Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for L.A. Women by Ella Berman

1. Carole King is rumored to have said to her peer (and friend) Joni Mitchell, "You don't like yourself. I can tell. I like myself." Do you think Lane and Gala like themselves at the start of the novel, and does this change?
2. When do you think Lane and Gala's friendship devolves into something more complicated? And is it inevitable given their shared ambitions?
3. Lane rejects feminism as: "the notion of some ideological sisterhood—the uncomfortable concept that women were so generally unexceptional they could be clumped together as a homogenous entity." Do you understand her point of view? Do you think her opinion changes by the end of the book?
4. Do you agree with Scotty's claim that Gala is a 'wanter'?"wanter"? Does what she 'wants'"wants" change throughout the novel?
5. What do you think finally sets Charlie free? And how do the glimpses of his perspective differ from how others perceive him?
6. It feels to Lane as if motherhood has hindered her creativity and career. Do you believe this to be true either then or now?
7. Lane and Gala have very different outlooks on life, love, and writing—whose worldview do you identify with more, and why?
8. Do you agree that the conservatism of the 1950s that casts a long shadow into the next decade, even in a community as liberated as Laurel Canyon? How does this impact Gala, Lane, and Charlie in their careers and personal lives?
9. At the end of the book, Lane vows to fight against the similarities between herself and Alys. Do you think any similarities between them are the result of nature or nurture, and do you believe it's possible to change?
10. What are Gala, Lane, and Charlie searching for throughout the novel, and do you think they find it after we leave them?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Berkley Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.