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Imaginary Friends: A Play with Music
The bestselling author of I Feel Bad About My Neck brilliantly and hilariously resuscitates Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy—two bigger-than-life feuding writers—to give them a post-mortem second act, and the chance to really air their differences.
Although Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy probably only met once in their lives, their names will be linked forever in the history of American literary feuds: they were legendary enemies, especially after McCarthy famously announced to the world that every word Hellman wrote was a lie, “including ‘and’ and ‘the.’” The public battle, and the legal squabbling, that ensued ended, unsatisfactorily for all, with Hellman’s death.
“A sharp-eyed and even sharper-clawed memory-play.... Provides...guilty pleasures, keeping the repartee both snappy and snappish.” — The Wall Street Journal
Although Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy probably only met once in their lives, their names will be linked forever in the history of American literary feuds: they were legendary enemies, especially after McCarthy famously announced to the world that every word Hellman wrote was a lie, “including ‘and’ and ‘the.’” The public battle, and the legal squabbling, that ensued ended, unsatisfactorily for all, with Hellman’s death.
“A sharp-eyed and even sharper-clawed memory-play.... Provides...guilty pleasures, keeping the repartee both snappy and snappish.” — The Wall Street Journal
144 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2003
82 people are currently reading
809 people want to read
About the author
Nora Ephron
51 books2,868 followersNora Ephron was an American journalist, film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist, and blogger.
She was best known for her romantic comedies and is a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle. She sometimes wrote with her sister, Delia Ephron.
She was best known for her romantic comedies and is a triple nominee for the Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay; for Silkwood, When Harry Met Sally... and Sleepless in Seattle. She sometimes wrote with her sister, Delia Ephron.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
January 30, 2018
A play written by Nora Ephron about the legendary feud between Lilian Hellman and Mary McCarthy. What is not to like?
Just to give you some context: Mary and Lilian hated each other’s guts and at one point Mary said on a TV interview that every word Hellman wrote was a lie “including ‘and’ and ‘the’”. I shit you not. Of course, Lilian sued her ass, though she died before the final veredict. The story is legendary among literary circles because it’s just so weird. What Nora Ephron does with this play is to try to explore the reasons behind their hatred.
As I read, I couldn’t help but stand up and read out loud (I often do that when reading really good plays). Nora Ephron’s wit is at its very best in this play, and I loved the snarky comments between the two authors, who spend the entire play arguing about fact and fiction, and about where did their feud begin.
Having said that, even if you know nothing about McCarthy and Hellman, the play is worth reading (and it would be amazing to see it staged). Questions about fact and fiction, the position of women in mid-century US, and the nature of writing are at the center of this play. Instead of focusing in the feud and showing the women antagonizing each other in a cat fight (which would’ve been a very clichéd take on their relationship), Ephron explores the nuances of their writing in relation to each other, and how both used writing to overcome their own questions regarding the truth. For Mary, truth was the most important thing, which is why she was almost obsessive regarding the honesty of her writing (Hellman wasn’t the only one to sue her, other people complained about her portraying them in fiction, thinly disguised). For Lilian, fact were secondary (while The Children’s Hour is based on a true story that happened in Edinburgh, it was only very loosely based on it, and the plot seems to be rather original), and she is annoyed by Mary’s obsession with the truth.
If you ask me, this theme of fact and fiction also comes across in Nora Ephron’s writing. She trained as a journalist (she appears as a secondary character in the Amazon series Good Girls Revolt), and also wrote tons of fiction. She had to live in the line between fact and fiction, and probably was deeply concerned with the idea of the truth (as it happens with a lots of journalists). Of course she felt that the conflict between Mary and Lilian hinged upon that distinction.
All in all, the play is fantastic and I’d really love to see it on the stage. Nora Ephron is one of my favorite screenwriters (and filmmakers) and I thoroughly enjoyed this little play. She’s witty, as witty as the women she shows here, and her writing is always a delight.
Just to give you some context: Mary and Lilian hated each other’s guts and at one point Mary said on a TV interview that every word Hellman wrote was a lie “including ‘and’ and ‘the’”. I shit you not. Of course, Lilian sued her ass, though she died before the final veredict. The story is legendary among literary circles because it’s just so weird. What Nora Ephron does with this play is to try to explore the reasons behind their hatred.
As I read, I couldn’t help but stand up and read out loud (I often do that when reading really good plays). Nora Ephron’s wit is at its very best in this play, and I loved the snarky comments between the two authors, who spend the entire play arguing about fact and fiction, and about where did their feud begin.
Having said that, even if you know nothing about McCarthy and Hellman, the play is worth reading (and it would be amazing to see it staged). Questions about fact and fiction, the position of women in mid-century US, and the nature of writing are at the center of this play. Instead of focusing in the feud and showing the women antagonizing each other in a cat fight (which would’ve been a very clichéd take on their relationship), Ephron explores the nuances of their writing in relation to each other, and how both used writing to overcome their own questions regarding the truth. For Mary, truth was the most important thing, which is why she was almost obsessive regarding the honesty of her writing (Hellman wasn’t the only one to sue her, other people complained about her portraying them in fiction, thinly disguised). For Lilian, fact were secondary (while The Children’s Hour is based on a true story that happened in Edinburgh, it was only very loosely based on it, and the plot seems to be rather original), and she is annoyed by Mary’s obsession with the truth.
If you ask me, this theme of fact and fiction also comes across in Nora Ephron’s writing. She trained as a journalist (she appears as a secondary character in the Amazon series Good Girls Revolt), and also wrote tons of fiction. She had to live in the line between fact and fiction, and probably was deeply concerned with the idea of the truth (as it happens with a lots of journalists). Of course she felt that the conflict between Mary and Lilian hinged upon that distinction.
All in all, the play is fantastic and I’d really love to see it on the stage. Nora Ephron is one of my favorite screenwriters (and filmmakers) and I thoroughly enjoyed this little play. She’s witty, as witty as the women she shows here, and her writing is always a delight.
July 19, 2012
A play by Nora Ephron about the feud between Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman. This is the first time I've read a play since college, when I would sit in my theater classes doing table reads. This was read alone, with me playing each part in my mind as best I could. I much prefer table reads for plays or actually viewing the finished product, but I still enjoyed Imaginary Friends. Ephron took an interesting approach to the feud between these two brilliant, yet silly women.
"Could we have ever been friends?"
"Hard to imagine."
Definitely worth reading.
"Could we have ever been friends?"
"Hard to imagine."
Definitely worth reading.
October 14, 2009
I was so tickled that one of my favorite contemporary wits wrote a play about one of the witty women I am writing about in my own book, Mary McCarthy. A lot of the banter here between Lillian and Mary is sharp and fun as Ephron imagines exchanges between two women who distinguished themselves as the exceptional women in circles of politically committed men in the 1930s and who became bitter enemies. Ephron thinks about how exceptionalism contributes to enmity (can't be the only woman at the professional table if there's another woman at that table), and she also makes the battle between truth and fiction a central theme. She tweaks McCarthy a little bit for her heavy use of memoir and roman a clef; I think Ephron underestimates McCarthy's accomplishments in fiction. Overall, however, the play seems nifty rather than powerful, diverting rather than deep. (I think wit can plumb more depths than it does here.) Nonetheless, I was glad to read it and like the sense that these are Ephron's fore-mothers in humor. With such impressive ladies as the central figures, it might have been a more impressive play. (Ephron takes on Julia Child with more success, I think!)
February 9, 2022
I just love Ephron’s writing and her storytelling always makes me laugh. This read was a little different as it is actually a play. It also included some dark elements that weren’t always quite so funny. It’s interesting how emotion-evincing excellent writing can be, especially with well-written auditory descriptions.
If you’re so inclined, give Act 2, Scene 2 an out-loud reading. Fact & Fiction. It’s kind of fun. Great for diction. And really true.
If you’re so inclined, give Act 2, Scene 2 an out-loud reading. Fact & Fiction. It’s kind of fun. Great for diction. And really true.
