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An American Love Story
Four women--Laura, a ballerina; Nina, desperate for her father's love; Bambi, his companion; and Susan, a writer obsessed with his life--illuminate the story of TV producer Clay Bowen
441 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
12 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Rona Jaffe
23 books143 followersRona Jaffe established The Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Awards program in 1995. It is the only national literary awards program of its kind dedicated to supporting women writers exclusively. Since the program began, the Foundation has awarded more than $850,000 to a total of 92 women.
Ms. Jaffe was the author of sixteen books, including Class Reunion, Family Secrets, The Road Taken, and The Room-Mating Season (2003). Her 1958 best-selling first novel, The Best of Everything, was reissued by Penguin in 2005.
Ms. Jaffe was the author of sixteen books, including Class Reunion, Family Secrets, The Road Taken, and The Room-Mating Season (2003). Her 1958 best-selling first novel, The Best of Everything, was reissued by Penguin in 2005.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
July 28, 2025
"When the doctor returned with the patient's medication the page she had written had disappeared. She had hidden it. It didn't matter. The first step had been taken to unravel the past".
An American Love Story by Rona Jaffe
I wish there were more reviews of this book. I found it be a wonderful read. The story is about a charming and somewhat strange Television producer named Clay. The story goes back and forth from the perspective of all the women in his life including his daughter, wife, mistress and another lady who does not meet him until further along in the book.
Basically this is a portrait of one man's lonliness. Clay has no idea how to love anyone and he repeatedly lets down every woman in his life. But the book also tells the women's stories and how they grow and become fulfilled human beings who do not need Clay.
I really enjoyed this book and cannot think of any book to compare it to. I thought the ending was a bit to abrubt but I enjoyed the book. Recommended for lovers of Womens fiction.
An American Love Story by Rona Jaffe
I wish there were more reviews of this book. I found it be a wonderful read. The story is about a charming and somewhat strange Television producer named Clay. The story goes back and forth from the perspective of all the women in his life including his daughter, wife, mistress and another lady who does not meet him until further along in the book.
Basically this is a portrait of one man's lonliness. Clay has no idea how to love anyone and he repeatedly lets down every woman in his life. But the book also tells the women's stories and how they grow and become fulfilled human beings who do not need Clay.
I really enjoyed this book and cannot think of any book to compare it to. I thought the ending was a bit to abrubt but I enjoyed the book. Recommended for lovers of Womens fiction.
May 21, 2008
I have read so many Rona Jaffe books. I love them all. The women in these books are always vulnerable but have some inner reserve of strength. They have regrets, they have crummy relationships, and they have great friendships. I love this author!
December 23, 2017
A total guilty pleasure I've read more than once...maybe more than three times.
December 2, 2010
It is not a romance novel, contrary to what the title may lead you to believe. Great story.
August 31, 2012
Clay Bowen is a successful Hollywood television producer with several cleverly disguised rehashes of established hits to his credit. He is also a self-centered, womanizing schemer who has been married to former prima ballerina, Laura Hays, for almost twenty years - although they have been separated for most of that time. Laura had retired from the dance world to have her daughter - the elusive and secretive Nina - then turned to drugs and developed an eating disorder. Clay, having been totally alienated by his wife's clinginess and drug addiction, begins a relationship with best-selling author, Susan Josephs, writer of a book on spousal abuse.
Throughout their 17 years together, Clay constantly demeans Susan - stealing the rights to her New York magazine cover stories, and eventually ousting her from his Beverly Hills bungalow in favor of Bambi Green, a young, hopeful television ingenue searching for her big break.
This book is the story of how the lives of these four women - Laura, Nina, Susan and Bambi - with all their dreams of love and success, are totally intertwined with a charismatic womanizer whom they all mistakenly believe they need in their lives. I really loved this book because it showed just how Clay's separate relationships with all his women worked, or were dysfunctional to them all. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading another book by Rona Jaffe very soon.
Throughout their 17 years together, Clay constantly demeans Susan - stealing the rights to her New York magazine cover stories, and eventually ousting her from his Beverly Hills bungalow in favor of Bambi Green, a young, hopeful television ingenue searching for her big break.
This book is the story of how the lives of these four women - Laura, Nina, Susan and Bambi - with all their dreams of love and success, are totally intertwined with a charismatic womanizer whom they all mistakenly believe they need in their lives. I really loved this book because it showed just how Clay's separate relationships with all his women worked, or were dysfunctional to them all. I give this book an A+! and look forward to reading another book by Rona Jaffe very soon.
June 19, 2015
Rona Jaffe negli ultimi anni è tornata alla ribalta grazie ad una citazione in Mad Men (telefilm che non ho ancora visto, ma che sicuramente spero di recuperare presto) del suo The Best of Everything, già letto nel 2010. Proprio a seguito di questa lettura a febbraio 2011 ho trovato su Bookmooch questo L'amore com'è (bruttissima traduzione del non molto più bello titolo originale An American Love Story). Devo dire che mi sono abbastanza vergognata di andarmene in giro con una copertina così smaccatamente kitsch (per non parlare del titolo). Mi sono ricordata del fatto che mia nonna ricopriva sempre con della carta (anche di giornale) i libri che leggeva (per lo più rilegati). Lei lo faceva per non rovinare le copertine, io avrei voluto emularla ma per motivi diversi!
http://robertabookshelf.blogspot.it/2...
http://robertabookshelf.blogspot.it/2...
