Dazzle

by Judith Krantz

Inside the fun-filled photographers' studio in California known as Dazzle, Jazz Kilkullen reigns supreme. At twenty-nine, this playful, gifted, and thoroughly sexy woman has become one of the most successful celebrity portrait photographers in the world.

But her charmed career and her dashing private life, which includes three fascinating --- and fascinated --- men, are rocked when an unexpected tragedy leaves Jazz to battle her father's vengeful ex-wife and the machinations of her own half-sisters. At stake is the Kilkullen family ranch, a three-billion-dollar paradise of unspoiled California land that developers all over the world would do anything to possess ... and Jazz will do anything to protect. Absolutely anything.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Drama, Adult Fiction

565 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Judith Krantz was an American author of blockbuster romance novels including her first novel Scruples followed by Princess Daisy. Krantz's books have been translated into 52 languages and sold more than 85 million copies worldwide. Seven have been adapted as TV miniseries, with her late husband, Steve Krantz.

Reviews

[Margitte]

I think it was around this book that my passion for the mysticism around the insanely rich dwindled and I returned to my own, much more simpler desires for life and love. Like the soapies, these books became stale bread with little mental nutritional value. Books by Amy Tan, Yung Chang, Isabel Allende, Barbara Kingsolver and the likes, saved my sanity. :-)


I think it is called growing-up, or something. But the outrageously popular television series "Dallas" also became watered down, since it was as popular as these books, about the same people. I guess the lights just switched off for it. However, for me it served an exciting purpose. I learnt a lot.

I was an absolute die-hard Judith Krantz fan for many years. And yes, I bought them all in hard cover, and still have them.

I just love the memories of them, even though I outgrown them a long time ago.

[Naksed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like, uh muh guhd okayyyy? Like, The Eighties TOTALLY burped out this book!

The heroine is an L.A.-based photographer who shot Streisand and Stallone for the cover of Rolling Stones, is having a scorching affair with a hot AF Australian movie star named Mel Gibson Sam Butler, worships Magic Johnson, and loves ordering the "Jewish pizza" at Spago.

There is also a huge cattle ranch on the Orange County seashore (uh what?) and an epic family feud that was Frankensteined out of Dallas, Dynasty, Falcon Crest and many other prime time soaps of the era, I'm sure.

We also have lovely cameos by Krantz's most beloved heroines, Mistral's Daughter and Princess Daisy (pregnant with her SECOND set of twins by Patrick Shannon Wowza!!!).

Recommended strictly for nostalgic Judith Krantz fans (you know who you are hehe)

[Read by Curtis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book for my Trash Book Club, where each of us got to choose our own Judith Krantz novel. In retrospect, I wish I'd picked one of Krantz's more 'famous' novels, such as Scruples or Princess Daisy or I'll Take Manhattan...but alas, I had purchased this novel at a used book store, and I figured a Krantz is a Krantz is a Krantz.

The novel is called Dazzle. So is the building in which the main character is employed. One would surmise, then, that the novel is about the place of work. No, it is not. It appears that Krantz was so enamoured with the title of the business that it doubled as the title of the novel. In fact, Dazzle (the business) is a tiny tiny part of the story, which surrounds (mostly) a dispute over an inheritance, and the preceding events that lead up to the squabble.

As a gay man, I realize that I am not Krantz's targeted demographic, but I still enjoyed the story enough to push through. I even found her scenes of eroticism fairly titillating. But this is probably the first, and last, Krantz novel that I'll read.

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wondered why I stopped reading her books. Now I know why.

[Cassandra Dexter Colby · Rating 3 out of 5]

La reseña en el blog https://alacamaconunlibro.blogspot.co...

[María José · Rating 3 out of 5]

Judith Krantz vuelve a brindarnos una novela situada en un marco deslumbrante, protagonizada por Jazz Kilkullen, una hermosa muchacha, hija de una de las familias más ricas de California. Jazz posee un gran estudio fotográfico en Venice Beach, y es tan famosa como las celebridades que acuden allí para aparecer en las portadas de las revistas y en las campañas publicitarias.

