Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
[London] : Picador, 1982
Description
"Kissing your hand may make you feel very very good, but a diamond and safire bracelet lasts forever." Anita Loos first published the diaries of the gold-digging blonde Lorelei Lee in the flapper days of 1925, forging a new archetype for the modern world. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes follows Lorelei and her best friend, Dorothy, from Hollywood to Manhattan to Paris and London, pursued by eager suitors all the while. In "the Central of Europe," with a new diamond tiara in her handbag, Lorelei meets a traveling American millionaire who just might be the one. She retires her diary, but not for long, because, as she writes in the opening pages of But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes, "it is bright ideas that keep the home fires burning, and prevent a divorce from taking all of the bloom off Romance." For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member WilfGehlen
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes conjures up images of Marilyn Monroe, golddiggers, blonde jokes, but the reality of Anita Loos' Lorelei Lee is ever so much richer than the stereotype. Lorelei is no dumb blonde. An unabashed golddigger, certainly, but she gives value in return for she knows what the
Loos, in her "Biography of a Book," included in this volume, reports that George Santayana considered GPB the best book of philosophy written by an American. What philosophy? Lorelei's might be summed up in the title of a philosophical book presented to her by an admirer, Smile, Smile, Smile (Calvin McGraw?). Resourceful, and smiling, Lorelei turns her trial for attempted murder into a ticket to Hollywood, turns aside a threatened lawsuit over alienation of affection by enchanting the wife's lawyers, charms her once-reproving, future mother-in-law by appealing to her vanity and plying her with champaign. Fate keeps on happening to her, as she says, but she always works it to her advantage. Not through connivance, but by finding a break in the clouds to let the warm sunshine infuse the opposition. Win them over with warmth. Could make a good political philosophy, too.
Lorelei leaves us with this bit of Zen, "everything always turns out for the best." Everything is as it should be.
Show More
gentlemen want--to shower her with presents, of course. When they seem on the verge of wanting more, she knows how to escape without ruffling feathers. She adheres to the adage enunciated by her maid, "Leave them while you're looking good." Like that other Lee, Gypsy Rose, she leaves them wanting more.Loos, in her "Biography of a Book," included in this volume, reports that George Santayana considered GPB the best book of philosophy written by an American. What philosophy? Lorelei's might be summed up in the title of a philosophical book presented to her by an admirer, Smile, Smile, Smile (Calvin McGraw?). Resourceful, and smiling, Lorelei turns her trial for attempted murder into a ticket to Hollywood, turns aside a threatened lawsuit over alienation of affection by enchanting the wife's lawyers, charms her once-reproving, future mother-in-law by appealing to her vanity and plying her with champaign. Fate keeps on happening to her, as she says, but she always works it to her advantage. Not through connivance, but by finding a break in the clouds to let the warm sunshine infuse the opposition. Win them over with warmth. Could make a good political philosophy, too.
Lorelei leaves us with this bit of Zen, "everything always turns out for the best." Everything is as it should be.
Show Less
LibraryThing member theokester
I first saw the Marilyn Monroe movie Gentlemen Prefer Blonds as a youth years ago and have a vague recollection of it being whimsical fun but my general memory of the film is pretty limited. I need to go back and watch it as an adult and see it from fresher eyes.
Reading these books was a great
The story itself is not terribly remarkable. It largely plays out as a series of humorous anecdotes as Lorelei and her friend Dorothy travel the world to be properly "educated." Presenting the story from Lorelei's point of view makes her own comments and actions all the more hilarious while also making Dorothy's comments so much fun, especially since Lorelei never really understands the full meaning of her friend's remarks.
I really enjoyed the style and would love to read more by Loos. She started her writing career as a screenwriter and as I looked at her list of novels is fairly short, which is a shame.
Don't expect anything really deep going into these books (unless your idea of depth is the same as Lorelei's, in which case this book may be over your head). These books are a fabulous portrayal of life in the 20s as seen through the eyes of the gold-digging blonde (in the literal and stereotypical sense). It's a great light-hearted satirical look at life and romance.
****
4 out of 5 stars
Reading these books was a great
Show More
experience. They were generally a quick read, although it took the first couple of chapters for me to get used to the style…which slowed me down as I re-read segments to double check grammar and spelling. Anita Loos does an exquisite job of capturing the singular voice of Lorelei Lee. I absolutely love the narrative style and the oblivious ignorance with which Lorelei approaches the world.The story itself is not terribly remarkable. It largely plays out as a series of humorous anecdotes as Lorelei and her friend Dorothy travel the world to be properly "educated." Presenting the story from Lorelei's point of view makes her own comments and actions all the more hilarious while also making Dorothy's comments so much fun, especially since Lorelei never really understands the full meaning of her friend's remarks.
I really enjoyed the style and would love to read more by Loos. She started her writing career as a screenwriter and as I looked at her list of novels is fairly short, which is a shame.
Don't expect anything really deep going into these books (unless your idea of depth is the same as Lorelei's, in which case this book may be over your head). These books are a fabulous portrayal of life in the 20s as seen through the eyes of the gold-digging blonde (in the literal and stereotypical sense). It's a great light-hearted satirical look at life and romance.
****
4 out of 5 stars
Show Less
LibraryThing member wenestvedt
Lots of the ideas in this book seem stale now, but they were very funny for the time: gold-diggers aren't a new phenomenon, but Loos put them right into contemporary settings and got a funny story from it.
Made into a movie with Marilyn Monroe, right?
Made into a movie with Marilyn Monroe, right?
LibraryThing member SimonW11
Often very funny and a suprisingly modern read. I suspect it was ground breaking in its time.
But I found it a bit slow at first the naive grammar and spelling irritated while the protagonist Lorelei's, flat laconic style seemed to hide more than it revealed.
What I would wonder really happened?
"because it seems that something either I or Dorothy said to Lady Francis Beekman seemed to make her angry."
Made me laugh loudly enough to make surrounding tables look up.
Lorelli needs to down play everything. to pass lightly over her perfidy even as she records it. This often shocked me even as it amused me. She is totally amoral.
It is not unusual for comic diaries to derive their humour from the inability of their writers to see themselve as others see them. Such diaries far from enabling introspection.attempt to bolster the Diarists
world view.
Lorelei is a stranger to introspection but equally she would never doubt herself enough to need any bolstering of her opinions. such circumlucations as exist are to soften others opinions. And how she fails in this aim. No matter what gloss she puts on her things she is revealed as gloriously selfish, grasping and ignorant even of her ignorance.
Her companion Dorothy is far more intelligent and seems at least capable of real human interaction. Something tells me that unlike her amoral friend Dorothy aspire to be immoral at least.
Some of the jokes have inevitably aged but as long as places like Stringfellows exist people will find this book funny.
But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
the sequal to Gentlemen Prefer was a no brainer they were bound together. I really enjoyed this. Sex was a lot more evident in this sequel and the Milieu was very recognisable. Even if the authors voice was distinctivly different I would not have been at all suprised to find the characters dining at Mindy's or bumping into a Wooster. Then about a third of the way through Anita Loos wraps up the story In one short chapter. It was like a father short changing the telling of a child bedtime story upon hearing the match start.
But I found it a bit slow at first the naive grammar and spelling irritated while the protagonist Lorelei's, flat laconic style seemed to hide more than it revealed.
What I would wonder really happened?
Show More
However that style grew on me. Until such an apparently innocuous line as"because it seems that something either I or Dorothy said to Lady Francis Beekman seemed to make her angry."
Made me laugh loudly enough to make surrounding tables look up.
Lorelli needs to down play everything. to pass lightly over her perfidy even as she records it. This often shocked me even as it amused me. She is totally amoral.
It is not unusual for comic diaries to derive their humour from the inability of their writers to see themselve as others see them. Such diaries far from enabling introspection.attempt to bolster the Diarists
world view.
Lorelei is a stranger to introspection but equally she would never doubt herself enough to need any bolstering of her opinions. such circumlucations as exist are to soften others opinions. And how she fails in this aim. No matter what gloss she puts on her things she is revealed as gloriously selfish, grasping and ignorant even of her ignorance.
Her companion Dorothy is far more intelligent and seems at least capable of real human interaction. Something tells me that unlike her amoral friend Dorothy aspire to be immoral at least.
Some of the jokes have inevitably aged but as long as places like Stringfellows exist people will find this book funny.
But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes
the sequal to Gentlemen Prefer was a no brainer they were bound together. I really enjoyed this. Sex was a lot more evident in this sequel and the Milieu was very recognisable. Even if the authors voice was distinctivly different I would not have been at all suprised to find the characters dining at Mindy's or bumping into a Wooster. Then about a third of the way through Anita Loos wraps up the story In one short chapter. It was like a father short changing the telling of a child bedtime story upon hearing the match start.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Sarahsponda
Fun fun fun. I'm sure I missed some of the jokes because of the time period (things common and well-known in 1925 aren't necessarily so now) and Lorelei's creative spelling gave pause at times, but it was great stuff overall.
