Anita Loos (1888–1981)

Reason read: Reading 1001 botm June 2024.
hmm, this book was thankfully short as it is a waste of time. Maybe its clever and satirical and if you like "dumb blonds" then this is a book for you. The men in the book are not any brighter so there is equality. I think it did not need to be added to the 1001 list and I would have been entirely happy to die before I read it. A quick read, it covers a time period of the flappers, prohibition.

It was funny, definitely my sense of humor. I can't help but feel it is missing something. I wanted to feel a bit more connected to the characters, and although it was similar in style to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, which I loved, it was missing some key elements that made Miss P so good.

Review of the audiobook edition:
This Audible edition starts with an introduction and a preface (I guess) which are labelled as Chapters 1 and 2. If, like me, you prefer to skip introductions, then start with Chapter 3!

Patrice O'Neill's voice was excellent for this novel; a bit reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe in the film version but not overly so.

When I came across this book, I was compelled to own it; I love Folio Society editions and the movie is one of my favorites (mostly for the fashion and music). I was not disappointed but its quite different from the movie plot. The humour is clearly era-dependent and modern readers need to adapt the right mindset to enjoy this (and most reviewers obvs haven't sadly).