The Dud Avocado

If there was a book in the 1950s that mirrored Carrie Bradshaw in Sex in the City, it is Elaine Dundy's protagonist, Sally Jay Gorce. This semi-autobiographic book is about Sally Jay- the type of character you love despite her quirks, inconsistencies, and stupid mistakes much like Carrie Bradshaw (Did she really have to leave Aidan? I'm mean...COME ON!). I love Sally Jay because she takes Paris by storm at the age of 23 and loves the city for everything I loved the city for when I was the same age. The book brought fond memories, many of which are romanticized in my head and leave me longing for Paris.

Sally Jay goes through a series of self awareness, sexual revelation, and fumbles as she tries to be independent. She is a dreamer and a constant runaway. Despite these faults, she seems to be always honest with herself and with people around her. Sally Jay does not really hide her faults and I found this refreshing. There's the Spaniard, with which she was a mistress for, Jim, one the she should have married, and Larry, the one she should have really run away from. Through these loves, she knows right from wrong, but still seems to go for wrong. I'm not sure if she truly discovered herself at the end of the book. But, then again, the protagonist is only 23 years old and I personally believe every girl is an idiot in their early twenties.

One complaint of the book that I have is that it does get a little slow. In the middle of the book, the reader tends to wait for something big to happen. And, when the same problems keep confronting Sally Jay, the reader gets a bit tired. Despite this, the book is a fun summer read.

Apparently, the book is Dundy's first attempt at a novel, which created much tension with her then-writer/husband and soon-to-be divorced writer/husband because it was incredibly successful. It made the best seller list when the book debuted. Dundy shared that the story is not totally true to Dundy's experience in Europe, but many of the stories do come from similar experiences- going to a Parsian jail, seeing all the sites, and trying to be the American girl in Paris.