Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Picador Books)

by Anita Loos

Paperback, 1982

Status

Available

Call number

813.52

Publication

Picador (1982), Edition: New Ed, Paperback, 252 pages

Description

One of the most popular novels released in the 1920s on the hedonistic Jazz Age, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was declared the great American novel by Edith Wharton. Told from the point of view of a blonde flapper named Lorelei in the form of her diary, this novel follows her adventures around the world in search of a gentleman companion who can elevate her position within society. As Lorelei cycles through multiple men, she discovers things about herself and the way that she lives her life in retrospection-while also chronicling her changing moods and petty disputes with her brunette companion, Dorothy. Hilarious and a true classic, this revered novel transcends decades and continues to be relatable in this day and age.

User reviews

LibraryThing member gbill

Anita Loos sank her literary fingernails into women who are vapid gold diggers by writing this novella from the point of view of a ditzy blonde, Lorelei Lee. She seems ditzy, that is, but her actions show she’s pretty smart about extracting money and jewels out of the men who come across her

path. The book thus satirizes men as well, as even through the lens of Lorelei, we see that they have just one thing on their minds, even the 90 year old father of one of the men she’s seeing. It also gets a few jabs in at the movie world, which is interesting given her work at such an early age in the nascent industry. Edith Wharton called this “the greatest novel since Manon Lescaut,” and in 1925 the sharpness of its satire was probably particularly pointed and original. For me, reading the words of such an airhead grew tiring even with the book’s short length, though it finishes strong and has some funny moments. The comments she relays of her friend Dorothy in particular stand out, and reading the book evokes Jane Russell’s version of her in the 1953 film adaptation.

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LibraryThing member GraceZ

I found this book to be very entertaining and extremely silly. Although i its short I had to read it in chunks because it started to grate on me after too much time, so it took a while. That said, the voice of the protagonist was endearing and funny and it was a great fun read.

LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a humorous novel written by Anita Loos and first published in 1925. Although many are familiar with the 1953 movie version starring Marilyn Monroe, the novel is a satire and was probably one of the first introductions of the ditzy blonde. Lorelei Lee is a fantastic

character and the book is set up to read as her diary. We follow Lorelei as she travels from New York to London and Paris, entertaining and gathering gifts from her gentlemen friends along the way. Of course, the author has created a memorial character and one who is a lot smarter than her appearance would lead you to believe. Gold-digger Lorelei knows both her own worth and the worth of the expensive gifts she expects and receives from her admirers.

In Gentlemen Prefer Blondes Anita Loos cleverly pokes fun at class, religion, politics and culture. And as Lorelei goes about manipulating her gentlemen callers, her diary spares no one and is very funny. This is a very short novel or novella but it is crammed with memorable and highly quotable lines. Marilyn Monroe and her iconic performance in the movie immediately spring to mind when I read lines such as “Kissing your hand may make you feel very good, but a diamond bracelet lasts forever” .

I found this a light, delightful and entertaining story.

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LibraryThing member SeriousGrace

This was a positively silly book and it almost embarrassed me to be reading it. Luckily, it was incredibly short (less than 200 pages) so I was able to get through it in one weekend. It is the journal of Lorelei Lee, a Midwest girl making her way in the New York City with gal pal Dorothy. Lorelei's

idea of making her way is to see how many men she can charm into "educating" her with their wallets. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is Lorelei's diary from March 16th to July 10th and chronicles (complete with spelling and grammatical errors) her trip to Paris, France and Europe beyond all the while juggling many different male suitors. She starts nearly every sentence with "So" to the point where it got on my nerves the way someone says "like" all the time (and not the "like" on FaceBook, although that can get annoying as well). Lorelei uses shopping as her weapon and is quite good at it. I had a few laugh out loud moments. My recommendation is to find the 195 version. The illustrations are priceless.

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LibraryThing member kcshankd

I ended up liking this more than I thought I would, it is startling to realize that it was written more than 90 years ago. There were several moments that I laughed out loud. I need to re-watch one of the movies.

