I was never always an avid reader, but all that changed the minute I picked up Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls. She was one of the authors who got me hooked into reading and whose stories were inspired by her time as an actress, featuring complicated characters based on people she knew, including herself. Some would call her books trashy, but to me they were addictive and engrossing. If you have never read her books before, I highly recommend these three: Valley of the Dolls, Once Is Not Enough, and The Love Machine.
I first read Valley of the Dolls after much curiosity when a writer mentioned it in their review for an episode of Mad Men. To quote one critic, “I devoured this book in one greedy gulp.” I was so engrossed in the story about three women, Anne Welles, Jennifer North, and Neely O’Hara, who climb, fall, and climb again in the entertainment industry from the 1940’s to the 1960’s, while going after their “dolls” (barbiturate pills) to deal with it all. The ending also made me mad, but left me thinking about it for days. The film adaptation does not do this book justice, in my opinion, but I understand the appeal. Sharon Tate was the perfect casting choice as Jennifer North.Once Is Not Enough will forever be the first book I associate the name January with before the name took prominence after Emily Henry's character in Beach Read. This father-daughter story was tragic and wild, especially towards the end. Yet, I could not get enough of the main characters, January Wayne and her film producer father, Mike Wayne, who only had each other but tried to find dependency from others though none could compare. This book was also made into a movie starring Kirk Douglas and Deborah Raffin that also featured George Hamilton. I actually liked this adaptation and is by far the best out of Susann's books turned into a movie.
I remember my cousin mentioned, and I quote, “The Love Machine is dire. Couldn’t put it down! Felt so dirty afterwards.” I guess that is what you can typically expect from a Jacqueline Susann book of its time. This is probably the only book of hers that has a fairly happy ending and features a male lead. Although this was publish right after Valley of the Dolls, it was the last one I read after reading the first two books mentioned back to back. It made me really sad right after because there were no more.
Jacqueline Susann wrote three other books: Dolores, which was unfinished and published posthumously that was based on Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (I read it and it was fine); Yargo, a sci-fi with a love interest inspired by Yul Brynner; and Every Night, Josephine! about her dog, Josephine. However, the original three best-sellers are the ones that kept readers like me glued to the story even once it was over.
