Lili Anolik

Eve Babitz could make men sink with lust. And many women will envy her long, illustrious list of conquests.

I can’t remember a book that celebrates pure hedonism this woman’s life embodies. The cocaine. The amphetamines. The alcohol. The sex binges.

Is it the “Secret History of L.A.”?

Not so much.

And not all the names are named.

But it is a pretty good read. Particularly the very funny descriptions of the girls at Hollywood High, a totally corrupt bunch even before the age of consent.… (meer)

The author has a giant crush on Babitz and if this were a blog post, that would be fine but this is a biography. The combination of twee, overblown, often plainly bad writing and the author awkwardly and unnecessarily inserting herself into her own narrative just are incredibly frustrating.

Just read Babitz.

If there wasn’t such a dearth of information on Babitz, I wouldn’t have read through to the end. Final attempts at authorial insight slightly redeem the book. A good editor could have improved the book greatly.… (meer)