An electrifying novel about the complicated friendship between two ambitious and talented female writers in 1960s Los Angeles and the ultimate artistic betrayal: one writes a book based on the other's life... from the author of Reese's Book Club Pick Before We Were Innocent.
After a steady descent from literary stardom, Lane Warren is back. She's secured a new book deal based off the life of her sometimes friend and more often rival, notorious free spirit and muse, Gala Margolis. Lane's only problem is that Gala has been missing for months...nobody can find her.
Ten years earlier, Gala was a charming socialite and Lane was a Hollywood outsider amidst the glittering 1960's L.A. party scene. Though never best friends, Lane found Gala sharp and compelling. Gala liked that Lane took her seriously. They were both writers. They were drawn to each other.
That is until Gala's star began to rise, and Lane grew more envious. Then Lane decided to do something that she wouldn't ever be able to take back...changing the trajectory of both their lives.
About L.A WOMEN…
“A truly exceptional novel about the vagaries of female friendship and creative ambition, L.A. Women fizzes with energy and intrigue. Berman’s Los Angeles is a glittering, ecstatic party, full of fascinating, charismatic figures that made me want to linger even as the lights began to dim. Much like its subject matter, L.A. Women is nothing short of iconic.”
—Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters
"Ella Berman’s writing is transportive, hypnotic, and addictive. I fell wholeheartedly in love with the intensity of these L.A. Women and the way Berman unabashedly explores the deep, glimmering, and turbulent waters of artistic ambition amid the alluring backdrop of 1960’s Los Angeles. This novel reads like a spell, a California fever dream, and a risk taking excavation of the moments that most define us. L.A. Women is phenomenal."
—Chelsea Bieker, author of Madwoman
“An unflinching exploration into the emotional depths of artists, LA Women is as soulful and scintillating as Laurel Canyon itself."
—Rachel Koller Croft, USA Today bestselling author of Stone Cold Fox
“From the very first pages of Ella Berman’s L.A. Women, I was hooked. A tantalizing balance of mysterious and eerie, glittering and evocative, this novel skillfully explores the depths and complexity of artistic ambition and female friendship — all set against the shimmering backdrop of 1960’s (and 1970’s) Los Angeles. There’s something so transportive about Ella’s writing, about the way she captures parties in Laurel Canyon as palpably as the emotional push-pull between two writers and friends; it’ll have you hanging on every word and turning the pages at record pace. This is a can’t-put-down read.”
—Genevieve Wheeler, author of Adelaide
“An electrifying story of fame, ambition, creativity and friendship, threaded through with a mystery that compels you to keep reading, L.A. Women is an utterly all-consuming novel.”
—Katie Bishop, author of The Girls of Summer
"My Brilliant Friend meets Daisy Jones and the Six in this immersive story of the friendship (and rivalry) between two female writers in ‘60s/‘70s Los Angeles. Berman is at her finest in this novel; these characters will live on in my imagination for years to come."—T. Greenwood, author of Keeping Lucy
"The characters in L.A. Women are as dazzling as they are messy, as poised as they are insecure, as relatable as they are mysterious, and as downright maddening as only the most fascinating, memorable women can be. I am utterly enchanted by them, and will be raving about this book at parties for years to come."
—Paige Harbison, author of The Other Side of Now
“Riveting and erudite in the most energetic way.”
—Charlotte Fox Weber, author of Tell Me What You Want
