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Pretty in Pink
"I live on the outside. There's something to be said for having nothing."
Andie Walsh is pretty and smart. She has her own style and a kind of pride as unique and personal as the way she dresses. But to the rich kids at school, Andie's a nothing - a "zoid".
Andie couldn't care less what the richies think. She's happy with her own friends, like devoted, goofy Duckie Dale. Then Blane McDonough - the ultimate richie - enters her life.
Never in a million years did Andie dream she'd fall for a guy like Blane. But when they're together, nothing else seems to matter. Until Blane asks her to prom - and his crowd starts pressuring him to dump her. Nobody said love was easy, but does it have to hurt so much?
Andie Walsh is pretty and smart. She has her own style and a kind of pride as unique and personal as the way she dresses. But to the rich kids at school, Andie's a nothing - a "zoid".
Andie couldn't care less what the richies think. She's happy with her own friends, like devoted, goofy Duckie Dale. Then Blane McDonough - the ultimate richie - enters her life.
Never in a million years did Andie dream she'd fall for a guy like Blane. But when they're together, nothing else seems to matter. Until Blane asks her to prom - and his crowd starts pressuring him to dump her. Nobody said love was easy, but does it have to hurt so much?
165 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
12 people are currently reading
677 people want to read
About the author
H.B. Gilmour
66 books54 followersH. B. Gilmour was a bestselling author of children's books. She grew up in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with her mother and the extended family and fondly remembered writing her very first poem for Arbor Day when she was just eight years old. As a teenager, she moved to Florida to live with her father. She attended college there and then moved back to New York City.
Gilmour’s first publishing job was at E.P. Dutton. In 1964 she joined Bantam Books where she worked as copywriter, editor, and copy chief and as an associate director of marketing. She was married to Bruce Gilmour in 1968. She had a child, Jessica, with him in 1970. They were divorced in 1972. Her first novel "The Trade", a trashy paperback about the publishing business, was published in 1969.
She wrote novelizations (including Saturday Night Fever) and children's books (including Muppets books) while working full-time at Bantam and raising a child on her own. She published her second original novel "So Long, Daddy" in 1985. The artwork for the dust jacket of the hardcover release includes a photo of her daughter, Jessica. Her third novel was "Ask Me If I Care", a book about a teenage girl who gets in with the wrong crowd.
In 1992 she joined the book division at Scholastic, leaving in 1995 to pursue writing full-time. She focused her energy on books for "tweens" and children which is what gave her the most joy.
She met John Johann, whom she would later marry, in 1992. They later moved to Cornwallville in upstate New York where she happily tended to the garden she never had in the city until her death. She died on June 21, 2009 of pneumonia due to complications from lung cancer. She is survived by her husband John, daughter Jessica, stepchildren Wendy and John, Jr. and step-grandchildren Reef, Riley, John Jr. and Jasmine.
Gilmour’s first publishing job was at E.P. Dutton. In 1964 she joined Bantam Books where she worked as copywriter, editor, and copy chief and as an associate director of marketing. She was married to Bruce Gilmour in 1968. She had a child, Jessica, with him in 1970. They were divorced in 1972. Her first novel "The Trade", a trashy paperback about the publishing business, was published in 1969.
She wrote novelizations (including Saturday Night Fever) and children's books (including Muppets books) while working full-time at Bantam and raising a child on her own. She published her second original novel "So Long, Daddy" in 1985. The artwork for the dust jacket of the hardcover release includes a photo of her daughter, Jessica. Her third novel was "Ask Me If I Care", a book about a teenage girl who gets in with the wrong crowd.
In 1992 she joined the book division at Scholastic, leaving in 1995 to pursue writing full-time. She focused her energy on books for "tweens" and children which is what gave her the most joy.
