It was a regular old spring day at Powell's City of Books in Portland, Oregon. I was in the Blue Room (also known as the literature section) aimlessly browsing the shelves when I saw the cover of a book that simply said, "Maaaaargaux!! Reeeead meeee!!!" This book was The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy. I love avocados and the title was quirky. There was an art photo of a naked woman on the cover and she didn't look seductive or provocative, she was simply lying stomach down, her head up, eyes staring into the camera, like a thinking human being. When I read the back cover, I KNEW this book was for me. I read it and realized just how right I was. "The Dud Avocado follows the romantic and comedic adventures of a young American who heads overseas to conquer Paris in the late 1950s. Edith Wharton and Henry James wrote about the American girl abroad, but it was Elaine Dundy's Sally Jay Gorce who told us what she was really thinking. Charming, sexy, and hilarious, The Dud Avocado gained instant cult status when it was first published and it remains a timeless portrait of a woman hell-bent on living."
2 comments:
Did you like it? It sounds like a great read. I dream of visiting Powell's one day...ag
It was a lovely read. I've heard the heroine referred to as "the Original Bridget Jones". I hate the term "chick lit" and I think a lot of "chick lit" is kind of cheesy, and even though the book has a very dreamy, fantasy-like, romantic ending, I still found the characters interesting enough and the story to be crazy/realistic enough to the point that I think it rates above the moniker. Ramble ramble ramble. :)
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