L. A. Woman (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) [Paperback]

Cathy Yardley (Author)

Book Description

Series: Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback) | Publication Date: June 1, 2002

"L.A. Woman" by Cathy Yardley is the story of Sarah Walker, a girl who has done something that is not all that uncommon...moved to a new city for a guy who wasn't worth it. She moves to L.A. and changes her whole life in anticipation of marriage to her business-minded fiance, Benjamin. After continual stalling on Ben's part to join her, Sarah eventually snaps and dumps him. According to her new roommate, Martika, Sarah is in the perfect place to start a new life -- L.A. Before she knows it, Sarah has become Martika's project, getting pulled headlong into a crazy, chaotic world of nightclubs and day jobs, where the only constant is change.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Yardley takes readers on a fast-paced tour of the joys and perils of single life in Los Angeles in her first novel. At the urging of Benjamin, her workaholic fianc‚ of four years, Sarah Walker has left Northern California for the mayhem of L.A., only to find out that he will not be joining her for several months. With her crummy entry-level job, she can't handle the rent on her own, so she decides to share her apartment with Martika, a charming and tireless party queen the polar opposite of na‹ve Sarah. Their friendship is tentative at best, but when Sarah freaks out and quits her job, dumps selfish Benjamin and chops off all her hair, Martika springs into action and the two really bond. Sarah gets a makeover and is pulled into a whirlwind of clubs, cocktails and men, but Benjamin keeps popping up, and she wonders if she's really cut out for the life of a single girl. Sarah's smalltown shtick gets tiring, but Martika and other characters, like Sarah's best friend Judith, an uber-organized exec who is navigating the murky waters of online infidelity, pick up some of the slack. Although everything about this novel the requisite fabulous gay friend, the chapters named for the Doors' song titles, the far-fetched ending should be annoying, Yardley throws it all together with enough brio to make it a fun book to bring to the beach on either coast.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Sarah Walker has done something that no liberated woman of the 21st century would ever do-she has uprooted her life because of a man and moved from a small California town to Los Angeles. The only problem is that Benjamin is still in Fairfield, supposedly trying to talk his boss into letting him relocate, with minimal success-and possibly minimal desire. Still, Sarah is in L.A. to stay, and her new roommate is determined to bring her up to speed, Southern California-style. Featuring a collection of fascinating, eccentric acquaintences, a good depiction of the L.A. singles scene, and, surprisingly, babies, this story, like others in the Red Dress line, is not a true romance; nevertheless, fans of similar chick-lit offerings and Yardley's series romances will definitely want to check it out. Locals will also appreciate the novel's fresh West Coast flavor. Yardley is a veteran writer of romances and lives in the San Francisco Bay area.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Red Dress Ink; 1st Edition, June 2002 edition (June 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373250169
• ISBN-13: 978-0373250165
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,024,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A few random facts about me:

I am a fiction addict.

I love J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts, Jim Butcher, J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter, Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series, Stephen King, Jennifer Crusie, Marian Keyes, J.K. Rowling, and a slew of other authors.

I have been known to stay up all night to finish a new novel. I don't so much read as devour.

I am an out of the closet foodie.

People who follow me on Facebook can attest: I am a foodie-blog whore. Love Smitten Kitchen. Adore Pioneer Woman Cooks. Bake my own bread on a weekly basis (because the recipe is so frickin' easy, a chimp could do it -- and it tastes phenomenal. I am a walking infomercial for this bread. ) Total Top Chef freak.

I am a geekgirl.

I love the San Diego Comic-con, or "The Con" as they call it.

I was part of the SCA -- The Society for Creative Anachronism -- and briefly sponsored my own mini army. I learned to speak some Japanese from anime.

I have a near encyclopedic knowledge of character actors and obscure movies. I have been called to settle bar bets.

I have a more-flirtatious-than-appropriate relationship with Excel spreadsheets. When I used to work at a day job, if I wore lipstick they assumed I was going on an interview. To this day, an entire marketing department lives in fear of my memory.

I love being an author.

Love writing. Love promoting. Love everything about it. And I love hearing from readers. Email me, anytime, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good as far as this genre goes..., February 24, 2003

By 

Dianna Johnston "Compulsive Reader" (Joplin, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: L. A. Woman (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

When I first heard Red Dress Ink was going to be publishing monthly books about the single girl, I thought I had struck gold. I'll admit to being a little fanatical about chick lit. However, I've sort of burned myself out on this genre, although I do favor a nice, breezy read in between my meatier ones, and the Red Dress Ink books are perfect for that. L.A. Woman is your typical story for this type of book. No great shakes, but not a total time waster either.

L.A. Woman tells the story of 25-year-old Sarah Walker, who has recently moved to L.A. to be closer to her long-time fiance, Benjamin. With hopes of finally being able to move in together and work toward planning their wedding, Sarah's love life is definitely looking up -- until Benjamin's moving plans fall through, leaving Sarah alone and broke in a new city. And when Ben's unsupportiveness regarding her job woes and money problems reach the breaking point, Sarah also finds herself suddenly single. But with the addition of a new roommate, Martika, and gay friend, Taylor, Sarah will be on the road to recovery...albeit a rocky one.

Nothing new here in this novel that I've never read before. L.A. Woman does not offer up anything more than any other book in this genre would. However, the story is fun to read, and Benjamin's jerkiness is enough to invoke some serious ire in readers. Cathy Yardley has a promising talent, and I wouldn't hesitate to read another of her books in the future.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Read for Fabulous Women, July 6, 2002

By 

Anne Auguste (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: L. A. Woman (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

LA Woman is both fresh and familiar. Author Cathy Yardley uses the popular dumped-girl-searching-for-a-bigger-and-better-life genre, but one cannot help but relate to the characters laid out in amazing technicolor glory. The cast of characters- small town Sarah Walker, glamazon Martika, over-the-top Tyler- are realistic and inviting. They not only represent youthful L.A. vigour as it truly is, but their charm and charisma woo the reader into making friends with the pages quickly.

Yardley's use of third person is remarkably easy to keep stride. Seeing the different perspectives of each character allows the reader to become more intimate with their quirkiness and then watch as each individual scenario becomes a part of the bigger picture. The writing style is spunky, true-to-life, and easy to grasp. In fact, the book barely seems like a novel with its ability to read like an up-beat conversation between friends.

Don't mistake a quick and easy read for unfulfilling though. Cathy Yardley touches on some serious issues and the questions of friendship, family, and being true to one's self are explored with ease and honesty.

The perfect balance of humour and reality, L.A. Woman is a fabulous read for fabulous women.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read!, July 7, 2002

By 

Holly Fuhrmann (PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: L. A. Woman (Red Dress Ink (Numbered Paperback)) (Paperback)

Sarah Walker is searching...searching for the right job, the right man, the right niche. Unfortunately the searching isn't going real well! We've all been there. Watching Sarah's journey to find where she belongs brings it all back.

LA Woman is a delightful, fast-paced story that will keep you flipping the pages. Cathy Yardley is a talented storyteller and I'm so looking forward to her next release!