Pills & Pucci: Those Sex & Shopping Novels!

[indybear]

Mine arrived, too! Yeah, the casting was pretty abysmal.

[dwanollah]

Yeah, I've had to pull out the actual novel to read in the bathtub to cleanse my palate. The clothes were pretty groovy, though.

I think tonight I'll enjoy the DVD of Princess Daisy, which should be even crappier. Why do I even prentend like a percentage of my interests could be called "literary" when I'll cop to this shit? Can one write a dissertation on Sex and Shopping Novels...?

[Deleted]

Aug 30, 2009 14:35:33 GMT -4 @dwanollah said:

Yeah, I've had to pull out the actual novel to read in the bathtub to cleanse my palate. The clothes were pretty groovy, though.

I think tonight I'll enjoy the DVD of Princess Daisy, which should be even crappier. Why do I even prentend like a percentage of my interests could be called "literary" when I'll cop to this shit? Can one write a dissertation on Sex and Shopping Novels...?

Young beautiful Rupert Everett, yum.

[indybear]

Woohoo! My copy of Dazzle arrived! Lisa Hartman, Lisa Eilbacher, James Farentino . . .

[Auroranorth]

I think Claudia Cardinale as Annabel isn't bad casting, but the rest? Good Lord.

[jojoce]

Does Jilly Cooper count? I own all of her books, and re-read them at least once a year. *Don't point and laugh*

[Deleted]

I finally watched the Valley of the Dolls movie. I knew obviously beforehand that it was known for being so-bad-it's-good, but I really wanted to judge it on its own merits and try to take it seriously. I managed quite well, merely raising by eyebrows at most things...until Neely's freakout by the pool and then I was just gone, just in hysterics for the rest of the film.

So, what was actually the thought process behind this movie? Everything in it is batshit. Helen's song about planting a tree in the yard? Anne's acid trip Gillian Girl commercial? Everything Neely does or says ever? (I know I'm not going to able to stop myself impersonating Neely the next time I'm drunk. I'll be stumbling around screaming "The whole world loves me!", embarrasing my poor friends.)

You could tell the director thought he was being really artistic and clever with certain things, like always having the bright colours of the dolls somewhere in the scene. But it was just funny - every yellow was always THAT yellow, everybody had the same shade of green somewhere in their apartment.

The prize for most ridiculous thing ever though was, for me, Jennifer's porno. Seriously, the script was:

"I love you"
"I love you"
"You spilled wine in my shoe"
FIN

A lot was cut from the book, of course. I thought Anne got a raw deal, really; the stuff about becoming independently wealthy and being able to buy Lyon the business behind his back was the only proactive thing she did, so without it she really is a cipher. I was glad they omitted Jennifer and the senator (I always thought it was so silly when he goes on and on about her breasts, making her feel she can't live without them - who does that?). I would have liked to see a cinematic depiction of the sleep cure, though.

The actresses were all gorgeous, I thought. And the clothes were fabulous. And I think I'm gonna watch this again when I finish work today...

[Peggy Lane]

A few days ago I found a first edition (fifth printing) VoTD hardback with dust jacket. Quelle excitement, guys! So since I couldn't sleep last night I reread it for the fifteenth thousandth time.

I actually think Anne is a fairly proactive heroine. She goes to New York, gets a job, and is building a life for herself (that she likes!) before Lyon ever makes an appearance. She stands up to Lyon about Lawrenceville. The Gillian Girl gig is handed to her, but Susann implies that she works hard and really makes something of it. Even when Lyon is cheating on her with Neely she makes a plan and still keeps carving a life for herself (the panel show). Unlike chick-lit heroines of today no one has to rescue her after Lyon dumps her. She keeps going to work and keeps it somewhat together. Okay, Jennifer has to tell her to get a new apartment and jump on the Gillian job, but that's way preferable to the days/weeks in bed modern heroines feel is their due when they experience setbacks.

I really want a Susann omnibus sequel to all of her stories. Maybe Maeve Binchy style, where there's a central event that brings the characters together and everyone gets a chapter devoted to their viewpoint. I love how Krantz gave Princess Daisy a cameo in Dazzle (best thing about that book, for sure). I'd like to see Robin and Lyon interact. It would HAVE to be better than the god-awful official VotD sequel.

[Auroranorth]

Feb 17, 2011 18:01:44 GMT -4 Peggy Lane said:

I love how Krantz gave Princess Daisy a cameo in Dazzle (best thing about that book, for sure).

Dazzle made my teeth itch, it was so horrifically Suey.

[dwanollah]

Feb 22, 2011 17:28:47 GMT -4 Auroranorth said:

Feb 17, 2011 18:01:44 GMT -4 Peggy Lane said:

I love how Krantz gave Princess Daisy a cameo in Dazzle (best thing about that book, for sure).

Dazzle made my teeth itch, it was so horrifically Suey.

No kidding. Of course, Krantz novels usually abound with thisclose-to-badass heroines who are tall, redheaded, and have some quirky tomboyish nickname, but Dazzle, where generations of family rifts are magically healed by her insight, ta daaaaa!, and eeeeeveryone lurves her because she's so beautiful was over the top even for JK.