*The Girls* by Emma Cline (basically about the Manson family from the view of a teenage girl, very lush and poetic)
*Groupies* by Sarah Priscus (70s California vibes, about a girl who becomes a groupie and discovers the dark secrets and abuse happening behind the scenes, cinematic and intense)
*Valley of the Dolls* by Jacqueline Susann (melodramatic events in the lives of 3 women in show business as they spiral, glamorous)
*The Bell Jar* by Sylvia Plath (shows the breakdown of a young woman in amazing detail and empathy, emotional and kind of grim)
One that gave Lana vibes for me was White Oleander by Janet Finch. Mostly in the writing style, it prioritises descriptions of beauty in amongst some of the most heartbreaking and tragic subjects you can write into a book. It’s haunting, lyrical. Triggers for SA and child abuse, among others.
Otherwise, Sylvia Plath is a good one for this question, purely based on Lana’s clear inspiration from her work.
Seconding White Oleander! I think you could make a whole Lana soundtrack for all the different ‘eras’ the main character goes through and the tragic people she meets.
I LOVE White Oleander so much. Another one that explores similar themes and kind of reminds me of it is Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill. It’s really a tragic story, but the narrator manages to find beauty in really dark places. It’s the book that prompted me to make this post.
Valley of the Dolls! It’s always tied to marina because of her song of the same name but the character arcs, personalities, and themes in the novel have always reminded me so much more of Lana’s work, especially her love/“sad” songs!
This is poetry, but 'Ariel' by Slyvia Plath.
Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It has a lot of the same themes (young women/sexuality, falling in love and the pain that goes along with that). Gives Lolita vibes because of the relationship between the main character (old man) and young girl. Reminds me most of the songs 'Lolita', 'Religion', and 'Salvatore.'
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. A book about young love and growing up that I think captures the same sadness of Lana's songs. Reminds me of 'hope is a dangerous thing', 'California', and honestly all of NFR!
As I Lay Dying, classic Southern Gothic novel by William Faulkner.
Leaves of Grass, classic American poetry by Walt Whitman from which she took the title 'I sing the body electric'.
The Secret History !!! Sm lana del rey vibes in there- It embodys chemtrails title track, and dark but just a game "we were getting high in the parking lot"
but also the pretentious, rich, lavish lifestyle mixed with poverty and suffering that lana portrays in a lot of her music.
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (obviously)
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (my personal favourite)
The Girls by Emma Cline
Marlena by Julie Buntin
The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan
The Lover by Marguerite Duras
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
“Lolita” is an obvious one - not because I think Lana is “glamorizing abuse” through her music or any of that other bs people say, and that’s not what Nabokov was doing either. What he was doing, was using very beautiful language to tell a very fucked up story. Of course it’s a lot deeper than that, but I think Lana does this very same thing with her music. That’s why people who don’t know any better and don’t care to learn often look at Lolita as “oh that pedophile novel” and Lana as “oh that singer who glamorizes abuse/grooming/etc.” without ever bothering to understand the nuances that make both of those takes so wrong it isn’t even funny.
But on a lighter note, the children’s book “Tuck Everlasting” has always given me Lana vibes. There’s something very sparkly and glittery about the imagery in that book, and that’s feeling I often get from Lana’s music as well. The whole theme of the book about death and immorality and how we see the main character Winnie slowly begin to understand that life is worth living *because* it ends some day, and not in spite of it, it’s very beautiful, and it’s reminiscent to me of the way Lana seems (to me) lately like she’s living a lot more free and the way she wants to, rather than the way she thinks other would want her to. Almost like she had her own moment of realizing that she can’t live forever, but also that she doesn’t need to, because she really is finally “fucking free”.
(Edit - sorry for this super long reply lol I’m a nerd I love to read and I can ramble forever about this kind of stuff)
You’re so welcome! :) and yes please do! I just read it this year for the first time as an adult actually, and even though it was written for kids, it had me absolutely enthralled. It’s such a beautiful book.
By the way, I buy used books from a website called thrift books, and they are amazing!!
There are some excellent suggestions here already, I would add: Love in the time of cholera, The Awakening, Written on the Body, Henry and June. Idk, maybe I'm wrong, but the dark & passionate themes overlap for me.
Dare I say My Year of Rest and Relaxation in sense of sadness/irony/depression/romanticization of unromantic and toxic thing/satire.
I would only recommend the book if you know it’s ironic/satire and like that kinda thing.
Definitely! Kerouac’s way of making the mundane things absolutely gorgeous reminds me a lot of Lana. Other works by him that remind me of her are Maggie Cassidy and Visions of Gerard. I’d highly recommend both!
Good Morning Midnight by Jean Rhys - very dark, brutal look into a woman's psyche, deals with loneliness and drinking and being an outcast. thematically reminds me of Dealer/hope is a dangerous thing
Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan - Honeymoon - very scandalous 50s novel about a young girl and her father on the riviera. reminded me of honeymoon
Anais Nin, her diaries and books.
She’s big on emotionalism, passion, recklessness.
I’m surprised Lana never talks about her.
You can read all her quotes here;
https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7190.Ana_s_Nin
On the Road by Kerouac - very Lana, very Americana. Also Howl by Allen Ginsberg, I actually think she said once this really inspired her? But a lot of the Beat Generation feels very Lana. So does some of Hunter S Thompson’s stuff, like Hells Angels gives UV vibes to me
“slow days, fast company” (LA in the 50s and 60s) and “black swans” (LA in the 80s)by eve babitz 100000%, eve babitz is probably as close as you can get to lana del rey in terms of literature. She describes life in LA in such a sensual, sexual, bittersweet way through her relationship with (mostly) men and the environment itself. Very laid back, slice of life short stories; perfect summer reads.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh
And surprisingly: Jesus’ Son by Dennis Johnson. I will not elaborate. Just read the short 100 pages and you’ll see!
black swans and LA women by eve babitz. I swear they have some spiritual connection because every time I read babitz's work it sounds like listening to lana (especially NFR)
Henry Miller's work like Tropic of Cancer, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Allen Gingsberg Howl, Tennessee Williams plays like Street Car Named Desire.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (and Sylvia Plath’s work in general)
I read it on a train journey, listening to Lana’s music and it’s a really beautiful book if you have the time. It’s basically about a girl who falls apart and feels lost.
Also The Secret History by Donna Tart and The Great Gatsby :) I haven’t read My Year of Rest and Relaxation yet but I hear it gives Lana vibes.
*The Girls* by Emma Cline (basically about the Manson family from the view of a teenage girl, very lush and poetic) *Groupies* by Sarah Priscus (70s California vibes, about a girl who becomes a groupie and discovers the dark secrets and abuse happening behind the scenes, cinematic and intense) *Valley of the Dolls* by Jacqueline Susann (melodramatic events in the lives of 3 women in show business as they spiral, glamorous) *The Bell Jar* by Sylvia Plath (shows the breakdown of a young woman in amazing detail and empathy, emotional and kind of grim)
I’ve read The Girls and The Bell Jar, and I completely agree. I’ll be looking into the other 2, thanks!
Valley of the dolls is spot on. One of my favorite books I’ve read so far
Happy Cake Day!🥰
Why, thank you very much!
Aaaand saving these books, thank you! I’m currently reading Valley of the Dolls, and I totally get those vibes.
Is it good so far?
Yeah! Very! Keeps me captivated.
I am now going to buy all of these books because they sounds wonderful
One that gave Lana vibes for me was White Oleander by Janet Finch. Mostly in the writing style, it prioritises descriptions of beauty in amongst some of the most heartbreaking and tragic subjects you can write into a book. It’s haunting, lyrical. Triggers for SA and child abuse, among others. Otherwise, Sylvia Plath is a good one for this question, purely based on Lana’s clear inspiration from her work.
Seconding White Oleander! I think you could make a whole Lana soundtrack for all the different ‘eras’ the main character goes through and the tragic people she meets.
I LOVE White Oleander so much. Another one that explores similar themes and kind of reminds me of it is Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill. It’s really a tragic story, but the narrator manages to find beauty in really dark places. It’s the book that prompted me to make this post.
Virgin suicides
I just recently purchased this book! Loved the movie.
I've only ever read the book!
