I’ve never read Gentlemen Prefer Blondes or even seen the movie. After reading this sequel by Loos I doubt I ever will. Both were written as satire in the mid-1920s and made into films in the 1950s. Gentleman Prefer Blondes is particularly famous because the movie version starred Marilyn Monroe. The sequel did not.
In any case, here’s the short version. Lorelei Lee is a social climbing woman. She decides to leave her mark on the world by writing a book, the subject of which will be her friend Dorothy. Dorothy has had a colorful history. The story is all about Dorothy’s search for a husband and of her rise in social circles. Finding a rich socially acceptable husband is the pinnacle for Lorelei Lee. In any case, the point of the book is to spoof society of the 1920s and the method Loos uses is to make Lorelei Lee (and to some extent Dorothy) not very bright. That way she can, for instance, report on a prior meeting between a society man and his mistress with naivete, assuming that the intentions are all good because she doesn’t know any better. And after a while, this gets really tiring, particularly the intentionally atrocious spelling of Lorelei Lee (the supposed author of the narrative). I suppose if I cared about bringing society matrons of the 20s down a peg or two I could overlook it. But really, it’s a group that is self-satirizing. Book was free and a two hour read otherwise I would have stopped after just a few pages.
Title: But gentlemen marry brunettes : the illuminating diary of a professional lady
Author: Anita Loos
Illustrator: Ralph Barton
Imprint / publisher: Curtis Books
Format: Mass market paperback
Length: 158 p.
Publication date: 1927
LC classification: PZ3.L875 Bu
