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Fresh Air
The critic reviewed the 100thanniversary edition, noting the novel's cheeky flapper satire and its recent reissue as a modern library paperback that impressed her.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a tale of two flappers on the prowl for sugar daddies bearing diamonds, was a runaway bestseller, translated into over 13 languages, made into a stage play and a silent film,...
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The critic reviewed the 100thanniversary edition, noting the novel's cheeky flapper satire and its recent reissue as a modern library paperback that impressed her.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, a tale of two flappers on the prowl for sugar daddies bearing diamonds, was a runaway bestseller, translated into over 13 languages, made into a stage play and a silent film, now lost.
I have only seen the film, so the novel, newly reissued as a modern library paperback, was a revelation to me.
Luce wrote Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in the form of diary entries written by Lorelai. There's not one continuous plot here, so much as there are dozens of vignettes, lots of them satirising social issues like prohibition and censorship.
Mr. Spufford spends all of his time looking at things that spoil people's morals. So Mr. Spufford really must have very, very strong morals, or else all the things that spoil other people's morals would spoil his morals.
Edith Wharton, who was another famous fan of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, declared that it was the great American novel.