Synopses & Reviews
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.
Review:
"I had to tell someone how much I enjoyed The Dud Avocado. It made me laugh, scream, and guffaw (which, incidentally, is a great name for a law firm)." Groucho Marx
Review:
"[The Dud Avocado] is one of the best novels about growing up fast." The Guardian
Review:
"The gayest and most cheerful novel about Americans in Paris I have read...a dazzling performance — as light as a champagne bubble, as continuously attention-getting as a juggler keeping seven swords in the air at the same time." The New York Times
Review:
"A cheerfully uninhibited...variation on the theme of the Innocents Abroad...Miss Dundy comes up with fresh and spirited comedy...Her novel is enormous fun — sparklingly written, genuinely youthful in spirit, and exquisitely gay." The Atlantic
Synopsis:
"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.
"I had to tell someone how much I enjoyed "The Dud Avocado." It made me laugh, scream, and guffaw (which, incidentally, is a great name for a law firm)." -Groucho Marx
"("The Dud Avocado") is one of the best novels about growing up fast..." "-The Guardian"
About the Author
Elaine Dundy was born in New York City, has lived in Paris and London, and was married for a time to theater critic Kenneth Tynan. She has written plays, novels, and biographies, including
Elvis and Gladys. Her work has appeared in
The New York Times, Esquire, and
Vogue among other publications. A resident of Los Angeles, her most recent book is her autobiography,
Life Itself!