It was never a great book, but it’s still an entertaining one. Even if you don’t know about all the films and books (and musicals!) Valley of the Dolls spawned, you’ll want to after you read it. For example, every description of Helen Lawson, the boozy Broadway star who seems based on Ethel Merman, is delivered in a tone implying that the narrator isn’t exactly impartial at one point, her face is described as “contorting into the unflattering babyish pucker.”ĭespite all the dated aspects - from the fact that sex talk is now ready for primetime and pill usage, at least of the Ambien or Xanax variety, is now fairly standard for rich housewives - Valley of the Dolls is still a fun, ridiculous read. Eventually, they climb their way to the top of the entertainment industry only to find that there’s no place left to go but down, into the Valley of the Dolls. She’s also got a cattiness to her writing that makes reading Valley of the Dolls a lot like having a conversation with a really bitchy, stereotypical gay hairdresser. Anne, Neely, and Jennifer become best friends as struggling young women in New York City trying to make their mark. She’s not exactly a whiz with dialogue or description, but she does know how to set a fast pace and pull in the reader. The popularity of Susann’s book wasn’t based totally on its salaciousness or timeliness, however, but on her ability to tell a story well. Jane & Michael Sterns Encyclopedia of Pop Culture: An A to Z Guide to Whos Who and Whats What, from Aerobics and Bubble Gum to Valley of the Dolls Stern, Jane Stern, Michael Published by Harpercollins, 1992 ISBN 10: 006055343X ISBN 13: 9780060553432 Seller: Your Online Bookstore, Houston, U.S.A. Like so many older scandalous books, the shock-factor of Valley of the Dolls is long gone.

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