Friday 16 September 2011

Literature Love // The Dud Avocado

litloving copy



Align Right


We know you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but.... Surely its acceptable when the cover is as pretty as this! Love at first sight, and on reading the blurb we were sure we were onto a winner... 1950s Paris with a pink haired heroine hell bent on living, shipping herself over from America, endebted to her uncle, who funds her misadventures, to experience life as she's always imagined it.


The main attraction of the book is without a doubt Sally Jay Gorce - witty, tenacious, ardent, and startingly perceptive for a young girl in the 50s. Our eyes were opened when reading this book, its really hard to place it in the era, not the prudish clean cut living and ettiquette bound society, but instead filled with true bohemian souls and outrageously risqué behaviour.


Often compared to her contemporaries Holly Golightly & Holden Caulfield (who we were less than enchanted by) - we fell head over heels with Sally's unapologetic self indulgence and how open she is with her reader, letting them in on her innerworkings, her 'twisted soul' and her frank, unabashed honesty and self acceptance of her downfalls and naivity. It's refreshing to read an stream of consciousness that is not too disimilar to our own, unlike other sugar coated heroines who make excuse after excuse for being themselves.


Some of the gems of the books come from Sally's witty asides and her satirical outlook on romance, life, and its mini-dramas - and following the glamour and specticals of Paris and the lives that intertwine with her own. Never knowingly under-dressed, a girl after our own hearts, Sally sometimes floats about in evening dresses in the daytime, as all her other clothes are at the laundrettes...


Oh my... the jawdropping moment in the first chapter (seriously!) - immediately caught us off guard and is moderately shocking even by today's standards...


A delightfully timeless and refreshing read.




Much love
R&L xx

1 comment:

Sadaf Zarrar said...

Hiya Ladies!!

What a gorgeous blog you have going on here... Found you off my Bloggy Friend Katherine's Site and here I am absolutely loving your nook in the cyber space!! About to click the 'Follow' Button :) you should be hearing more from me in the future.

xx
Siddy
www.SiddySays.com

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