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. Grimes, William (10 May 2008). "Elaine Dundy, Author of 'The Dud Avocado,' Is Dead at 86". The New York Times . Retrieved 17 December 2020.

During the timescale of the narrative (September to the next late Summer) she joins in the lively young night life in Paris and near their villa. They go to bars and nightclubs, dance and drink, eat and drink, and get involved in acting in plays and the movies. Her impetus for this hedonism seems to be that she is young. Here she is explaining to Teddy, the rejected Italian diplomat, why he is so angry.One of the funniest books I've ever read; it should be subtitled Daisy Miller's Revenge." --Gore Vidal She asserts her right as a young person (a well-off American?) to explore life as she wishes. I think we could see her as an early example of that trend that became almost obligatory in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s: to find yourself through life’s experiences. And you are right. It seems like it was Paris between the wars, but no. It’s America in Paris after WW2. Take one zippy, curious, 21-year-old American named Sally Jay, just out of college. Drop her in the middle of Paris' Left Bank. Add an Italian diplomat, an American theatrical director , a couple of painters and a white slave trader. Mix until all bubbles. The result: a delightful few hours of sparkling reading entertainment. Summing up: Froth and frolic. And her hair is pink, originally ‘dyed a marvellous shade of red so popular with Parisian tarts that season’. (9) A bit on the transgressive and scatty side then.

If I had just read the first half of this book, I would have given it 5 stars. I found it hilarious, of the actual laugh-out-loud kind, something which I rarely do when reading. I loved the narrator, Sally Jay Groce and her mis-adventures as a young American girl in Paris. Sally is wild but somehow despite her behavior retains a certain innocence. She is witty and self-deprecating and her take on those around her is acerbic and amusing.

The Dud Avocado gained instant cult status on first publication and remains a timeless portrait of a woman hellbent on living.

What you can’t stand is the whole new young adventurous population with either just a little money or no money at all, no jobs, nothing, just a desire maybe to see the world awhile. Then all the jealousy and envy in your mournful little unfulfilled life rises up inside you and you have to invent all sorts of dark sinister motives for everyone. (212)

Wolcott, James (December 6, 2001). "Critical condition: Kenneth Tynan's diaries". The Guardian . Retrieved May 14, 2021. Reprinted from Wolcott, James (December 3, 2001). "Skating Charm". London Review of Books. Vol.23, no.24 . Retrieved May 14, 2001. BALDWIN, ROSECRANS. "Hellbent For Living: A Screwball Parisian Adventure". NPR . Retrieved 17 December 2020.

a b Garner, Dwight (July 12, 2016). "Review: In Tracy Tynan's Memoir, Wear and Tear, Feeding on Explosive Drama". The New York Times . Retrieved March 4, 2017. Through the haze of late nights and smoke filled rooms it takes a while to figure out Sally Jay is in fact an aspiring actress, trying to break into the business through some associates of hers, She is living in the city of lovers thanks to some loot donated to her precisely for this purpose by her kindly Uncle Roger, who apparently understands her "predilection for being continually on the wing". Theirs is a no-strings-attached deal. For this she spends two years doing exactly as she pleases, in a great place to do what she whats to do, Uncle Roger's sole request is that, when her trip is over, she will return and tell him all about it. That's it! No wonder she is so excitable and fruity! Elaine Dundy writes a sprightly novel to bring us up to date on the American girl from across the street who goes to Paris looking for Life and Love. Her book is sad and tender, bubbling with fun, spiced with insight… The Dud Avocado is satiric, mostly true, and decidedly sexy…The writing is sharp.”— New York Herald Tribune Only reason it’s not a 4 is because there were a few sections I felt dragged a little but on the whole I loved the setting, I LOVED the protagonist and how messy she was, and I really enjoyed the plotIt's difficult to explain, but I just somehow feel that I never really *have* lived; that I never really will live--exist or whatever--in the sense that other people do. It drives me crazy. I was terribly aware of it all those nights waiting for you in the Ritz bar looking around at what seemed to be real grown-up lives. I just find everybody else's life surrounded by plate glass. I mean I'd like to break through it just once and actually touch one.” Elaine Dundy knows how to capture a scene. The parts of the book where something is actually happening work like gangbusters. The dialogue is clever but realistic. The details are pertinent but also hilarious. Most of the first chapter is a really long scene between the narrator and her new crush as they chat at a Paris café. If you are anything like me, this scene will pull you in. And you’ll assume that the rest of the book will continue in this fashion. But the book has other plans. the dud avocado reads like a witty woman's take on the sun also rises, with the pink-haired protagonist sally jay gorce, an often silly struggling ingenue, going to parties, falling in love, and trying to find herself in paris in the fifties. eventually, she goes on a road trip to spain where she ends up as an extra on a bullfighter movie, and partying some more. unfortunately, for me the book began to drag while she was there, and i found the ending was rushed, grafted on, and out of sync with the rest of the book, though i expect fans of happy endings will find it just right.