Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
Named one of the 100 Best Novels Ever Written in English (The Guardian)
Loos’s classic tale shows that questions of women and power—more relevant today than ever—can come in the most alluring of packages.
This delirious 1925 Jazz Age classic introduced readers to Lorelei Lee, the small-town girl from Little Rock, who has become one of the most timeless characters in American fiction. Outrageous and charming, this not-so-dumb blonde has been portrayed on stage and screen by Carol Channing and Marilyn Monroe and has become the archetype of the footloose, good-hearted gold digger (not that she sees herself that way). Masquerading as her diaries, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes follows Lorelei as she entertains suitors across Europe before returning home to marry a millionaire. In this delightfully droll and witty book, Lorelei’s glamorous pragmatism shines, as does Anita Loos’s mastery of irony and dialect. A craze in its day and with ageless appeal, this new Liveright edition puts Lorelei back where she belongs: front and center.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Anita Loos’ hilarious 1925 satire on the politics of sex was way ahead of its time—and it’s still completely “devine,” as her Jazz Age heroine, Lorelei Lee, would put it. A gold-digging flapper from Little Rock, Lorelei is the blissfully unreliable narrator of her own story, in which the rich married “gentlemen” who bestow her with a steady flow of diamonds and champagne only want to help “improve” her “mind.” Like Huck Finn, Loos’ heroine is a lot smarter than she sounds. As she charms her way around the world, from New York City to Europe (where she admires Paris and the “Eyefull Tower”) and on to Hollywood, Lorelei manages to elude all the adoring men who wish to domesticate her. In the meantime, she’ll be over there enjoying her sparkly presents. A groundbreaking take on female sexuality as a means to autonomy, this classic novel has influenced pop culture, most notably in the creation of iconic moments for Marilyn Monroe and Madonna.