LibraryThing member ElenaDanielson

Stanford's "Another Look" Book Club got me to read Anita Loos comic masterpiece "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in Kindle format since I was too embarrassed to put the actual book on my shelf. The Marilyn Monroe film version is wonderful in a very different way, placed in a 1950s context, while the book

is pure 1920s flapper jazz age. The 1925 book is told in the voice of a young female con artist-grifter whose blythe spirit, sexy looks, and commercial cunning raise her out of a background of rape and violence into moneyed luxury and even marriage to a millionaire. But she is no ordinary gold-digger, she is writing this diary (with inspired malapropisms) as she travels to the Central of Europe and encounters Munchen with its High Brow Kunst and Half Brow beer. She encounters Dr. Froyde in Vienna, and he tells her she needs a few more inhibitions, and to get some sleep. While she writes she starts to script her life and writes herself a highly improbably happy ending worthy of Disney Hollywood: she marries a boring millionaire but links up with another low life to write movie "scenarios." Her Presbyterian husband underwrites the films and works as the censor to edit out the steamy scenes, something he enjoys doing. As Lorelei says it's all devine. It would seem like total fantasy except that at the same time Anita Loos was writing it, Clare Boothe (the other loose woman) lived the story in real life as a showgirl turned writer and married her first millionaire at age 20...

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LibraryThing member wcarter

A very very very light but amusing book. In fact it was so light, I was surprised it did not float to the ceiling when I put it down! Easily read in an hour or two, and perfect for a time when you are slightly down and feel that your mood needs to be lightened.

LibraryThing member AlCracka

1925: Meanwhile, Edith Wharton says this is the Great American Novel. Is she also being an asshole? Am I supposed to read this? Should I also rent the first season of Sex in the City?

LibraryThing member ep232

I don't like Lorelei. Because she only mekes friends with rich men.
It's not important friends are rich.

LibraryThing member tomoyoh

Lorelei has a lot of diamonds . And she can go to expensive restaurants thanks of her gentlemen friends.
I think money is everything .
In my life , of course , I need money to live healthy .
But the most important things are another .
For example , family , friends , lover , hobby , favorite work

.....
After reading , I thought I will spend my life cheerfuly and enjoy everyday more.
This book made me think means of "life" .

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LibraryThing member lubak

This book is like a diary. Lerelei is a main character. She has many diamonds and many clever friends. She travel many places, she met many person. She likes gentleman who give her diamond. But she finally decide to marry a man who...
I don't think I like diary style. I felt it was long but I like

story of this book. I think money is important but it is not everything in our life.

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LibraryThing member rion

I felt that Lorelei's sense of value was different from mine when Iread this book.
Perhaps my thought is childish. But I don't understand her thought which is like money is all.

LibraryThing member 2wonderY

Clever, but I have to admit to skimming. I'd have looked forward to monthly installments, but spending the whole evening with Lorelei was a bit cloying.

LibraryThing member shihori

She mentioned that her brain is very important and going on a trip around Europe so she can learn about Life. However, she always saw something related to money after all. I would like to read the squel to a story, if it were.

LibraryThing member Murphy-Jacobs

Giving up. Simply isn't funny to me. may try again some day

LibraryThing member katttsu

Many people are described in this book and I cannot remember their names, so this book is difficult to read.
But I'm glad that Lorelei find real hapiness last.

LibraryThing member CSTaylor24

While at times it was entertaining and hilarious, I was mostly bored as I read the book. Lorelei is extraordinarily brainless and the best parts are where she is being insulted and takes it as a compliment. Loos does a brilliant job of capturing Lorelei's character in the words and how she uses

them on the page (intentionally rife with misspellings and repeated words (very 90s Valley Girl esque only "so" and "and" and "really" instead of "like" and "totally").

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LibraryThing member leslie.98

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.

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LibraryThing member yarb

The satire here is so blunt and heavy it's absolutely numbing. Lorelei's misspellings, malapropisms and imbecilic intonation are completely OTT, making the book a tiring experience despite its brevity. Starting every single sentence with "so," or "I mean," for 200+ pages is actually an interesting

experiment in punishment prose: I could only manage 20 or so pages at a time before tapping out. Our heroines's stay in England, where everyone is desperate to raise cash by flogging her their ancestral tat, is kinda funny. But the mockery of the French (lecherous and unhygienic) and Germans (sausage- and beer-guzzlers) falls lamentably flat. Satire demands restraint: Lorelei visiting "a gallery full of Kunst" is funny. Retreading the joke twenty times in 10 pages, not so much. As Froyd might say of this overrated flapper parody — cloche, but no cigar. Actually who am I kidding, he probably loved it like everybody else.

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LibraryThing member fionaanne

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).

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LibraryThing member leslie.98

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.

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LibraryThing member Kristelh

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.

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