I am just a quarter of the way through Rona Jaffe's 1958 novel, "The Best Of Everything." Sine many better know the 1959 film with Joan Crawford, Hope Lange, Diane Baker, and Suzy Parker, who, supposedly, was from my hometown of Highland Park, New Jersey, I am telling you, now is the time to give this novel a chance!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dolls, I have not had as much of a literary blast since last re-reading "Valley Of The Dolls." Not that it is explicit; actually, it is tamer than "Peyton Place." But, girls, the world it conjures up! One where a girl has to work in an office pool to find a husband. Or, if living alone in New York City, holed up evenings in a small apartment, reading fashion magazines and book manuscripts. Or trashy romance novels!!!!!!!!!! I mean, this was the future????????????????????
Or, how about living with your parents at home, if unmarried?
Actually, it is a campy trip to an era when people dressed better, manners were more sophisticated, and civility ruled. Oh, to be sure, there are power plays and sexual harassment, but hons, when hasn't there been???????????? Apart from all that, these people dress and behave better than in the workplaces of today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I simply cannot wait to get back to these girls' adventures, so I will leave you with this--
Sometimes, retro is better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2 comments:
You know it!!!
A LOT of times, retro is better!!!
Victoria,
The older I get, the more I realize this.
But don't mistake me for a MAGA person!
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