Anita Loos - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

 

Rating: 5/5

 

Review:

Hilariously brilliant 

 

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is just brilliant. It’s a comic gem – and far, far better than the film even though the film is good.

Anita Loos writes in Lorelei’s voice as she takes advantage of her devastating good looks to charm men into doing whatever she wants including giving her gifts of diamonds to alleviate her headaches and acquitting her of murder after “Mr Jennings became shot.” It is consistently hilarious, from her visiting the Eyefull Tower to Dr. Froyd telling her that she needs to cultivate some inhibitions, with Lorelei’s solecisms and faux naiveté a constant delight. (James Joyce once told his publisher he wasn't making any progress on his book because he had been reading Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for three whole days and when George Santayana was asked to name the best book of philosophy written by an American, he is said to have answered “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.”)

I first read this sometime in the early 1980s and it is still just as good after 40 years. Very, very warmly recommended.