men are pills

Tonight I finished the last 20 pages or so of "Valley of the Dolls." I almost cried reading about how Anne dealt with Lyon's infidelity. I've been there. I wouldn't say the book as a whole is depressing, but that certainly was my feeling at the end. At Neely's third near-death experience with the pills, I rolled my eyes at the girl crying wolf. "I don't have to live by the stinking rules made for ordinary people," Neely says. Lyon and Neely's relationship eventually fizzled, and it seemed as though it had existed only as a tool for advancing his business. If Neely was happy, he was making money. The funny thing is, Lyon never seemed like the type to care that much about money. He lived decently in London, but his writing career didn't make him rich. His affair with the latest Broadway prodigy in the last few pages suggests either he was motivated by money -- or that he simply couldn't live without being worshiped. And perhaps it wasn't so much Anne's betrayal that changed him, but her lack of faith in him. Of course, she didn't lose faith in him at all -- she just fumbled the ball. And she loved him less only after his ultimate sin. I half expected Anne to succeed in a suicide on the last page, but she chose to remain in a robotic existence. Now instead of a devoted husband, she has the dolls to depend on. But they, too, could inevitably betray her.

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I spent some time checking out more blogs today, and was simultaneously encouraged and discouraged by my findings. I've posted links to the three most informative blogs I've found so far, and they are indeed where I was informed that the job market in book publishing is bleak, but also informed that you can start your publishing career anywhere. Well, I'm gonna try to make it work, because I can't think of a single thing I'd rather do. I'm getting a kick out of reading notes, questions and suggestions from authors, agents and editors. I know I've only scratched the surface, but I don't plan to quit any time soon. If anybody can do it, I can do it, right? So until I hear from one of the universities, I'm on my own course of study.

I may not start the next book tonight. I have a feeling I'll have more fun scrolling through reviews and analysis of "Valley of the Dolls."