Rating: 
Summary: Hilariously Sexy!
Review: If you liked Valley of the Dolls you will certainly love Shadow of the Dolls. Complete with the sex and drugs we loved in the 60's, Shadow takes you wildly into the 80's we so vividly remember. Neely, Anne and Lyon miraculously only age 10 years since we last saw them engaging in their extreme fast lane lifestyles. Now their children come into play the with the rich, the famous and the drug addicted. From the stock market highs we remember of the 80's, to the prescription drug highs we read about, Shadow of the Dolls entwines all the wealth and glamour and of course plastic surgery you can imagine. Just as the stock market bottomed out, follow your favorites through the "crashes" in their lives and their struggles to climb back up the ladder of success. Rae Lawrence amazingly wrote this spectacular bi-coastal novel from the late Jacqueline Susann's notes and brilliantly brings us up to date with the characters we love to live vicariously through. A perfect read for this summer's hot and steamy days . . . and nights.
Rating:
Summary: Great beach read!
Review: In the true style of the original, this sequel is a deliciously wicked read! Ms. Lawrence really took on a challenge by finishing Susann's unfinished manuscript, written just before her death. For readers not familiar with the first or those who forgot, it doesn't matter. Lawrence has updated the characters to fit the times, of course taking some very big liberties with age, etc. No matter, it works! This time, the story revolves around Anne and Neely, both trying to weather turbulent personal matters, age (they make 33-34 out to be ancient) and careers. Money and greed, of course, bring the two together after they split in the first novel. Alas, all is not neat and tidy! The story just oozes with sex, drugs, cat fights, ex-husbands, and skeletons coming out of the closet just to mention a few. Once again, we are reminded that Susann paved the way for today's greats like Jackie Collins. Congrats to Ms. Lawrence for bringing "Shadows" to life.
Rating:
Summary: Naughty, delicious -- the perfect beach book
Review: The wait is over! Neely O'Hara is back with a vengeance in this sexy, sophisticated sequel to Jackie Susann's famous bestseller. Just like the original, the glamorous (and wanna-be glamorous) of New York and Hollywood will do almost anything to get to the top, making some hard bargains along the way. Both smart and trashy at the same time, this book will satisfy readers looking for a fun summer read. Grab the sunscreen, turn off your brain, the weather is hot and so is this book!
Rating: 
Summary: In the Shadow of a Giant
Review: It's hard to follow up such a classic novel like Valley of the Dolls. Rae Lawrence keeps in the spirit of the original, though "takes liberties" with age, time and place. It's an entertaining read and follows the path of Anne Wells and Neely O'Hara as they go through their thirties (wink, wink) in the eighties and nineties. Marriages are broken and remade, the children left over from the original grow to be as dysfunctional as their parents and just as entertaining. And no one has forgotten the power of those wonderful, wonderful dolls. However, this sequel seems to be bastardized by the recent cult of wannabe Jacqueline Susann writers... The characters spend too much time navel-gazing in the Hamptons and not enough rising and falling as in the original. And with the "liberties taken," it's easy to feel slighted as characters reminisce of the late seventies and early eighties. Overall it's decent, but check the book out from the library or buy it used...
Rating: 
Summary: INDEED, A SHADOW OF THE ORIGINAL, YET...
Review: I truly enjoyed this novel, despite the now-known fact that Lawrence didn't follow the chronological years left behind by the original author. Sure, Lawrence is no Susann (but has she ever prentended to be ?), and her characters could have been meatier (just like Susann's), but, hey, this is no Proust work here, it's just a fun and diversionary follow-up to the classic of all time, which, to my opinion, is worthy enough to read for that reason alone.-----Martin Boucher
Rating:
Summary: SPARKLE, NEELY, SPARKLE: Petition FOX for a DVD release!
Review: If you're reading this review, then you're ovbviously a fan of the book "VALLEY OF THE DOLLS". Chances are, you're also a fan of the film. If you're not in a coma, then I'm sure that you, like me, desperately want this great film to be released on DVD. So let's all band together and take some action! Let's all write FOX STUDIOS and petition to have "VALLEY OF THE DOLLS" released as a DELUXE SPECIAL EDITION WIDESCREEN DVD with plenty of extras! Please simply print-out the following open letter on your computer, and mail it to FOX and DEMAND that we get this on DVD as soon as possible!!! Dear Fox Studios: I hereby declare that "Valley of the Dolls" is THE best motion picture of all-time, and I insist and demand that you release it on DVD in a DELUXE SPECIAL EDITION as soon as possible! "VALLEY OF THE DOLLS" deserves a DVD presentation that includes: *Original W I D E S C R E E N presentation!
*Deleted scenes and out-takes!
*Restored theatrical release with the unedited love scene with Sharon Tate!
*Interviews with cast members!
*Judy Garland's unused scenes and out-take scenes!
*Judy Garland's soundtrack version of "I'll Plant My Own Tree!"
*Original theatrical trailers from "VOD" and other Jacqueline Susann films!!
*Interviews with Jacqueline Susann!
*Photo galleries!
*Costume tests with Judy Garland and other cast members!
*Stereo 5.1 Surround-Sound!
*Digitally-enhanced and restored film print-transfer to DVD!
*Trivia information, such as how and why Marilyn Monroe's voice was used in the film! (They also used one of Marilyn Monroe's costumes from "There's No Business Like Show Business!)
*Any and all additional extras that you can possibly pack onto the DVD disc! Let's get going on this, it's already been too long for this fabulous film to be released on DVD! Sincerely,
(Your Name Here) I'm serious! The only way to get this FABULOUS movie on DVD at last is to let FOX know how much we want it! I hope you'll all take some action to make it happen.
In the meantime, remember to get up at 5 in the morning and "Sparkle, Neely, sparkle"!!!
Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate Guilty Pleasure
Review: OK. I confess. I didn't just read this, I bought it. In hardcover. But I bought it used, admit that much in my defense. Reading this makes you feel like the ghosts of your college literature professors are standing over you shaking their bony fingers. But that's the point of it. It's like going to a family gathering and talking to your aunt who's been married five times and is eagerly looking to find number six. You feel your grandmother's eyes burning into the back of your head but you just can't stop listening. This book could have been called TWO WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL. Oh, don't worry, Neeley and Anne are still around at the end of the story, ready to go on bedding down and putting up with unworthy men in their neverending quest for Mr. Wrong. The reason this didn't get a fifth star is that I'd like to have seen more characters from the first book return. Helen Lawson is dead, and that wonderful old battleaxe was my favorite character in the first one. Miraculously, although decades have passed the characters haven't aged all that much. And, of course, nobody is wrinkled. Bartender, Botox for everybody. So put on your dark glasses and go get a copy of it. If you're reading it in public, put a dust jacket for SWANN'S WAY on it to fool your artsy friends. And enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Neely and Anne are back and better than ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: I enjoyed the first novel so much, that of course I really looked forward to the sequel. I don't think the book was very good. It's too much like Scarlett, in which the sequel to the phenomenal original just doesn't cut it. The book may have been better if it was written by Jacqueline Susann, but I think Rae Lawrence should have done what Alexandra Ripley didn't, and just leave a phenomenon the way it is.
| 
