Blurb

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?

Review

Many thanks to the publisher and to the lovely Squadpod for providing me with a proof copy of LA Women in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this novel so much – right from the start, I was captivated by the setting and the two female characters at the centre of the story. The legendary status of Laurel Canyon in the sixties and seventies makes for an immediately engaging and intriguing atmosphere, with all the glamour and excess you could wish for, but the novel’s real draw is its focus on these two complicated, spiky, fiercely intelligent women, and their often uncategorizable relationship. This is by no means a paean to female friendship, but it is a unique and powerful look at the influence women have on each others’ lives, even overshadowing that of their partners at times. There is a strange link between Lane and Gala, even though months go by without them crossing paths, and you can almost feel their awareness of each other’s presence when they re-enter the same orbit. It’s a palpable, undefinable bond that skirts the edges of both love and hate, and it’s absolutely fascinating to read about.

There are a lot of really important themes in this book, but the exploration is never heavy-handed or overbearing. The spectre of addiction hovers over the characters, as we see Gala’s boyfriend’s struggles and hear about Lane’s parents. There is also a probing and nuanced examination of the maternal instinct, or lack of it, a topic which is still somewhat taboo – it reminded me of Claire Vaye Watkins’ brilliant book I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness (both novels also make mention of the Manson family, incidentally, though it’s not a main feature of either) – it’s a brave, challenging, and necessary theme to dive into, and Berman tackles it with real skill and intelligence. Lane is a flawed character is a lot of ways, and readers may find her unsympathetic, but it’s never as simple as it seems on the surface, and I think we do get a strong enough psychological insight into her feelings and behaviour that we come to an understanding of why she is the way she is.

Gala gleams and dazzles far more Lane, and I think readers will be more instantly drawn to her – the humour and audacity she brings to the scenes are a joy to watch (I say ‘watch’ deliberately, as there’s a cinematic feel to the novel, particularly Gala’s sections, which is highly appropriate for a novel set in Hollywood!) but it’s the contrasts and the connections between these two women that drive the book forward. There’s also a beautiful, tragic arc for Charlie, Lane’s best friend, and a razor-sharp dissection of the marriage between Lane and Scotty.

There’s so much going on in this book, and it all comes together in such an elegant and satisfying way. If you like intelligent, witty, female-led books that immerse you in a bygone era while posing questions that remain deeply relevant to our current lives, I can’t recommend LA Women highly enough.

LA Women by Ella Berman is published by Head of Zeus and is available to purchase here.