‘Once is Not Enough’ is, appropriately enough given the groovy 70s vibe that oozes off every page, something of a trip. It’s one of those books that details a series of events happening to a character rather than really having a plot, and often doesn’t fully make sense, but it’s a wild ride when it really lets go. I read it because I wanted to read something from my birth year (1973) and this didn’t disappoint with its tsunami of 70s themes and incidents. There are drug fuelled orgies, cocktail bars and nightclubs, dodgy vitamin shots, experimental theatre groups, and a constant tension between the older male establishment and bright, free thinking youngsters. The shadow of the Second World War (which finished only 28 years before the book was published) looms large over the proceedings and is integral to one of the major story lines. I’ll confess that I found the first half a bit of a slog at times, but when it kicks into gear and the central love triangle (actually more of an octagon) materialises it’s really a fun read. Despite its age it’s probably not for the faint hearted, there are a couple of nasty scenes, and at times it’s unintentionally funny (one characters talks at length about the benefits of semen as a face mask and the books dwells on the disappointingly small manhood of one of the central characters) but all of that adds to the crazy colour of it all. ( )

Sometimes a girl just needs to read a trashy, goofy novel. While some might pick up the Twilight series or dip their toes into Fifty Shades of Gray, I prefer my trashiness to be slightly older than I am, and Jacqueline Susann never disappoints.

[full review here: http://spacebeer.blogspot.com/2012/09/once-is-not-enough-by-jacqueline-susann.ht... ] ( )

This is the only book of Jaqueline Susann's that I've ever read. I found it to be full of depth, that I don't think alot of people would get as they read through it quickly after already determining that it is a "trashy novel." Trashy novel could not be further from the truth. January Wayne is the the "star" of the book and we follow her through life as she tries to win the love of her father and when unsuccessful she falls head over heels in love with a married man older than her father. The story moves quickly with all the things we would expect from Susann: sex, drugs, deceit. The last two chapters of the book are tear-jerkers and massively depressing as January does indeed learn that one moment of happiness is "not enough." Anybody who has loved and lost and truly grieved can understand January's pain. ( )

This book is classic Jacqueline Susann: pure trash. I had a fun time reading it, and couldn't, at times, believe what I was reading. This is more sexually explicit than Valley of the Dolls and The Love Machine combined, at least in my opinion. I found myself giggling at certain parts that were just so gratuitously GRAPHIC. I pretty much ate it right up. Even more shocking than what some of the characters talk about sexually is what Susann does to her characters, and does with the overall plot, in the last 50 pages.

The only complaint I have is the use of ellipses. The "..." at some points made my head spin and I ended up skipping some passages just to get past the ridiculous amount of dots on the page. ( )

B