December 25, 2023
i want to see a production of this ‼️
July 30, 2012
I haven't read a play in quite a while, Shakespeare maybe...? Regardless, I am glad that I didn't know this was a play when I picked it up.
Unlike many plays, this included blocking, timing, and lyrics. It was about two women I had never heard of but were apparently very famous in literary circles. Read it, you will like it!
Unlike many plays, this included blocking, timing, and lyrics. It was about two women I had never heard of but were apparently very famous in literary circles. Read it, you will like it!
August 12, 2018
As good a take on what is real and what is fiction (and ultimately whether it matters if the story is good enough) as it is, this “play with songs” is hampered by the songs which brings the action to a screeching halt.
Maybe if I was able to hear the songs, but just reading the lyrics is frustrating in how trite they are when compared to the rest of this compelling story.
Maybe if I was able to hear the songs, but just reading the lyrics is frustrating in how trite they are when compared to the rest of this compelling story.
December 10, 2010
Because this is a play, it should be seen and not read. They're is also a musical component that doesn't translate onto the written page. I wish I had seen the original cast members: Swoosie Kurtz (Hellman) and Cherry Jones (McCarthy). I better their performances were great.
June 4, 2012
I like the idea behind this play and the way it's written... but I could not figure out if it was a comedy or a drama which made it difficult to read. Was I supposed to be laughing or crying? I didn't know.
July 11, 2008
Reading this made me realize I need to read more plays. Fascinating look into a complicated relationship.
August 6, 2012
Funny and quirky. Nice little play. The timeline at the end of the play is wonderful. I may have to read something by Daschiel Hammett.
December 12, 2020
Book groups are wonderful. However, it would be fair to say that my book group sometimes makes decisions in a somewhat rash manner. To be more specific, we generally choose our next book towards the end of the night, following an evening of cocktails and ever-more experimental forays into the booze cupboard.
It was just those circumstances that led us to declare, “Nora Ephron!” a few months back. “Nora Ephron! She’s a brilliant writer and an amazing feminist, why have we never done an Ephron book?”
Which was entirely reasonable. But then we discovered that one of our number had already read our initial choice, Heartburn. And so we googled, and discovered something called Imaginary Friends. Cheerily, we agreed that this was our next choice, swigged the last of our limoncello and ended the Zoom call.
What followed was an ever-more desperate search for sufficient copies of Imaginary Friends. Amazon claimed to have it, but then lost one copy in the post and declared the other too damaged to dispatch. Other online sellers, big and small, could not provide a copy at all. And those bookshops that weren’t closed due to Covid were unable to assist.
Eventually, we got our hands on two copies, so we each read frantically and then passed the book on to the next person. It was then that we experienced a second shock - Imaginary Friends was a play!
Look, I told you we don’t do much in the way of rigorous research. Anyway, all that is by way of saying that I didn’t have a clue what to expect from this, but what I got was a tight, funny, imaginative and sometimes sentimental account of the lives of Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy. Their lives were lived almost entirely apart from each other, but in death they are forever linked, after Hellman passed away before her court case against McCarthy, who had described her as a liar, could be settled.
Plays are, of course, meant to be watched, and once we’ve all had our vaccinations and theatres can open again, I’d love to see a production of Imaginary Friends. But as an introduction to Ephron, this was an unexpected delight.
It was just those circumstances that led us to declare, “Nora Ephron!” a few months back. “Nora Ephron! She’s a brilliant writer and an amazing feminist, why have we never done an Ephron book?”
Which was entirely reasonable. But then we discovered that one of our number had already read our initial choice, Heartburn. And so we googled, and discovered something called Imaginary Friends. Cheerily, we agreed that this was our next choice, swigged the last of our limoncello and ended the Zoom call.
What followed was an ever-more desperate search for sufficient copies of Imaginary Friends. Amazon claimed to have it, but then lost one copy in the post and declared the other too damaged to dispatch. Other online sellers, big and small, could not provide a copy at all. And those bookshops that weren’t closed due to Covid were unable to assist.
