. What a great book! A racy book for the time period that it was written in.
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 14 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
trashy romance novel with pill poppers
Read All 25 Book Reviews of "The Valley of the Dolls"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on
I really enjoyed this book. It was very difficult to put it down.
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 23 more book reviews
A wonderful classic!!!! These stories are better than ANY drama you could see on TV. Loved it; 5 stars!
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 3 more book reviews
I could totally see how this book flew off the shelves in the 60's and how it inspired a movie. It was SCANDALOUS! I wouldn't really describe it as well-written but I flew the through the 450 pages thanks to the juicy storyline. The book basically chronicles 20 years of the lives of three women who are involved in show business. It follows them through drug addiction, endless partying, mental hospitals, and suicide.

Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a quick enjoyable read. Although it is quite long and it did take me a while to get into, once I did, I could hardly put it down.
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 24 more book reviews
FROM THE PUBLISHER
First published in 1966, Valley of the Dolls rocketed to the top of The New York Times best-seller list and went on to sell an unprecedented eight million copies. Unavailable in paperback for over fifteen years, Jacqueline Susann's sensational story of three pill-popping, Gucci-clad show-biz women (whom she modeled after Judy Garland, Grace Kelly, and Marilyn Monroe) is back!
swarmina avatar reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 9 more book reviews
Read this book in 7th grade with the cover peeled off, hidden undercover while I had the mumps. It was delightful and exciting!
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 13 more book reviews
Not a dull page in the book!
reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 228 more book reviews
Very good book
constant-reader avatar reviewed The Valley of the Dolls on + 130 more book reviews
This is one of those books that transcends the generic novel, and takes at least a few steps towards literature. A great illustration of the impossible situation the opposiing forces of society and humanity can create.


Genres: