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The Dud Avocado
Series: Virago Modern Classics
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 10,160 ratings, 1,586 reviews)
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Format: Paperback / softback
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See moreA hugely entertaining novel of sex, lies and Americans in Paris, dripping with the sarcasm those Americans are not supposed to have. Published as part of a beautifully designed series to mark the fortieth anniversary of the Virago Modern Classics.
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Description
'One of the best novels about growing up fast' GUARDIAN
'One falls for Sally Jay Gorce from a great height from the first sentence' OBSERVER
'Scandalous and entertaining . . . Both funny and true' EVENING STANDARD
The Dud Avocado gained instant cult status on first publication and remains a timeless portrait of a woman hellbent on living.
Sally Jay Gorce is a woman with a mission. It's the 1950s, she's young and she's in Paris. Having dyed her hair pink, she wears evening dresses in the daytime and vows to go native in a way not even the natives can manage. Embarking on an educational programme that includes an affair with a married man (which fizzles out when she realises he's single and wants to marry her); nights in cabarets and jazz clubs in the company of assorted "citizens of the world"; an entanglement with a charming psychopath and a bit part in a film financed by a famous matador.
But an education like this doesn't come cheap. Will our heroine be forced back to the States to fulfil her destiny as a librarian, or can she keep up her whirlwind Parisian existence?
Books included in the VMC 40th anniversary series include: Frost in May by Antonia White; The Collected Stories of Grace Paley; Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault; The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter; The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann; Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith; The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West; Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston; Heartburn by Nora Ephron; Memento Mori by Muriel Spark; A View of the Harbour by Elizabeth Taylor; and Faces in the Water by Janet Frame.
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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
A vibrant and entertaining take on 1950s Paris, The Dud Avocado has been praised for its charm and wit. Readers are captivated by the protagonist, Sally Jay Gorce, appreciating the novel's exploration of youth and love with humour and light-heartedness. The narrative has evoked laughter and delight, offering a refreshing and immersive reading experience.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780349010373
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 03 May 2018
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Virago Press Ltd
Contributors:
- Introduction by Rachel Cooke
- Introduction by Rachel Cooke
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 30.0mm
Width: 124.0mm
Height: 198.0mm
Weight: 280g
Pages: 336
About the Author
Elaine Dundy (1921-2008) grew up in New York City and Long Island. After graduating from Sweet Briar College in 1943, she worked as an actress in Paris and, later, London, where she met her future husband, the theater critic Kenneth Tynan.
Dundy wrote three novels, The Dud Avocado (1958), The Old Man and Me (1964), and The Injured Party (1974); a play, My Place (produced in 1962); biographies of Elvis Presley and the actor Peter Finch; a study of Ferriday, Louisiana; and a memoir, Life Itself!Also by Elaine Dundy
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The Dud Avocado
'Funny, funny, funny. She's wicked and wise' GRETA GERWIG'One falls for Sally Jay Gorce from a great height from the first sentence' OBSERVER'Scandalous and entertaining . . . Both funny and true' EVENING STANDARD'One of the best novels about growing up fast' GUARDIANHere was all the gaiety and glory and sparkle I knew was going to be life if I...PaperbackSold Out
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