Eventually, we got our hands on two copies, so we each read frantically and then passed the book on to the next person. It was then that we experienced a second shock - Imaginary Friends was a play!
Look, I told you we don’t do much in the way of rigorous research. Anyway, all that is by way of saying that I didn’t have a clue what to expect from this, but what I got was a tight, funny, imaginative and sometimes sentimental account of the lives of Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy. Their lives were lived almost entirely apart from each other, but in death they are forever linked, after Hellman passed away before her court case against McCarthy, who had described her as a liar, could be settled.
Plays are, of course, meant to be watched, and once we’ve all had our vaccinations and theatres can open again, I’d love to see a production of Imaginary Friends. But as an introduction to Ephron, this was an unexpected delight.
November 1, 2022
Lillian Hellman made a sensational debut as a playwright with The Children's Hour in 1934, when she was 29. Mary McCarthy made a sensational debut as a short story writer with "The Man in the Brooks Brothers Shirt" in 1941, when she was 29. Hellman went on to write The Little Foxes, Watch on the Rhine, and many other plays; stood up famously to the House Un-American Activities Committee and then got blacklisted; and made a spectacular comeback as a grand lady of American letters with her autobiographies, beginning in 1969 with An Unfinished Woman. McCarthy went on to write several best-selling books including The Group, which became a successful Hollywood film; worked for decades on and off as a critic and a journalist; and made a spectacular comeback--sort of--on "The Dick Cavett Show" in 1980, when she said, about Lillian Hellman, "Everything she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the'."
Nora Ephron, no slouch herself as a literary figure (Heartburn, Silkwood, Sleepless in Seattle), has brought Lillian and Mary back together, as it were, live and on stage (well, actually deceased and in some showbizzy purgatory, but why quibble?). These two self-invented ladies can't help but fascinate, no doubt about it: one searched for the truth so unwaveringly that she started to believe that such a thing existed; the other made a living and a life out of storytelling and got so good at it that she started to believe in her own fabrications. Ephron's stroke of genius here is to let these two tell their stories--and each others'--and to let the chips fall where they may. Her heroines, as she surely intends, manage to hang themselves in the process; yet we leave them, at the end of Imaginary Friends, very much their admirers, for these two had chutzpah to spare: somehow, whatever may have been factually true or false about them, they lived honestly. And they lived hard. And they lived big
Nora Ephron, no slouch herself as a literary figure (Heartburn, Silkwood, Sleepless in Seattle), has brought Lillian and Mary back together, as it were, live and on stage (well, actually deceased and in some showbizzy purgatory, but why quibble?). These two self-invented ladies can't help but fascinate, no doubt about it: one searched for the truth so unwaveringly that she started to believe that such a thing existed; the other made a living and a life out of storytelling and got so good at it that she started to believe in her own fabrications. Ephron's stroke of genius here is to let these two tell their stories--and each others'--and to let the chips fall where they may. Her heroines, as she surely intends, manage to hang themselves in the process; yet we leave them, at the end of Imaginary Friends, very much their admirers, for these two had chutzpah to spare: somehow, whatever may have been factually true or false about them, they lived honestly. And they lived hard. And they lived big
November 2, 2022
Obra de teatro corta de Nora Ephron, guionista y escritora. Mencionada en La Cultureta, la obra trata sobre la enemistad de dos escritoras, Mary McCarthy, de origen pobre, huérfana muy joven, cuyo padrastro le pegaba y amante de la verdad, además de Triskista y Lillian Hellman, hija única de una familia judía acomodada, leninista y acusada de inventarse parte de sus memorias, en concreto una historia sobre una mujer, Julia, que participó en la lucha antifascista y que se llevó al cine con Jane Fonda como protagonista. Quizás lo más divertido es la frase que Mary dice de las memorias fe Lillian: "every word she writes is a lie, including 'and' and 'the'.”. Aparentemente no se trataron mucho y no se sabe cual fue la causa de la antipatía, si el rechazo de Mary a las trolas de Lillian o que está intentar seducir a Philip Rahv, amante de Mary. La obra está escrita a modo de conversación entre ambas donde repasan sus vidas y sus peleas. No conocía a ninguna de las dos y me ha parecido curiosa y bien escrita.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 18, 2020
Nora Ephron has done it again! There is truly something amazing about her flair for dialogue, especially its pacing. Her characters are always lively, interesting, sharp and witty. She's great at having a character reveal more than they mean to - a true master of 'show don't tell.'