En la vida amorosa de la joven hay tres hombres atractivos y completamente distintos que tienen una cosa en común: su pasión por Jazz.

La familia Kilkullen, propietaria del mayor rancho de California, ofrece un cuadro lleno de conflictos. Residente en Marbella, la primera esposa del padre de Jazz odia intensamente a su ex marido. La madre de la chica, una exquisita actriz sueca que cambió la historia del cine norteamericano, falleció trágicamente. Por su parte, las hermanastras de Jazz no cesan en sus maquinaciones contra ella; una de las jóvenes es decoradora en Nueva York y no conoce límites para su codicia, y la otra, casada cinco veces con miembros de la alta sociedad, vive entregada a sus pasiones sexuales.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read it just to see what the fuss was about. This book is considered one of the worst books ever written and it is not that. It IS alot like a Jackie Collins novel (that is not always a bad thing! The theme is as old as time..two sisters fighting each other, one good and one..pretty rotten.

I would be lying if I said I hated it. In fact it was n ot all that bad. So many books are overated but some can be under rated too. This is just a typical sort of smutty glam sisters arguing type of book. Believe me I have read much worse and I am sure you have too.

[Cindy Feigert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this is a throwback!! Since reading Jamie Brenner's Blush the memory of Judith Krantz sent me to the library. I found this book that I hadn't read. I enjoyed the story of Jazz and her family. I loved how Jazz stayed true to herself and her family's history.

[Mindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

wouldn't recommend to a not seasoned krantz fan but i liked it

[Shelley · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has been sitting in my book shelf for probably 2 years. My aunt always gives me books she had read. I think I used to use Judith Krantz in my teens/young 20's. Just from reading the back of the book, I know it's below my reading standards of today. I like to think I have moved on since then, but I would also like to get it off my shelf and get rid of it at my next book exchange or a yard sell, so here goes.

Well, I got through the book, somehow, thank goodness! Talk about smut! Did I really read such trash when I was a teenager/young 20's? Do women still read these types of stories today? How could they? ahhhh! The characters are not believable. Who the heck uses the word "Darling"? It reminded me of Cinderalla & her two evil step sisters and didn't I laugh when it was even mentioned in the story itself. I skipped over paragraphs, I skipped over pages of just mindless unimportant details. These characters are so superficial! 502 pages of garbage. And of course it all ends Happily Ever After, no surprise there.

[Tittirossa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frutto di una mia devianza da lettrice
C'è stato un periodo - anni '90 - in cui la valvola di sfogo dall'ossessione pubblicitaria che imperava al lavoro e permeava ogni cellula cerebrale alla ricerca del mito creativo (se penso che ci sdilinquivamo per Liscia gasata o Ferrarelle?, e ci portavano ad esempio Sfbrizzola il velopendulo, autentico orrore di un'era che fu, per non parlare di leggende come Passaparola Perlana, che oggi mi fa ribrezzo per la mancanza di qualsiasi corrispondenza al prodotto) era leggere Judith Krantz e le sue incredibili eroine, che riuscivano a fare le peggio cose continuando a brillare come smeraldi (cit. riferita ai loro occhi). Preferivo Judith a Harold Robbins perchè lei aveva un discreto talento per le descrizioni e per intrecci che mantenevano sempre un bombone di romanticismo ma rimanevano sempre assolutamente basic.

[Debbie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have enjoyed other Judith Krantz novels but I really think she was undergoing some mental illness when she wrote this one. We are introduced to a female character whose first memory was an orgasm... at two years old! Neither the author nor her editor, not even the suits at the publishing house saw the perverted strangeness of this?

Tried to press on, but the plot fell flat and I found the characters to be either rude or annoying, I gave up on this unfortunate story.

[Tomalika · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has disappointed me in so many levels... The characters are totally unrealistic, there is too much unnecessary information, and the story is totally over the top. But the thing that annoyed me most was the ending. Anyone could assume there was a happy ending but did it need to be so illogical and unreasonable? A total waste of time.

[Aileen Gratton · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good reading - romance, humor a little of everything

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah, the 80's.

Ah, the 80's in L.A.

Ah, the 80's in OC.

Ah, the 80's romances!

Thank you Judith for the fun 80's romp!

[Karen]

Saw this one Carrie Bradshaw's Bookcase in the second movie.

[Shelly Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very good book except some of the “sex scenes” seemed there for shock value only.

[KerryO · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always enjoyable to read a Judith Krantz novel. Love the attention to each character and particularly enjoyed the mini history lesson regarding California land grants from Mexico. A fun read!

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable escapism

[Dania Mcclanahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was good. Very detailed

[Anne Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A much too long, drawn out account of three sisters who inherit a large piece of land in California that has belonged to their family for generations. The question throughout the book, even before their father was killed, is should the land be sold to create more urban sprawl but make Valerie, her sister Fernanda, and their mother, divorced from Mike Kilkullen, super wealthy? Or keep the land, as Mike Kilkullen and generations before him have always wanted?
Much of this book introduces us to the characters/ the Kilkullen family. Jazz is a famous photographer, working with two other photographers (taking pictures of food and cars) in a building called Dazzle. She meets a famous actor, Sam while photographing him and they become an item for a little while. We learn that Jazz has always been interested in photography. Her mother, second wife of Mike Kilkullen, was a famous actress, killed in a car accident while filming a movie. During college, Jazz meets a photojournalist, Tony Gabriel. They fall in love and travel the world together, the only benefit to Jazz being all the photography experience she'll gain and need for her career. When Tony leaves her on their wedding day, it forces Jazz to come back to the ranch with her father, and work her way up in the world of photography.
One big disappointment I had, that many books I've read do, is why oh why does the main character's main love interest have to be with some distant cousin!!! So we meet Casey, who wants to learn about ranching, so he becomes the Cow Boss of the ranch. Jazz seems confused about him throughout the book, even thinking she really isn't in love with him, but by the end of the book I guess the wedding will still take place someday.
We learn a bit about Jazz's half sisters. Valerie tries to keep up appearances in New York. Her husband has basically lost all of his money being unknowledgeable about it. So Valerie designs rooms for homes. Fernanda has gone through one
divorce after another, realizing that all along it wasn't her fault...it was the men.
To make a long story short, the ranch will not be sold to Hong Kong investors. Jazz would like to create a town on part of the land, and even though the profits
from this idea won't be seen for a while, her half sisters suddenly love this idea, see Jazz for who she really is, and will have no problems telling their mother that her dream of sharing the big inheritance will be gone.
If you love the 1990's...you'll get a kick out of this book too!

[Miguel Ángel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judith Krantz vuelve a deleitarnos con una historia de las suyas, pasiones económicas y sexuales, conflictos familiares y personajes originales, sobre todo la protagonista, una joven fotógrafa de éxito que se codea con las celebridades más famosas, pero que es incapaz de encontrar el amor.
Su padre se casó de segundas con una actriz de éxito, la cual murió en trágicas circunstancias, de esa unión nació Jazz, la protagonista.
La primera mujer de su padre, con quien tiene dos hijas, odia a Jazz por ser el fruto de la unión de Mike con la mujer por la que la abandonó. sus hermanas solo piensan en Jazz con odio y envidia, gracias, por supuesto, a su madre.
Todo gira en torno a Jazz y todos los personajes tienen un nexo en común, el Rancho Kilkillen, propiedad de la familia Kilkillen desde hace muchísimos años.
Al final, sin develar mucho de la trama, gracias al mismo rancho las tres mujeres comprenden que lo único importante es que la familia se mantenga unida.
Es un libro largo, más de 500 páginas, pero merece la pena leerlo, como ya dije con Scruples, Krantz tiene un estilo que hace que una novela "romántica", se torne además interesante y adictiva.
Además yo o diría que las novelas de Krantz sean románticas en el sentido más tradicional de la palabra.
Le doy un siete de diez.

[Inês · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book at my uni's "Take one, Leave one" library, mostly because the cover was shiny and it had a nice premise.
It took me over 6 months to finish it, but finish it I did!

