Valley of the Dolls

So bad it’s good.

The writing’s not anything to, erm, write home about. The characters are rather bitchy/whiny/irritating – hard to like, easy to abhor. It’s an incredibly uneven book. And all in all, it’s quite tabloidish and not really a book I would usually pick up (that Pepto Bismol-pink cover doesn’t really help), expect that it’s considered a pop culture classic.

Yet there was something about it that wouldn’t let me put it down. As the lives of Neely, Jennifer and Anne spiral – first upwards and then it kinda heads downwards – I wanted to find out exactly what fate lay ahead for these women, for their relationships, their glamorous careers, their friendships with each other and their love affair with dolls (i.e. pills). Valley of the Dolls is quite entertaining but also kind of depressing. It would make for quite a delightful beach read.