The play itself is amusing, as is the interplay between Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy. We learn a lot about myth-making, intellectual ego and the pettiness of a lot of vendettas. It'll only take an afternoon to read, so I very much recommend it to anyone who has the time.
MARY: I believe in the truth.
LILLIAN: I believe in the story.
The play itself is amusing, as is the interplay between Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy. We learn a lot about myth-making, intellectual ego and the pettiness of a lot of vendettas. It'll only take an afternoon to read, so I very much recommend it to anyone who has the time.
MARY: I believe in the truth.
LILLIAN: I believe in the story.
October 4, 2023
An interesting concept that somewhat reminds me of Phil Dawkins' "The Gentleman Caller" in that it explores the relationship of two famous but now relatively obscure writers. I think writing about real people is a hard thing to pull off and Nora Ephron doesn't even come close. She takes what are pretty interesting women and makes them into one dimensional caricatures of themselves. Maybe it would have been better to see this performed live. The songs throw off the tempo of reading the play, not that there is much tempo to speak of. There's a recurring motif that it doesn't matter what is ultimately true and what isn't, so long as the story is good. The problem is the story here isn't.
August 11, 2018
A book about two “friends” and their love/mostly hate relationship. Glad it was short.
May 19, 2023
I would love to see this performed. What a fun concept for a story!
November 3, 2023
Iconic as usual
December 5, 2023
I’ve enjoyed reading this play. I’m looking forward to learning more about Lillian Hellman and Mary McCarthy.
Read
September 14, 2024“i’m just a story. so are you.”
pretty witty. i love plays/screenplays for how central the dialogue is (and has to be). nora ephron’s voice is perfect for that.
pretty witty. i love plays/screenplays for how central the dialogue is (and has to be). nora ephron’s voice is perfect for that.
June 2, 2025
Nora Ephron entertains, yet again.
May 28, 2018
3.5 stars. This lovely play not only puts Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman at center stage, but it is equal parts inventive and substantial, playful and searching. With humor and intelligence, but never preciousness, Ephron explores the tension between truth and story.
September 26, 2016
fascinating indeed!
April 1, 2016
Mary McCarthy and Lillian Hellman only met a handful of times, if that, but they were embroiled in a years-long public feud. Ephron has taken this fact and fleshed it out into an imaginary meeting between the two - after their deaths - where they talk about their animosity towards each other, their lives, common friends, politics, etc.
Written in Ephron's acerbic and quick wit, the play is an easy, fun read. I recommend it to Ephron fans, those interested in women authors, and whoever wants to enjoy a well-written, smart piece.
Written in Ephron's acerbic and quick wit, the play is an easy, fun read. I recommend it to Ephron fans, those interested in women authors, and whoever wants to enjoy a well-written, smart piece.
December 30, 2012
This was good, I thought. I don't have much to say about it — I didn't even know the people the play is about existed before I read about them in a different Nora Ephron book. I like the play, though, it's got a good approach and a good head on its shoulders. I just didn't feel much about it.
July 15, 2016
Two act play performing the two dead (obscure) author's looking back on their seemingly parallel lives, and examining events that may (or may not) have contributed to their mutual contempt. It was hardly worth the effort of reading, let alone reviewing it. Ho hum.
March 9, 2014
Ephron dips her toe into Tom Stoppard territory as she explores the contentious relationship between two now-somewhat-forgotten literary lionesses. There is lots of clever fun here, but I do feel the audience for this would be somewhat limited.
July 18, 2007
I frippin' love this play. LOVE IT! Pitching it Saturday too...
September 2, 2013
Just couldn't get into it
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews