Valley of the Dolls the Mount Everest of her dreams, only to find herself back in the valley of the dolls. Susann had apparently been thinking about the novel for some time. Some years earlier, she had begun "Underneath the Pancake", a show business novel, with her actress friend Beatrice Cole (c. 1910–1999). Later, she considered writing a novel about drug usage in show business to be called "The Pink Dolls". "Valley of the Dolls" is considered to be a "roman à clef", with its characters based on famous figures such as Judy Garland, Carole Landis, Dean Martin, and Ethel Merman. In 1973, after
Yargo (novel) had enjoyed a huge success five years earlier when it published Susann's original novella, "Dolores". "Yargo" was published on February 28, 1979. Critical notices were negative: one critic wrote, "It's awful, as usual, and it will sell, as usual." "The Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review" stated that "Yargo" is "mildly entertaining," but "has no lasting value... except perhaps as a curiosity." "Yargo" was, nonetheless, a best seller, spending several weeks on the "New York Times" Mass Market Paperback list. Yargo (novel) Yargo is a romantic science fiction novel by Jacqueline Susann. It was written during the 1950s, but not