‘A breezy retro novel with bite.’
—L.A. Times
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.
After a steady descent from literary stardom, Lane Warren is back. She’s secured a new book deal based off the life of her sometime friend and, more often, rival Gala Margolis. Lane’s only problem is that notorious free spirit Gala has been missing for months.
Ten years earlier, Gala was a charming socialite and Lane was a Hollywood outsider amidst the glittering 1960s L.A. party scene. Though they were 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 was until Gala’s star began to rise, and Lane grew envious. Then Lane did something that she wouldn’t ever be able to take back…changing the trajectories of both their lives.
Bold, dazzling, and crackling with tension, L.A. Women plunges readers into the legendary parties and unparalleled creativity of iconic Laurel Canyon, while exploring the impossible choices women face when ambition collides with intimacy. At what cost does great art emerge? And who pays the price?
Genre: Historical
—L.A. Times
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.
After a steady descent from literary stardom, Lane Warren is back. She’s secured a new book deal based off the life of her sometime friend and, more often, rival Gala Margolis. Lane’s only problem is that notorious free spirit Gala has been missing for months.
Ten years earlier, Gala was a charming socialite and Lane was a Hollywood outsider amidst the glittering 1960s L.A. party scene. Though they were 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 was until Gala’s star began to rise, and Lane grew envious. Then Lane did something that she wouldn’t ever be able to take back…changing the trajectories of both their lives.
Bold, dazzling, and crackling with tension, L.A. Women plunges readers into the legendary parties and unparalleled creativity of iconic Laurel Canyon, while exploring the impossible choices women face when ambition collides with intimacy. At what cost does great art emerge? And who pays the price?
Genre: Historical
Praise for this book
"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
"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
"An unflinching exploration into the emotional depths of artists, LA Women is as soulful and scintillating as Laurel Canyon itself." - Rachel Koller Croft
"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." - Tammy Greenwood
"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
"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
"A deliciously voyeuristic dive into the glittering world of Old Hollywood, L.A. Women by Ella Berman unravels the complex bond between two women in their dance of passion, betrayal, and ambition. Set against a backdrop of lust and excess, readers will be captivated by the turmoil and allure that pull these women together--and tear them apart." - Sarah Penner
"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
"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
"An unflinching exploration into the emotional depths of artists, LA Women is as soulful and scintillating as Laurel Canyon itself." - Rachel Koller Croft
"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." - Tammy Greenwood
"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
"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
"A deliciously voyeuristic dive into the glittering world of Old Hollywood, L.A. Women by Ella Berman unravels the complex bond between two women in their dance of passion, betrayal, and ambition. Set against a backdrop of lust and excess, readers will be captivated by the turmoil and allure that pull these women together--and tear them apart." - Sarah Penner
"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
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