She met John Johann, whom she would later marry, in 1992. They later moved to Cornwallville in upstate New York where she happily tended to the garden she never had in the city until her death. She died on June 21, 2009 of pneumonia due to complications from lung cancer. She is survived by her husband John, daughter Jessica, stepchildren Wendy and John, Jr. and step-grandchildren Reef, Riley, John Jr. and Jasmine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews
December 26, 2020
i finally got my hands on this, and am gonna have myself an evening of nostalgia and movie snacks.
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if you loved me, you would
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✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) WINS!! it is on its way to me from FRANCE! the land of my FOREFATHERS!
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update: the quest continues!!
Bonjour,
Merci pour votre courriel à propos de la commande.
Veuillez accepter nos excuses que "Pretty in Pink [Poche] [1986] Gilmour, H" ne soit pas arrivé. Alors que nous avons expédié l'article à temps, il paraît que le service de livraison a malheureusement perdu le colis.
Il est donc seulement juste que nous vous remboursions immédiatement. Ce sera fait au cours des 24 heures suivantes et sera clairement visible sur votre compte.
Encore une fois, nous vous prions d'accepter nos excuses pour les problèmes avec la livraison de cette commande.
NOOOOOOOOO! BOOOOOOOOOOO!
translation:
Hello
Thanks for your email about the order.
Please accept our apologies that "Pretty in Pink [Pocket] [1986] Gilmour, H" did not arrive. While we shipped the item on time, it seems that the delivery service has unfortunately lost the package.
So it is only right that we refund you immediately. This will be done over the next 24 hours and will be clearly visible on your account.
Again, please accept our apologies for the problems with the delivery of this order.
**so i'm still on the hunt. let me know if you see this book in your journeys thru the world. or as much of the world as you can journey thru these days.
thank you!
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TAKE TWO with special thanks to victoria rose!!! i hope this one is a real copy!!!! COME TO ME, BOOK!
Want to read
May 25, 2020I’ll never get to read/buy this as it’s $6000 in the US!!!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
June 10, 2022
This is a reread… many times over since I got it in 1985. My mother didn’t want me to read it because 12 year old me may have been way too young. But the same woman let me read bodice rippers from Harlequin and Zebra so she had someone to talk books with. I worshipped this book, a mass market to coincide with the movie. Highly choice, this forty something year old was lost in nostalgia for an afternoon. Love on, Andie. pS. Duckie Dale forever.
August 6, 2014
Novelization of Hughes' ORIGINAL screenplay. I loved the inclusion of Andie's dreams, because a girl would dream about a mother who left her. It was also nice to see more of Jack Walsh's story. Can't give this five stars b/c it isn't original and it's not fabulously written, but it is definitely a must read for any girl who stood up and screamed "No!" in the theater when Andie went off with Blane.
May 1, 2015
I must admit that I purchased this purely for the original, intended ending. I was not disappointed. This faithful adaptation wavers from its fidelity to the beloved film in a most satisfying way. Certainly, from a contemporary standpoint, Andie's choice in the novel recovers her integrity and strength of character, far more successfully than Howard Deutch's final cut; not to mention the respect it rightfully affords to all the Duckies out there. May we all try a little tenderness.
January 9, 2010
Alternate ending! Somewhat anti-climatic, but interesting just the same. I love John Hughes' 80s teen movies with all my heart, so this gets four stars for just existing. I actually enjoyed it, though, as silly as it is. I love the movie, so it was fun to read the book. Very quick & entertaining read.
Read
September 22, 2013I decided to read this book because i fell in love with the movie, and found the book in a box of my mothers, stored in our study. I wanted to see if i would enjoy the book as much as i did for the movie. Ended up being i fell in love much more with the book, being able to get inside Andie's head with how she was feeling.
On the bingo board, this fits into the category of a book that has been turned into a film. The differences i noticed, were the feelings portrayed in both. I could not understand the depth of hurt Andie was feeling until i read the book.
My favorite quote from this book was Blane at the prom when he confronts Andie, 'I have always believed in you, just never been able to believe in myself.' This shows me that people are so easily influenced by their peers, they can shrink into someone they are not.
Something i learnt from this book is to realize how much snarky comments and judging on appearances can damage a persons view on life. We all know that it is unacceptable to judge, but some still do it. But they can not see the inner damage and insecurity they cause. When i am having a bad day, or my peers, why take it out on others? Why should we ruin anothers' day when our own anger is temporary. Hopefully if people read this book, they can see the damage they are truly doing.
A character i found interesting was Duckie, Andie's best male friend. All along he was secretly but utterly in love with her. Though he could of broken their friendship, by coming out and telling her, he kept quiet. He did not want to risk his friendship because he knew she liked another. He could of been selfish, and told her and kept her as his. But then he knew she would never be fully happy, when she longed to be in the arms of Blane. I found him inspiring, that some boys out their are willing to save us from unhappiness even if it means him losing out. He is a true man and i thoroughly enjoyed reading about his difficulties.
On the bingo board, this fits into the category of a book that has been turned into a film. The differences i noticed, were the feelings portrayed in both. I could not understand the depth of hurt Andie was feeling until i read the book.
My favorite quote from this book was Blane at the prom when he confronts Andie, 'I have always believed in you, just never been able to believe in myself.' This shows me that people are so easily influenced by their peers, they can shrink into someone they are not.
Something i learnt from this book is to realize how much snarky comments and judging on appearances can damage a persons view on life. We all know that it is unacceptable to judge, but some still do it. But they can not see the inner damage and insecurity they cause. When i am having a bad day, or my peers, why take it out on others? Why should we ruin anothers' day when our own anger is temporary. Hopefully if people read this book, they can see the damage they are truly doing.
A character i found interesting was Duckie, Andie's best male friend. All along he was secretly but utterly in love with her. Though he could of broken their friendship, by coming out and telling her, he kept quiet. He did not want to risk his friendship because he knew she liked another. He could of been selfish, and told her and kept her as his. But then he knew she would never be fully happy, when she longed to be in the arms of Blane. I found him inspiring, that some boys out their are willing to save us from unhappiness even if it means him losing out. He is a true man and i thoroughly enjoyed reading about his difficulties.
July 21, 2014
How can a novelization of a film be better than the film itself? When it reflects the original ending of the film and not the re-shot ending as required by low audience test scores! YES! I've always hated Blane. He's dismissive and weak and Andie deserved better. Well, in this book she gets better! She remains strong and shows up all the richies! And Blane can go fly a kite!
January 28, 2011
What a bizarre time the eighties must have been! Reading this I felt like a cultural anthropologist from some far off space culture. Only when I was crammed into my tiny rocket launcher the bright, shiny utopia I was aiming for was instead replaced by an emergency crash landing on a strange, tiny strip of land where all the natives were speaking in a language that I'm sure they imagined was too hip for words and were busy obsessing over foot wear. You might think the last part is completely non-sequitur to the story but apparently the author didn't think so. One of the most important messages I've walked away from this book with is just how important, and I mean absolutely life shatteringly, balls to the walls, hang your head, make or break you important to never - EVER - wear socks with your loafers. The people back at data intelligence will be ever so pleased with the notes I'm taking.
So yes, it's not a perfect book. It gets obsessed over small details that it liked to repeat over and over again. Ok, ok we get it - Andie's mother like PINK, when we wear loafers if we want to be cool we must never ever wear socks, Duckie has small feel in big shoes. I will admit the last one was pretty funny though. Unlike some movie novelizations this one didn't aim to be darker or more edgier than its counter part and it kept the tone quite even throughout the entirety of the plot, which I'll admit was nice.
And since it seems there's a lot of hype over this I will say that yes the book had a different ending, and yes I liked it a whole lot more. Her choosing Duckie over Blane at the end had a ring of genuine romance to it that the other movie ending never did and seemed to make more sense in how it fitted into the story line. And for that alone this book is worth reading.
