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Pamela Moore (1937–1964) was an American author educated at Rosemary Hall and Barnard College. Her first book, “Chocolates for Breakfast” was published when she was 18 and became an international best seller. At the time, it was often associated with Bonjour Tristesse, a novel published 2 years earlier in France by Françoise Sagan also aged 18.
“Chocolates for Breakfast” gained notoriety for its frank depiction of sexuality at a time when young women were not expected to read about such topics, never mind write about them. The protagonist is a young girl named Courtney, coming of age as her parents divorce, splitting her time between two coasts. Her father is a member of the genteel New York publishing world, while her mother pursues a fading acting career in Hollywood. The book portrays a privileged and jaded set who drink heavily and pride themselves on their sexual sophistication. After an unrequited crush on one of her boarding school teachers leads to heartbreak, Courtney beds a bisexual Hollywood actor and a dissolute European aristocrat living out of a New York hotel.
The book also includes discussion of homosexuality, gender roles and sexual exploration that was, for the era, uncommon. “Chocolates for Breakfast” is sometimes included in lists of early Lesbian Fiction, for the depiction of the relationship of two schoolgirls at an East Coast boarding school as well as the bond between the protagonist and her teacher Miss Rosen.
from Wikipedia
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
I really enjoyed this book many times and would love to have another copy but almost $60 on Amazon has me baffled and disapointed.
When I was in my early twenties, probably not too long after Chocolates for Breakfast was published, a young lady I dated gave me a copy and insisted I read it. I don’t remember being at all shocked. But I did have many pleasant fantasies about getting together with the author, as well as imagining hot torrid afternoons with Francoise Sagan. Alas they’re both gone. Looks like it’ll never happen. I also had fantasies about the Rockettes (sp?) and they’re still around. Who knows?
What’s the chance of getting a copy of the French version that’s been translated into English? Never got past my first year French.
I remember this book well. Here’s a story on a story: When a teenage boy finds “Chocolates for Breakfast” on his parents’ bookshelf some time in the early ’70s…
@Dan:
I don’t know of any plans to bring the book back into print, although the degree of interest on this site and on Facebook has been very encouraging.
You’re right that the French edition — and the Italian, which was based on it — contains more material than the version published in the US, primarily consisting of (1) political and philosophical musings on the complacent, privileged American bourgeoisie of the period — a critique which was better received in France and Italy (2) sensual descriptions of Courtney’s feeling for Miss Rosen and others.
@Marina:
All content on this website is indeed copyright by the original artists or authors of the work. For a purely educational project, for example, limited use of the materials would be covered under “Fair Use,” at least in the U.S. Feel free to email me at [kevin] at [this website] regarding your project, and any specific writing or photographs you might want to use, and I’ll try to get you whatever information I can to help you track down the holders of those copyrights.
Dear Sirs,
I must to make an essay about Pamela Moore. I ask you if it’s possible to use for this essay the photo gallery or there’s a copyright on your site?
Many thanks,
Marina
Very glad to see this website! I hope there are plans afoot to bring the books back into print?
And by chance: can I ask what the differences are between the French and the English versions of Chocolates for Breakfast? I know there are passages in the French that aren’t in the English – what are they?
Robert Lund sent me your way and a worthwhile journey it’s been reading about Pamela Moore. You’ve managed to present her life and work extraordinarily well, indeed. This fascinating figure, this young woman whose audacity should be publicized, this rebel of the 50’s meatloaf era. Another book I’m hungry to read. Well, thanks! I’m hip.
Hi Joyce,
Thanks for sharing your recollections. I’ve been meaning to put up excerpts, but meanwhile there are some great plot summaries and passages quoted here:
http://chocolatesforbreakfast.info/pamela-moore-plus-forty/pamela-moore-plus-forty-4/
I’d be curious to learn where/when did you first come across the book?
When I was in high school (1960) a copy of Chocolates for Breakfast was passed around with certain page marked as “must reads.” I recall reading a few pages to someone on the phone…. don’t recall why. 50 years later I can still remember the name of that book, but not any of the content.
@ Lisa:
I don’t know if the book is “rare” per se — except for the first edition, worth $800 to $1000– but I have noticed prices climbing over time. Still, if you check Alibris, Amazon and Abes books, you should be able to find a US or UK edition for less than $30.
@ Jennifer:
I guess the 50s were both of those things and more besides. I went through the archives lately and found rejection letters sent to Pamela’s agent at the time (Monica McCall) for a proposed serialization in magazines like Redbook, Ladies Home Journal. “Not right for our magazine or any other,” reads one response. “Heroine finds stability but has not been sufficiently punished for her wayward life of sin,” things like that. The depiction of attraction between women and between a woman and a bisexual man was especially troubling to these folks.
The fifties weren’t all some sitcom family in the suburbs.. I’m blown away by how this world was both similar and completely different from the one we live in, especially regarding women’s roles…
I found this site while looking for a copy of the book to buy. Even the paperbacks are over 30 dollars! Is this a Rare book?