Nowhere to go but down

Book: valley of the dolls
Author: jacquline susanne
Completion date: 17/09/10
Method: purchased

I bought this book for school and decided to get some advanced reading done while I still had time on my hands. This was right about the time that I was wrapping up the last of the sookie stackhouse novels so I was ready to read something with a little more substance. I wasn't quite ready for this book in all honesty.
According to my professor, this book marks the beginning of 'chick lit' and what she called the modern novel. Now, the chick lit I have read mainly concerns women wearing fashionable clothing and worrying about what kind of underpants they are wearing on their date with some cute man, not surviving entirely on pills and staggering about with a bottle of bourbon shouting that 'he's no fag and I'm just the woman to prove it'. In all honesty, this book terrified me. Neely, Jennifer and Anne seem to have so much hope and promise and such a strong relationship, only to watch each of their lives slowly fall apart.
Neely was the most interesting and terrifying of the trio. I have never seen a character forget herself and her friends so fast. She is so self destructive, and every time she is destroyed by her own success. It drove her mad. The more successful she became, the worse she forgot herself and her family. Especially how much she despises Anne, the same woman that pulled all the right strings to give Neely her shot in showbiz.
There are also a number of very very compelling supporting characters that bring this world and time to life. Like old iron sides, Helen Lawson. The true diva. A woman that worked her whole life to stay on top, only to be betrayed by everyone.
Susanne paints a very depressing view of humanity and the relationships between men and woman. Every character is betrayed and betrays with almost no second thought. It makes me wonder about susanne's life how much this novel reflects her view on what people are actually like, because everything certainly isn't sunshine, rainbows and true love for susanne.
Xo-ellebee