Dorothy gets all the best lines.
Dorothy gets all the best lines.
LibraryThing member maru3
Main character is Lorelei, she is beautiful woman and loves diamonds and money.
The story bigin when she write in her dialy.
She loved by many rich gentlemen and proposed but she doesn't marry eveyone.
One day she have a dream...
I can learn all of her gorgeous ife and her sharp thinkings.
Her story
Lorelei is a name of German legend witch.
I think she is a real witch better than legend Lorelei because she can utterly captivated all of gentlemen.
The story bigin when she write in her dialy.
She loved by many rich gentlemen and proposed but she doesn't marry eveyone.
One day she have a dream...
I can learn all of her gorgeous ife and her sharp thinkings.
Her story
Show More
does on monotonous, but this is very interested.Lorelei is a name of German legend witch.
I think she is a real witch better than legend Lorelei because she can utterly captivated all of gentlemen.
Show Less
LibraryThing member pt1208
A great fun look at the past.
LibraryThing member veracite
"...and I began to write down my thoughts; not bitterly, as I might have done had I been a real novelist, but with amusement which was, on the whole, rather childish."
I have long loved the movie. I clearly wasted much of my life not reading the book. It is splendid and hilarious and perfect.
I have long loved the movie. I clearly wasted much of my life not reading the book. It is splendid and hilarious and perfect.
LibraryThing member RubyScarlett
What a riot! So utterly entertaining. Really enjoyed Lorelei and Dorothy's journey into society to become more learned. While Lorelei's constant ability to overlook common sense is very amusing, I found Dorothy's 'riskay' remarks (which Lorelei never seems to understand to their full extent) to be
'You have got to be the Queen of England to get away with a hat like that.'
Show More
totally gleeful. I was also particularly fond of the social commentary on prohibition and censorship in cinema. Truly great boook.'You have got to be the Queen of England to get away with a hat like that.'
Show Less
LibraryThing member TRWhittier
A fun romp through the mind of Manhattan's most famous gold digger. A quick, easy, lighthearted read.
LibraryThing member cissa
A brilliant, brilliant novel! (And in my opinion far better than "Catcher in the Rye", because Lorelei is an unreliable but likable narrator who does a fine job of navigating expectations to get what she wants in a pretty hostile world, and who is at least as self-centered as Holden but more
Lorelei Lee has a very distinctive voice. Her blend of "refined" and ignorant is funny at first, but rather touching as one gets into her head. As is her approach to life: while she cites high ideals, she is utterly pragmatic when it comes to actions, to a point where one can only admire the choices made by "a girl like I".
Her BFF, Dorothy- the brunette- is both more seemingly sensible and cynical, but also makes very poor life choices, especially by Lorelei's standards. Dorothy is a welcome snarky voice, though most of the snark sails right over Lorelei's head.
This edition contains "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes", plus a LOT of interesting back-story about the history of the books and their genesis.
It also has illustrations from an early edition, but unfortunately many of them are very muddy in print; I wish they had been cleaned up more.
These were the inspiration for the Marilyn Monroe movie, which was itself the inspiration for the Madonna "Material Girl" video- in which Madonna channels Lorelei for the dance number, and Dorothy for the context. Nicely done!
VERY highly recommended. This ought to be a taught classic.
Show More
fun.)Lorelei Lee has a very distinctive voice. Her blend of "refined" and ignorant is funny at first, but rather touching as one gets into her head. As is her approach to life: while she cites high ideals, she is utterly pragmatic when it comes to actions, to a point where one can only admire the choices made by "a girl like I".
Her BFF, Dorothy- the brunette- is both more seemingly sensible and cynical, but also makes very poor life choices, especially by Lorelei's standards. Dorothy is a welcome snarky voice, though most of the snark sails right over Lorelei's head.
This edition contains "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes", plus a LOT of interesting back-story about the history of the books and their genesis.
It also has illustrations from an early edition, but unfortunately many of them are very muddy in print; I wish they had been cleaned up more.
These were the inspiration for the Marilyn Monroe movie, which was itself the inspiration for the Madonna "Material Girl" video- in which Madonna channels Lorelei for the dance number, and Dorothy for the context. Nicely done!
VERY highly recommended. This ought to be a taught classic.
Show Less
LibraryThing member encephalical
Re-read after about five years and it was just as funny, which I find is a rare occurrence.
Subjects
Language
Physical description
156 p.; 20 cm
ISBN
0330267779 / 9780330267779