You're Such a Doll!

One of my all time favorite novels is Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann. Published in 1966, Valley of the Dolls was the first "chic lit" novel of its' time. It sold nearly 30 million copies making Susann the first woman to achieve this many book sales. Valley was considered quiet risqué, as teenage girls would find themselves hiding in their closets, reading, bathed in candlelight. The Three protagonists, Jennifer, Anne, and Neely Spend most of the novel struggling to chace what is nearly always out of reach. Their internal and external struggles highlight the plot line with juicy love affairs and later, their affliction with "dolls" (Speed pills and sleeping pills). The old Hollywood glamour is contagious. In fact, Susann caught some heat from Hollywood because the three protagonists aptly resemble the late Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, and Brigitte Bardot. Susann then paved the way for other female authors such as Jackie Collins and EL James, the author of my beloved Fifty Shades. Susann's other books Once is Not Enough and The Love Machine are equally fabulous in their own right!