So yes, it's not a perfect book. It gets obsessed over small details that it liked to repeat over and over again. Ok, ok we get it - Andie's mother like PINK, when we wear loafers if we want to be cool we must never ever wear socks, Duckie has small feel in big shoes. I will admit the last one was pretty funny though. Unlike some movie novelizations this one didn't aim to be darker or more edgier than its counter part and it kept the tone quite even throughout the entirety of the plot, which I'll admit was nice.
And since it seems there's a lot of hype over this I will say that yes the book had a different ending, and yes I liked it a whole lot more. Her choosing Duckie over Blane at the end had a ring of genuine romance to it that the other movie ending never did and seemed to make more sense in how it fitted into the story line. And for that alone this book is worth reading.
March 4, 2024
Oh my goodness, you mean to tell me I’ve never written a review of this wonderful little book?
When I was at my most screwed up, which was definitely in my 20s, this book and movie, were my constant companions.
Everybody else was raving about 16 candles a movie I absolutely disliked.
I think pretty in pink is Cinderella to the stepsister that is 16 candles. Pretty in pink made an impact on me. It was undeniably painful in parts, but you really get so caught up in it or at least I did.
Even just thinking about it brings back. Nostalgic thoughts. The soundtrack was awesome. I wonder what the psychedelic furs are up to now.
And going through my books, I am working on a shelf called all different types of books. In the shelf I’m trying to put books that are is different from each other as night and day.
And in the process of doing that, I realized I never reviewed this book. I’m hoping pretty, and pink will be available for other generations to fall in love with as I did and this is one of the rare cases with the movie is as fantastic as the book.
When I was at my most screwed up, which was definitely in my 20s, this book and movie, were my constant companions.
Everybody else was raving about 16 candles a movie I absolutely disliked.
I think pretty in pink is Cinderella to the stepsister that is 16 candles. Pretty in pink made an impact on me. It was undeniably painful in parts, but you really get so caught up in it or at least I did.
Even just thinking about it brings back. Nostalgic thoughts. The soundtrack was awesome. I wonder what the psychedelic furs are up to now.
And going through my books, I am working on a shelf called all different types of books. In the shelf I’m trying to put books that are is different from each other as night and day.
And in the process of doing that, I realized I never reviewed this book. I’m hoping pretty, and pink will be available for other generations to fall in love with as I did and this is one of the rare cases with the movie is as fantastic as the book.
June 13, 2021
I loved this book it was so much better than the move in my opinion! I also like the ending better when Andie and Duckie get together
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2021
WHATTTT???!!
THIS BOOK HAS THE 'ORIGINAL MISSING DUCKIE ENDING'!
THIS BOOK HAS THE 'ORIGINAL MISSING DUCKIE ENDING'!
March 20, 2022
Read it back in the day, remember it had the original ending.
August 2, 2024
Having always been a fan of the film I wanted to read the book. I could see the characters and hear their voices as I read. Its only short and be aware the ending is different but other than that enjoy’
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2024
This is how the movie should have ended
July 3, 2019
This was based on the screenplay of the movie. Super short read but I LOVED it. A tiny bit different from the movie with a different ending. Now I want to watch the movie again.
December 14, 2018
I read this because I thought the movie had great potential but seemed to kind of fall flat in certain areas - like if it was just a little bit longer or something it might have been more satisfying, and the book did not disappoint.
Although I can't really say it's brilliantly written, it fills in a lot more about the characters so that every single person is less 2D than in the movie. Andie, Blane, Duckie, Steff and even Andie's dad all make a lot more sense to me after reading the book and it was nice to get a little more insight into how Andie felt about her mother, Duckie's home life and Steff and Blane's 'friendship'.
The book is not life changing or anything but if you liked the movie or were on the fence then I'd recommend it. Especially for the ending, which aside from getting Andie and Duckie together -which makes a lot more sense in the book than the movie because their relationship is portrayed a bit better than Duckie just being obsessed with Andie- it also shows how strong and interesting Andie is as a character and how Blane grew as a person just by hanging out with her a couple of times.
Although I can't really say it's brilliantly written, it fills in a lot more about the characters so that every single person is less 2D than in the movie. Andie, Blane, Duckie, Steff and even Andie's dad all make a lot more sense to me after reading the book and it was nice to get a little more insight into how Andie felt about her mother, Duckie's home life and Steff and Blane's 'friendship'.
The book is not life changing or anything but if you liked the movie or were on the fence then I'd recommend it. Especially for the ending, which aside from getting Andie and Duckie together -which makes a lot more sense in the book than the movie because their relationship is portrayed a bit better than Duckie just being obsessed with Andie- it also shows how strong and interesting Andie is as a character and how Blane grew as a person just by hanging out with her a couple of times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2022
... read somewhere that Andie ended up with Duckie, in those pages, best friend Duckie won over Blaine eye candy ...
I'm a child of the 80s and I love this movie ... but I wanna see the other side ... It's no longer available in the Philippines, I hope to get it online.
The OST I ♥ still sparks nostalgia.
***postscript***
Well, Andie did not get back with Blaine. And she's still best friends with Duckie, and who knows she might fall in love with him, or may be not. The ending in the book was less about romance, but more of realizations on the part of the 3 protagonists.
Don't we always ... need a friend like Duckie, and fall in love with someone like Blaine.
Tradition. As Iona put it, life itself is a tradition.
I'm a child of the 80s and I love this movie ... but I wanna see the other side ... It's no longer available in the Philippines, I hope to get it online.
The OST I ♥ still sparks nostalgia.
***postscript***
Well, Andie did not get back with Blaine. And she's still best friends with Duckie, and who knows she might fall in love with him, or may be not. The ending in the book was less about romance, but more of realizations on the part of the 3 protagonists.
Don't we always ... need a friend like Duckie, and fall in love with someone like Blaine.
Tradition. As Iona put it, life itself is a tradition.
August 26, 2023
8/25/23 Reread this novelization for my reading challenge. I enjoyed the nostalgic trip. They made the right choices with the changes from the script to screen, but I did appreciate getting a little more insight into the characters.
****
I read this as a teen. The thing I remember the most is that it had the original intended ending, which was fun. I finally found a used copy to add to my shelves! Hopefully I can reread it soon.
****
I read this as a teen. The thing I remember the most is that it had the original intended ending, which was fun. I finally found a used copy to add to my shelves! Hopefully I can reread it soon.
April 11, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. I really like the alternative ending. However I was always team Duckie rather than team Blane.
August 13, 2012
OMG! The ending is different to the film!
Turns out this novelisation is based on an earlier version of the screenplay.
Turns out this novelisation is based on an earlier version of the screenplay.
August 4, 2008
the novel adaptation of my favorite guilty pleasure teenage romance.
May 17, 2011
This book is only about 8'x more awesome than the movie, of course!
October 17, 2012
Better than the movie!
December 9, 2020
As a whole, the book wasn't bad at all! In fact, I quite enjoyed it and will be giving it 5 stars simply because it was so entertaining. I do have a couple of points to make:
1) The novel is based on the screenplay of the film, Pretty In Pink by John Hughes. It is NOT based off the movie itself and here's why: The book was written BEFORE the movie was even released. So, sadly, a lot of iconic lines the actors (mainly John Cryer) improved were not in the book. For example, in the novel, Duckie doesn't say, "Blane? That's a major appliance, that's not a name!" because Cryer improvised that on the spot. Again, because it is based on the screenplay, the endings are different (which I happen to LOVE). That might be a turn away for those who are Team Blane (but are there really any out there?)
2) My second point is this novel stands on its own. You don't need to have seen the movie to know what the characters look like, their quirks, or really what is going on. The author did a great job of explaining things, like the character aesthetics. I found that really nice rather than having to think back to the movie every 10 seconds.
If you can find a reasonable priced copy of this book, then go ahead and snag it! I searched for weeks and found a copy for $35.00 which sounds expensive for a book, but in comparison to the other prices, it was much more reasonable. Definitely pick it up if you see it, though, because it was a delightful read. I almost liked it more than the movie because it took the time to explore characters like Simon, Steff, and Jena that we hardly met in the film.
1) The novel is based on the screenplay of the film, Pretty In Pink by John Hughes. It is NOT based off the movie itself and here's why: The book was written BEFORE the movie was even released. So, sadly, a lot of iconic lines the actors (mainly John Cryer) improved were not in the book. For example, in the novel, Duckie doesn't say, "Blane? That's a major appliance, that's not a name!" because Cryer improvised that on the spot. Again, because it is based on the screenplay, the endings are different (which I happen to LOVE). That might be a turn away for those who are Team Blane (but are there really any out there?)
2) My second point is this novel stands on its own. You don't need to have seen the movie to know what the characters look like, their quirks, or really what is going on. The author did a great job of explaining things, like the character aesthetics. I found that really nice rather than having to think back to the movie every 10 seconds.
If you can find a reasonable priced copy of this book, then go ahead and snag it! I searched for weeks and found a copy for $35.00 which sounds expensive for a book, but in comparison to the other prices, it was much more reasonable. Definitely pick it up if you see it, though, because it was a delightful read. I almost liked it more than the movie because it took the time to explore characters like Simon, Steff, and Jena that we hardly met in the film.
November 21, 2021
Earlier this year, I heard Pretty and Pink had a book based on the ORIGINAL screenplay—meaning it had the original ending! This was mind-blowing and finally offered an answer to all my teenage brat-pack-loving-nerd problems! Duckie Dale was my teen crush (now I intentionally advocate for not having celebrity or book crushes, so I say this only to emphasize that I was a big Pretty in Pink fan). So to be able to read the original ending along with more backstory and character motive was epic. The actual writing was not fabulous, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book since I already loved these characters.
I see other reviewers saying they can’t find affordable copies of this book. When I looked on eBay today, I didn’t find any under $60. However, I bought mine for $13 a few months ago. The eBay listing did not include a picture but just a description of the book. What came in the mail was authentic. Just keep looking, fellow fans!
I see other reviewers saying they can’t find affordable copies of this book. When I looked on eBay today, I didn’t find any under $60. However, I bought mine for $13 a few months ago. The eBay listing did not include a picture but just a description of the book. What came in the mail was authentic. Just keep looking, fellow fans!
March 22, 2022
If you’re going in to a novelisation of an 80s teen movie with high expectations you’re probably setting yourself up for disappointment. This was a light and fluffy read I got through in about 2 hours. The only reason I was interested really is because as a fan of the movie I had heard this was based on the original screenplay which had a different ending to the movie (no spoilers), the original ending was filmed but audiences rejected it and booed so it was rewritten. This however still has the original ending. So it was interesting to read a familiar story and have it go off in a different direction, but unless you’re a big fan of the film you won’t find much here.
April 11, 2021
This was my favourite film as a teenager and still remains one of my all time favourites. Never knew there was a book until last week & had to have it. I read it in one sitting and loved it. It read exactly as the film but the ending was slightly different. I'm now almost 54 but still loved it. Played the soundtrack this morning and I'm going to watch the film tonight. Memories of my youth 😁
August 4, 2024
It would’ve been 5, but this has the alternate/original ending which I don’t care for too much. I admittedly am Team Blane. With that said, totally enjoyed this. Was like watching the movie but it took longer bc…ya know it’s a book. Nice to see some extra scenes and some extended ones. 🩷🩷🩷
Gonna go listen to “If You Leave” by OMD and cry. Bye!
Gonna go listen to “If You Leave” by OMD and cry. Bye!
November 15, 2021
I really wanted to read this version of the story after watching the movie.
I'd enjoyed reading Pretty in Pink as a novel. It is a typical novelitzation but is very well written and its very well developed.
I'd enjoyed reading Pretty in Pink as a novel. It is a typical novelitzation but is very well written and its very well developed.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 63 reviews