July 15, 2015
meh not the best rona jaffe, but i still love her and this book was sort of entertaining... im still determined to read all her others.
February 7, 2019
Bored me so I did not finish it.
February 23, 2020
A good holiday read. Not challenging but not overly predictable either.
July 3, 2021
WIf I was rating the first third, I would have given it five stars...by the second third, it was 4/5. By the ending, 3/5. Too many loose ends that made very little sense.
April 14, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It's your typical Rona Jaffe formula, but she does it so well.
There are many characters in this book, but it's not too hard to keep them straight. The story centers around Clay Bowen and the women in his life. Clay's a successful Hollywood bigwig who commutes back and forth between NYC and Hollywood. His wife Laura, a former star ballerina, and daughter Nina live in NYC, and as the years go by, he begins to look at them as a drain on his life. So enter Susan Joseph, a very intelligent writer who Clay starts an affair with that lasts many, many years. Well, Clay, being the lying, cheating, schemer that he is, also takes up with a very young Bambi Green much later in life. This relationship proves to be much different than his previous two because he no longer seems to be in control.
Overall, I liked the story. It kept me turning the pages, wanting to see what would happen next. However, there were many times I would get SOOOO frustrated with the shallowness of some of the characters, and the total despicability of Clay's actions. Without giving it away, I was very glad to see what became of him in the end. Of course, I recommend this, as I do most all the Rona Jaffe books I've read. If you like the whole soap opera-type storyline, then you'll really like this book!
There are many characters in this book, but it's not too hard to keep them straight. The story centers around Clay Bowen and the women in his life. Clay's a successful Hollywood bigwig who commutes back and forth between NYC and Hollywood. His wife Laura, a former star ballerina, and daughter Nina live in NYC, and as the years go by, he begins to look at them as a drain on his life. So enter Susan Joseph, a very intelligent writer who Clay starts an affair with that lasts many, many years. Well, Clay, being the lying, cheating, schemer that he is, also takes up with a very young Bambi Green much later in life. This relationship proves to be much different than his previous two because he no longer seems to be in control.
Overall, I liked the story. It kept me turning the pages, wanting to see what would happen next. However, there were many times I would get SOOOO frustrated with the shallowness of some of the characters, and the total despicability of Clay's actions. Without giving it away, I was very glad to see what became of him in the end. Of course, I recommend this, as I do most all the Rona Jaffe books I've read. If you like the whole soap opera-type storyline, then you'll really like this book!
January 25, 2015
This was a long drawn out book that was tedious to read. I wasn't expecting Chick-Lit when I got it, but I wasn't expecting such a complicated web of nothingness that had me wishing I was doing laundry instead.
I could not relate to a single character and I did not feel bad for any of them, regardless of what someone else put them through. I guess I had the mindset of "you made your bed, now lay in it", or "what you allow... will continue"
Forgive me for not being impressed when this was my second book of Rona Jaffe, the first being "Mazes & Monsters"
I could not relate to a single character and I did not feel bad for any of them, regardless of what someone else put them through. I guess I had the mindset of "you made your bed, now lay in it", or "what you allow... will continue"
Forgive me for not being impressed when this was my second book of Rona Jaffe, the first being "Mazes & Monsters"
June 11, 2013
Worst. Rona. Jaffe. Book. Ever.
Throughout this book, i rolled my eyes, I groaned, I winced...
Rona Jaffe usually writes strong women and asshat men. Usually the women each have a POV in alternating chapters and the women, while flawed and not always likable, are strong and interesting.
These women are whiny, weak, and codependant
I hated them and I hated this book...with that said, I still love Rona Jaffe.
Throughout this book, i rolled my eyes, I groaned, I winced...
Rona Jaffe usually writes strong women and asshat men. Usually the women each have a POV in alternating chapters and the women, while flawed and not always likable, are strong and interesting.
These women are whiny, weak, and codependant
I hated them and I hated this book...with that said, I still love Rona Jaffe.
April 15, 2008
For a sex-and-shopping novel, this one isn't bad. It follows an amoral, self-centered jerk and the 4 women who love him, over the span of the 70s and 80s. There are some interesting insights into why intelligent women would shackle themselves to such a creep, but in the end the main character is just too obnoxious and grated on my nerves. However, it's a breezy, light read.
August 6, 2016
The book was good, but the ending was anti-climactic. Somewhat disappointed to spend time reading the book for such a dull ending.
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September 3, 2008F Jaf
September 30, 2012
I would rate this a 3 1/2 but it upgrades to a 4 on Goodreads.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews