L.A. Women

LoveReading Says

Deception and honesty. Obsession and ambition. Envy and self-preservation. Ambition and addiction. Ella Berman’s LA Women weaves a nuanced story of the complex connection between two female writers. Written in an enticingly controlled style as it moves between two timeframes (from the mid-sixties to the “now” of 1975), it undulates with undercurrents of betrayal and revenge, rises to an intense crescendo, and leaves one longing to know what happens next — such is the intrigue of its leading ladies. 

Charting the women’s connections from the mid-sixties, when Gala was a glamorous, good-time socialite and Lane was an outsider, on the fringe of the LA scene, by the mid-seventies Gala has gone missing, and Lane is an established writer. Determined to recover from poor reviews of her most recent novel, after her debut propelled her to literary stardom, Lane heeds her best friend Charlie’s advice to “just write the thing that feels most urgent to you, right now”. That thing is Gala. 

Nuanced and incisive on atypical friendship bonds and the pendulum-like sways of balance between individuals, this gripping story also explores the ethics of writing fiction (the blurred lines between invention and drawing from real life), being gay in the 60’s and 70's, addiction, and motherhood. As such, LA Women is a gloriously all-consuming novel.

Reviewed by Joanne Owen
Joanne Owen’s lifelong love of reading and writing began when she was growing up in Pembrokeshire, and very much wished that witches (and Mrs Pepperpot) were real.
More reviews by Joanne Owen

About L.A. Women

An electrifying novel about the complicated friendship between two ambitious writers and the ultimate artistic betrayal: one writes a book based upon the other's life, revealing everything. From the author of Reese's Book Club Pick Before We Were Innocent.

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