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Valley of the Dolls

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Valley of the Dolls

By: Jacqueline Susann
Narrated by: Laverne Cox
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About this listen

Before Jackie Collins, Candace Bushnell and Lena Dunham, Jacqueline Susann held the world rapt with her tales of the private passions of Hollywood starlets, high-powered industrialists and the jet set.

Valley of the Dolls took the world by storm when it was first published 50 years ago. Never had a book been so frank about sex, drugs and show business. It is often cited as the best-selling novel of all time.

Dolls - red or black; capsules or tablets; washed down with vodka or swallowed straight. For Anne, Neely and Jennifer, it doesn't matter as long as the pill bottle is within easy reach. These three beautiful women become best friends when they are young and in New York, struggling to make their names in the entertainment industry.

Only when they reach the peak of their careers do they find there's nowhere left to go but down - to the Valley of the Dolls.

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Critic reviews

"About the most fun you can have without a prescription!" (Julie Burchill)

"Much imitated, but never bettered." (Daily Telegraph)

"Decades ahead of its time.... Mesmerizing.... The equation of emotional dependencies with drug addiction in one comprehensive personality disorder is, if anything, more chic today." (Village Voice)

"Jackie, it seemed, understood by instinct that her readers were ready for the raw side of love...for a franker sexuality and a tougher kind of story - for romance with tears and oral sex." (Michael Korda, The New Yorker)

What listeners say about Valley of the Dolls

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A great Book!

I managed to put up with the terrible narration, in a strange way I got used to it!
But a fab book, a great listen!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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An all time favourite

loved the story but found the narrator difficult to listen to and irritating. a real shame.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Dated and poor narration

The story comes over as rather Mills & Boon now and the narration is not good. the character 'Jennifer' comes over as a 12 year old child - not the 25 year old she is suppose to be and many others are not good.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Strange narration

I was so disappointed with the narration of this fab novel which I read many years ago and was excited to hear again. I was expecting something special from Cox but it was so monotone throughout. The same tone was used throughout e.g,, “xxx xxx” shouted Ann was read in exactly the same tone and loudness as “xx xx” whispered Anne. It was really weird to listen to. I had to stop after a few chapters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great book

Loved this book, great characters and story, I couldn’t stop listening. The narrator wasn’t what I was expecting but once you get into the story it flows really well, great tone and emotion as he reads.

I love reality shows based around women, think real housewives, if your like me then you will enjoy this book too!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, terrible narration

I read this book years ago. It was brilliant and I’d read it again. Was looking forward to listening this time round but the narration is so poor it’s completely spoiled all enjoyment for me.
The humdrum drawl is worse than boring and the changes in tone for the various characters are atrocious.
The two main female characters are voiced exactly the same, dull and simpering. The male characters are also all voiced the same even though the lead is supposed to be English.
Such a disappointment in what should have been an excellent listen. I’ll make sure never to buy a Leverne Cox narration again.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Good story ruined by the narration

I listen to this story having read the book many years ago. I really enjoyed the book but I have to say I nearly didn’t get to the end of this reading because the narration was so monotone. There were no different voices for the different characters and it was all pretty monotone. I also didn’t remember wanting to shake the life out of Anne, she was sooooo irritating! I wanted to shout “get a backbone, you idiot” on many occasions. Overall, the story is still good but would have been better with a different narrator.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good story, bad narration

I love Laverne Cox but she wasn’t a good choice for the audiobook. No real attempts at accents and the ones that were there, were quite annoying and imprecise.

Good story, but God I hated the ending and most of the characters. Justice for Jennifer.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Ok but took me a while to get through

I did eventually get into the storyline with this book, and I appreciate it is a book of its time, but I found the characters predictable and the female characters sugary sweet, which i suppose is also the point.

However, I think one of the things that put me off this story is the narration. The characterisation was off putting, and honestly I found the different voices really grating and irritating. I wanted to hear more of the story but almost didn’t want to listen because of the ridiculous voices.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book, bad narration

What can I say about this one? If you haven’t read it yet…then why the hell not?! Stop reading this and go get yourself a copy! It is… everything. It is so glamorous and filled with humour. There aren’t any happy endings here but watching the three main characters climb the mountain then fall into the valley of the dolls is worth it! You will love them and root for them whilst you despise them and judge them. It is addictive, scandalous, trash…and also a total classic! I describe chick-lit as sweeties for your brain… this is more like a Martini. Also, I hate to admit this… but ever since I first read this in my teens, I have been a little bit in love with Lyon! * a note of the narration. i love her as an actress but ot just didn't work here. my husband heard some and asked wtf i was listening to... also he's not called lion. sigh

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