Can’t We Be Friends

1952. During the blossoming of music clubs and the golden age of Hollywood, the story begins between two women: jazz queen Ella Fitzgerald and movie star Marilyn Monroe. One was rising to the peaks of musical Olympus, while the other was capturing the hearts of audiences from the screen. When the actress needed vocal lessons, she knew exactly who to turn to. Strong and bold Ella, tender and fragile Marilyn... Behind the rapid career ascent of these two very different women lay pain and disappointment: social prejudices, absurd desires of producers, successes and failures in their personal lives. In moments of long-awaited meetings, the actress and the singer, shedding their masks, share their most cherished thoughts. An earnest conversation over the crunch of pickles from their favorite café turns out to be more important than the adoration of fans and repeatedly saves the friends on the brink of despair, until one day their paths diverge. This novel, woven from numerous stories of the stars' behind-the-scenes lives, will captivate all who believe in the power of female friendship.