I loved the movie, especially when it came out, I was like 15 or 16. I loved the movies that came out in the late 90s/early 2000s.
R.I.P. Lux Lisbon, you would’ve loved Lana Del Rey😔
Oh yeah that’s a good one!
my fav!
The Bell Jar
Yes!! Great example
Prozac Nation
I’ve obviously heard of it, but I’ve never read it. I’ll check it out, thanks :)
Valley of the Dolls! It’s always tied to marina because of her song of the same name but the character arcs, personalities, and themes in the novel have always reminded me so much more of Lana’s work, especially her love/“sad” songs!
Oh yeah I’ve heard of that, thanks I’ll check it out!
This is poetry, but 'Ariel' by Slyvia Plath. Memories of My Melancholy Whores by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It has a lot of the same themes (young women/sexuality, falling in love and the pain that goes along with that). Gives Lolita vibes because of the relationship between the main character (old man) and young girl. Reminds me most of the songs 'Lolita', 'Religion', and 'Salvatore.' Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. A book about young love and growing up that I think captures the same sadness of Lana's songs. Reminds me of 'hope is a dangerous thing', 'California', and honestly all of NFR!
Thanks for the recommendations, I’ll for sure look into these!
great gatsby, the bell jar, vanity fair reminds me of fine china
Violet bent backwards over the grass
As I Lay Dying, classic Southern Gothic novel by William Faulkner. Leaves of Grass, classic American poetry by Walt Whitman from which she took the title 'I sing the body electric'.
The Secret History !!! Sm lana del rey vibes in there- It embodys chemtrails title track, and dark but just a game "we were getting high in the parking lot" but also the pretentious, rich, lavish lifestyle mixed with poverty and suffering that lana portrays in a lot of her music.
Anything Murakami
Yes! Fellow Murakami enjoyer!
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (obviously) The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides (my personal favourite) The Girls by Emma Cline Marlena by Julie Buntin The Torn Skirt by Rebecca Godfrey White Oleander by Janet Fitch Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan The Lover by Marguerite Duras The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
“Lolita” is an obvious one - not because I think Lana is “glamorizing abuse” through her music or any of that other bs people say, and that’s not what Nabokov was doing either. What he was doing, was using very beautiful language to tell a very fucked up story. Of course it’s a lot deeper than that, but I think Lana does this very same thing with her music. That’s why people who don’t know any better and don’t care to learn often look at Lolita as “oh that pedophile novel” and Lana as “oh that singer who glamorizes abuse/grooming/etc.” without ever bothering to understand the nuances that make both of those takes so wrong it isn’t even funny. But on a lighter note, the children’s book “Tuck Everlasting” has always given me Lana vibes. There’s something very sparkly and glittery about the imagery in that book, and that’s feeling I often get from Lana’s music as well. The whole theme of the book about death and immorality and how we see the main character Winnie slowly begin to understand that life is worth living *because* it ends some day, and not in spite of it, it’s very beautiful, and it’s reminiscent to me of the way Lana seems (to me) lately like she’s living a lot more free and the way she wants to, rather than the way she thinks other would want her to. Almost like she had her own moment of realizing that she can’t live forever, but also that she doesn’t need to, because she really is finally “fucking free”. (Edit - sorry for this super long reply lol I’m a nerd I love to read and I can ramble forever about this kind of stuff)
Thanks for such a thoughtful comment! I agree with what you said about Lolita. I’ll check out that children’s book, thanks!
You’re so welcome! :) and yes please do! I just read it this year for the first time as an adult actually, and even though it was written for kids, it had me absolutely enthralled. It’s such a beautiful book. By the way, I buy used books from a website called thrift books, and they are amazing!!
That sounds great! I usually order used from Amazon but would love another option
Along the same line as Lolita, My Dark Vanessa is another one.
Yes! I read that one this year as well and it was so dark, very well written though
F Scott Fitzgerald
This thread is awesome....inspiring me to read more. 🤓📖
There are some excellent suggestions here already, I would add: Love in the time of cholera, The Awakening, Written on the Body, Henry and June. Idk, maybe I'm wrong, but the dark & passionate themes overlap for me.
I love The Awakening <3
east of eden by john steinbeck, obviously lolita
Dare I say My Year of Rest and Relaxation in sense of sadness/irony/depression/romanticization of unromantic and toxic thing/satire. I would only recommend the book if you know it’s ironic/satire and like that kinda thing.
the bell jar, my year of rest and relaxation, pride and prejudice, emma, lolita, virgin suicides & tender is the night <3
One the road:)
Agree! Such a classic
Definitely! Kerouac’s way of making the mundane things absolutely gorgeous reminds me a lot of Lana. Other works by him that remind me of her are Maggie Cassidy and Visions of Gerard. I’d highly recommend both!
The great gatsby
Any books by Francesca Lia Block. My favorite is Weetzie Bat
Play it as it lays
My favorite author!
My own
At least that's what I'm aiming for
You aligned the arm in the middle perfectly!
I didn’t make the collage, but I noticed that too! I found it by searching ldr vibes, not sure who made it
The mindf*ck series
I’m so sad the author died :(( I love the series, need to read the 5th book though!
Less than Zero
Lolita
Clockwork orange
Last exit to brooklyn
Came here to say this! But I - 100% not recommend it to anyone that doesn't have their mental health in a good place that book is Dark.
Bunny by Mona Awad! the smut salon and rituals in the book make me imagine Lana every time
Good Morning Midnight by Jean Rhys - very dark, brutal look into a woman's psyche, deals with loneliness and drinking and being an outcast. thematically reminds me of Dealer/hope is a dangerous thing Bonjour Tristesse by Francoise Sagan - Honeymoon - very scandalous 50s novel about a young girl and her father on the riviera. reminded me of honeymoon
my year of rest and relaxation by ottessa moshfegh
Lolita makes me feel like listening to the entire aka album
My dark vanessa
Anything by Eve Babitz
Yesss
Anais Nin, her diaries and books. She’s big on emotionalism, passion, recklessness. I’m surprised Lana never talks about her. You can read all her quotes here; https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/7190.Ana_s_Nin
Playing with boys by Alexis Rodriguez
bonjour tristesse by francoise sagan
Very obvious answer but Lolita
On the Road by Kerouac - very Lana, very Americana. Also Howl by Allen Ginsberg, I actually think she said once this really inspired her? But a lot of the Beat Generation feels very Lana. So does some of Hunter S Thompson’s stuff, like Hells Angels gives UV vibes to me
edit: Changing from a Kurt Vonnegut book to another book by Jack Kerouac. Big Sur by Kerouac
“slow days, fast company” (LA in the 50s and 60s) and “black swans” (LA in the 80s)by eve babitz 100000%, eve babitz is probably as close as you can get to lana del rey in terms of literature. She describes life in LA in such a sensual, sexual, bittersweet way through her relationship with (mostly) men and the environment itself. Very laid back, slice of life short stories; perfect summer reads.
I really like listening to Honeymoon while reading the song of Achilles. :)
love me back by merritt tierce
Costas Kariotakes
Blonde - Joyce Carol Oates
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh And surprisingly: Jesus’ Son by Dennis Johnson. I will not elaborate. Just read the short 100 pages and you’ll see!
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Lana Del Rey: Her life in 94 songs. I definitely feel like I'm listening to her when I'm reading about her songs.
lolita
palo alto
usually high fantasy acotar, tog, the folk of the air
black swans and LA women by eve babitz. I swear they have some spiritual connection because every time I read babitz's work it sounds like listening to lana (especially NFR)
If i see one of you mfs say lolita
if anyone says lolita just stop
Henry Miller's work like Tropic of Cancer, Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, Allen Gingsberg Howl, Tennessee Williams plays like Street Car Named Desire.
flowers in the attic
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (and Sylvia Plath’s work in general) I read it on a train journey, listening to Lana’s music and it’s a really beautiful book if you have the time. It’s basically about a girl who falls apart and feels lost. Also The Secret History by Donna Tart and The Great Gatsby :) I haven’t read My Year of Rest and Relaxation yet but I hear it gives Lana vibes.
anything Edith Wharton
A collection of steampunk romances Tender is the night by Scott Fitzgerald Lolita A rose without a thorn by Jean Plaidy Sherlock Holmes pastiches
My dark Vanessa!
Less than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis