Yargo (novel)

Yargo is a romantic science fiction novel by Jacqueline Susann. It was written during the 1950s, but not published until 1979, four years after Susann's death.

Yargo
First edition (p/b)
AuthorJacqueline Susann
GenreScience fiction, Romance
PublisherBantam Books
Publication date
February 28, 1979 (1979-02-28)
Pages347
ISBN0553128558
Preceded byDolores 

Plot summary

Yargo tells the story of Janet Cooper, a young woman from Avalon, New Jersey, who is abducted by aliens from the planet Yargo. During her interplanetary adventures with these intelligent but emotionless extraterrestrials, she falls in love with their leader.

Background

Jacqueline Susann had long been interested in science fiction; her widower, Irving Mansfield, said that when they first met, she wanted to spend their dates at the Hayden Planetarium instead of at nightclubs.[1] In the early 1950s, she began to write Yargo, originally called The Stars Scream.[2] She finished the book in 1956, and gave it to MCA agent George Chasin, who attempted to sell the story to Hollywood. Unsuccessful, he put the manuscript aside, where it was forgotten until Chasin reportedly was cleaning out a filing cabinet after Susann's death. Irving Mansfield suggested Chasin send it to Bantam Books, Susann's long-time paperback publisher; Bantam accepted it for publication, with a first printing of 1.3 million copies. The story also appeared in the February 1979 issue of the Ladies' Home Journal, which had enjoyed a huge success five years earlier when it published Susann's original novella, Dolores.[3] Yargo was published on February 28, 1979.

Reception

Critical notices were negative: one critic wrote, "It's awful, as usual, and it will sell, as usual." [4] The Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review stated that Yargo is "mildly entertaining," but "has no lasting value... except perhaps as a curiosity." [5] Yargo was, nonetheless, a best seller, spending several weeks on the New York Times Mass Market Paperback list.

References
  1. Thomas, Bob (March 3, 1979). "Last book by the late Jacqueline Susann is actually her first". The Courier-News. Bridgewater, NJ. p. 24. Retrieved February 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. Ventura, Jeffrey (1975). The Jacqueline Susann Story. New York, NY: Award Books. p. 63.
  3. Collins, Amy Fine. Once Was Never Enough. Vanity Fair, January 2000. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  4. McLaughlin, Paula (March 29, 1979). "Bookends Yargo". The Ottawa Journal. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. p. 54. Retrieved February 3, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Nickerson, Susan L. (2009). Barron, Neil; Reginald, Robert (eds.). Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review The Complete Series 1979-1980. Wildside Press LLC. p. 62.
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