I'll try to be brief - although I'm not sure that's possible.

Nothing happened.
There, lol.

My copy has 576 pages, and at least 300 of those were filled with unnecessary backstory.
I'm not even joking! We get the back stories of pretty much every single character ever, and they don't add up to anything!
I'd say Jazz's backstory and her dad's are the only ones that would mattet to me, since they're the biggest characters in the book, but we get eveeryone's. Jazz's, her evil stepsisters' and their despicable mother's - it's hell.
Not to mention that, in one of these, there is a statutory rape scene, followed by another rape scene! It's insane! Both left me super uncomfortable - and why where they there? Why did I have to read them?
It was so insane to read over 300 pages of information that added up to absolutely nothing, it left me incredibly angry.

Now, let's talk about the men.
The back of my copy of Dazzle reads: Successful and sexy, [Jazz] is pursued by three exciting yet vastly different men, who have one thing in common, a passion for Jazz.
Ladies and gentlemen, when I tell you I was bamboozled, I am not joking. ~

Let's look at our options, shall we?
We have Jazz's first love, Tony Gabriel, who abandoned her on the day/night before their wedding, and barely interacts with our heroine after they finally meet after all those years. In fact, he forces himself onto her (he kisses her after she explicitly told him to leave her place), and assumes over and over again that she is not over him simply because she refuses to work in the same building/company as him (a company she helped build from scratch, mind you) - sounds valid. They interact ONCE after he comes back, and then he steals her dream photohoot job with the help of her wicked rep Phoebe.

Then, we have super handsome and super talented actor Sam Butler, who is so handsome, his only trait seems to be only that. Handsome. He meets Jazz a few times, also kisses her out of nowhere, they have dinner a few times, and then have sex. Jazz says she couldn't possibly be with him because of his ego, and because actors love themselves above everyone else, and she couldn't possibly share him with the world - which would be selfish.

And then we have Casey Nelson, a - cousin? Yeah, a cousin. Third cousin? Fourth? Whatever. But this man is made Cow Boss on her dad's ranch, and Jazz doesn't like it because she has no idea who this man even is! In fact, he destroyed her beautiful shawl with chili, and they seem to have a small rivalry going on. Bonus point, this was the only man who did not try to jump Jazz's bones!

I'll give you a few seconds to guess which one she ends up with.

It's Casey. It's Casey, she ends up with Casey, it's sorta obvious from the start.
Thank God because I hated the other guys, hahaha!

I liked Casey, he was cool.
Anyway, all of this to say that the back cover lied to me! I was promised a - what? A love square? And was given 3 characters who were clearly smitten by Jazz, but it was obvious she was never going to pick them. She says that! She says she's not gonna end up with any of the other two like, in the middle of the book!
The only thing remotely close to some intrigue between the love interests, is when Jazz is out for dinner with Casey at a fancy restaurant, and everyone around them keeps mentioning Sam, Sam this, Sam that, Sam who had dinner with her at the same place a few nights before - and Casey isn't very pleased, he's kinda jealous, but he knows he and Jazz are not dating so he doesn't act on it or say anything. Casey is great.

Another thing that pissed me off incredibly thanks to the back. But it also has something to do with the book itself. The back of my copy reads (...) and when her father dies suddenly (...).
This man died on page 417.
417.
Out of 576.
This man died "SUDDENLY" nearly at the end of the book.
And here's the thing, I picked this up in December but forgot about it for a while - when I picked it back up, I'd forgotten about it, and when I read the damned back again, got spoiled.
Now you say "How does the back of a book spoil you????"
Well, this man died at the end of the book. This is INSANE.
And the reason this also has to do with the book in itself and not the person who decided to write the synopsys,, well, the main plot? It happens in the last 150 something pages. We're given around 300 pages of back story, maybe 100 of day-to-day activities, and the last 159 pages - I did the math.

It's just insane to me that a book as lenghty as this one spends so little in its actual plot, and so much in background information that leads absolutely nowhere. I am not interested in Jazz's stepsisters. I am not interested in their mother.
For a book named after the main character's company, this book has so little to do with photography in itself. Jazz is a photorapher, sure, but we get more plot about her sisters and whatever the hell they're doing with their lives, than actual photography.
But I will say, the whole "we need to save the ranch" plot line was very cool - I wish it had started sooner and had been less all over the place, but it made me think back on all of the cheesy romcoms I used to watch with my mom, and made my heart all fuzzy. If this was ever turned into a movie, we'd definitely watch it together.

It was an entretaining book, I'll give it that, it helped me pass the time when I had nothing else to read, or didn't have enough time to start a new book and needed to pick something up, something that I was already halfway through.
Jazz surely is luxurious, I loved the descriptions of the ranch and the relationship she has with her father, Mike Kilkullen. I also liked the small moments the two of them had as a family alongside Jazz's mother.
I liked Casey and Jazz's banter, although it still weirds me out that they're cousins. Second cousins? Third cousins? Whatever. It's still weird.

Despite all of the things I disliked, this took me back to when all I wanted was to have my own horse and become a country girl!

[William Stafford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember the pleasure of reading Judith Krantz in my younger days: those trashy melodramas like Scruples and Princess Daisy, so when I came across a copy of Dazzle, I opened it with enthusiasm. Ostensibly, the story of Jazz, a famous photographer, it rapidly becomes a family saga. Very little of it happens in the present. We are flung from back story to back story to build up the history of Jazz's family ranch. It's not bad and there are the purple passages where Krantz details the characters' sexual antics with as much care as their life histories. At times it's bogged down with history, and no one is as mean to anyone else as I would have expected, but there's a romantic seam running through it, leading to a satisfying conclusion. I wasn't dazzled exactly but I was mildly entertained.

[Rachel Alexandre · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what I hate about books?

Books that introduce lgbtq the last 75 pages and books that finish the plot in the last 74 pages

It’s a fucking 500 page book.

I’m about to throw all this authors books away.

Want me to tell you the summary? Pretty basic.

Or am I just salty from the one I finished in 24 hours between reading this one.

BUT! This book reminded me of Jackie Collins. We were going that route until the dad- very Sam Elliot esque- dies and now his land sold to his family by the Mexicans a millions years ago- is divided amongst his 3 daughters.

Two want to develop, one doesn’t. On a rainy day they come accross these books and letters from her grandmother and something about a land covenant.

500 page book and all the land covenant is between page 433 and 500


Sigh. Sorry Judith. I tried. Jackie Collins wins.

[Julia Lednicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Krantz virgin gives it 4 stars

Yes it's my first time...shrugs...Overall good storyline with intriguing dysfunctional family dynamics & interesting insights into the world of professional photography. Unique rugged California ranch setting full of billionaire jet setters. However, a bit disappointed that protag gets so caught up in family drama that she abandons professional photography. Quite unbelievably, every male character that our protag encounters falls hopelessly & madly in love with her. The surprisingly raunchy sex scenes were a bit much. Spoiler alert: happy ending😊

[Annabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Judith Krantz's books I reread to pieces, back when Dumaguete was bereft of a bookstore. It ranks as one of my favorites among Krantz's work, portraying protagonist Jazz Kilkullen with a job after my own heart--a celebrity portrait photographer, and a compelling plot that contributed to my then dismal knowledge of history, geography, and pop culture. The Kilkullen family saga, Jazz's first heartbreak, Paris, and a subplot that was clearly filched from Ingrid Bergman's intriguing love life and life choices still captivate this reader.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pure outdated silliness, but a page-turner & kept me distracted this week.
Jazz is beautiful, stunning, an amazing photographer & Californian Spanish land grant heiress, sashaying about & conquering hearts. Rich people first world problems, implausible, entertaining fluff. Not as good as Scruples or Princess Daisy--books I fondly remember reading 30 years ago!

[Anita Pal · Rating 1 out of 5]

To be honest, this is pretty awful -- a lot of telling rather than showing, but what really creeped me out was a 'love' scene that contained statutory rape followed by more rape .

You can call this a book a product of it's time, but a large part of me wonders what motivated the writer to pen such disturbing sex scenes.