The Valley Of The Dolls - Jacqueline Susann - A Short Summary & Review
The Valley Of The Dolls - Jacqueline Susann - A Short Summary & Review
By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures
A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review
A short summary :
Valley of the Dolls follows three ambitious women as they chase success in the worlds of entertainment, beauty, and influence. From New York to Hollywood, their lives unfold under relentless scrutiny, where talent is never enough, and image becomes everything.
As fame accelerates and expectations mount, the women turn to pills, the “dolls” of the title, as coping mechanisms for exhaustion, insecurity, and emotional isolation. What begins as an opportunity slowly hardens into dependence, revealing how systems built on glamour consume the people they elevate.
My favorite quote from the book:
Never judge anyone by another's opinions. We all have different sides
that we show to different people.
Questions to ponder while reading:
My review of the book:
This book is a cautionary tale wrapped in spectacle.
There is simply too much pressure placed on celebrities, and especially women, to be flawless. Valley of the Dolls exposes how admiration can curdle into control, and how constant judgment can push people toward self-destruction rather than growth.
Keep your head small and your heart humble, Susann seems to warn, but guard your self-respect fiercely as well. One of the novel’s clearest lessons is how easily ambition and love can be weaponized against women willing to sacrifice themselves for approval or relationships that demand too much.
Melodramatic? Yes.
Outdated in places? Also yes.
But still uncomfortably relevant in its critique of fame, dependency, and emotional exploitation.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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