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My Cursed Vagina: A memoir
Not yet published
Expected 3 Feb 26A heartfelt and incredibly funny memoir about love, life and fortune.
'In this memoir, Lally takes the reader on a drunken, dare-devil ride into the depths of dramaturgy and disease. A poetic, no-nonsense reflection on a full creative life that may have only just begun, Lally's first book made me want to go back to whom I used to be. If you love TMI then this book is for you.' Brendan Cowell
'This is gold. There is only one Lally Katz.' Claudia Karvan
'Katz's book is completely addictive and mystical, just like her perspective on the world ... and her vagina.' Yael Stone
'I only wish every book gave me as much pleasure as this one. Lally Katz is an original—the queen of TMI—and My Cursed Vagina is hilarious, fearless, and perfectly, absurdly candid. Is it wrong to hope for more drama in her life, just so she'll write a sequel?' Steve Toltz
'Lally Katz unzips her entire soul so the rest of us may learn how to be better humans.' Marieke Hardy
Thirteen years ago, a shopfront psychic told me my vagina was cursed. She was a scam artist, but she was also right. The stories in this book follow the different forms this curse has taken and how it followed me as I travelled the world looking for love. They are personal and very specific about sex, dating, marriage and motherhood. And how sometimes the things that alter our paths lead us to the right place.
What happens when a soothsayer tells Lally Katz her vagina is cursed? Has the truth been spoken?
In My Cursed Vagina Lally shares the many forms this hex takes as she searches for love, compulsively recording her life in real time as she goes. These are hilarious and heartbreaking tales of disastrous dates, hopeful sex, straight-talking friendships, a surprise marriage, the adventure of motherhood and the strange gifts of illness, by a woman who embraces everything life has to offer.
'In this memoir, Lally takes the reader on a drunken, dare-devil ride into the depths of dramaturgy and disease. A poetic, no-nonsense reflection on a full creative life that may have only just begun, Lally's first book made me want to go back to whom I used to be. If you love TMI then this book is for you.' Brendan Cowell
'This is gold. There is only one Lally Katz.' Claudia Karvan
'Katz's book is completely addictive and mystical, just like her perspective on the world ... and her vagina.' Yael Stone
'I only wish every book gave me as much pleasure as this one. Lally Katz is an original—the queen of TMI—and My Cursed Vagina is hilarious, fearless, and perfectly, absurdly candid. Is it wrong to hope for more drama in her life, just so she'll write a sequel?' Steve Toltz
'Lally Katz unzips her entire soul so the rest of us may learn how to be better humans.' Marieke Hardy
Thirteen years ago, a shopfront psychic told me my vagina was cursed. She was a scam artist, but she was also right. The stories in this book follow the different forms this curse has taken and how it followed me as I travelled the world looking for love. They are personal and very specific about sex, dating, marriage and motherhood. And how sometimes the things that alter our paths lead us to the right place.
What happens when a soothsayer tells Lally Katz her vagina is cursed? Has the truth been spoken?
In My Cursed Vagina Lally shares the many forms this hex takes as she searches for love, compulsively recording her life in real time as she goes. These are hilarious and heartbreaking tales of disastrous dates, hopeful sex, straight-talking friendships, a surprise marriage, the adventure of motherhood and the strange gifts of illness, by a woman who embraces everything life has to offer.
264 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 3, 2026
29 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 19, 2026
If I had to summarise Lally’s life in this memoir, I’d definitely describe her intentions as “doing it for the plot”. Although this is non-fiction (a rare read for me), Lally’s life is occasionally so ludicrous that at times it felt like fiction. With every new person she meets, she ponders on what type of “character” they’d be in her life - when deciding if she should go to a nightclub with a stranger or head back to her hotel, she chooses the option that might lead to a better story.
Written in first person, we really get all of Lally’s thoughts and emotions during each pivotal moment of her life. I definitely agree with the review of “If you love TMI then this book is for you”. I requested this book from the lovely team at Allen & Unwin purely because of the title. I didn’t know who Lally Katz was or anything about her work in the theatre/film industry. It was really interesting to learn about her life and what motivated her to make certain choices. I definitely feel a lot more cautious and reserved in comparison - Lally threw her life and money into the hands of strangers, including psychics and some questionable men that I just couldn’t fathom trusting. Although it made for an interesting story/plot, I couldn’t help but be stressed out during my read.
I had to stop myself multiple times from googling Lally’s name and seeing how her story ends. What chapter of her life is she on now? Who does she end up with? Does she have kids? Is her vagina still cursed?
Without too many spoilers about said “cursed vagina”, this book also touched on STDs, ovarian cysts, miscarriages and hysterectomies - definitely keep that in mind if that may be triggering for you to read, as these events are recorded in depth. Reading this book happened to coincide with a particularly bad week of PCOS related cramping on my part, so the book felt even more immersive 😅
If you’re looking for a memoir that’s unfiltered, raw and refreshingly TMI, then grab a copy of My Cursed Vagina! (Out Feb 3rd 2026) Thank you A&U for the proof copy! 💖
Written in first person, we really get all of Lally’s thoughts and emotions during each pivotal moment of her life. I definitely agree with the review of “If you love TMI then this book is for you”. I requested this book from the lovely team at Allen & Unwin purely because of the title. I didn’t know who Lally Katz was or anything about her work in the theatre/film industry. It was really interesting to learn about her life and what motivated her to make certain choices. I definitely feel a lot more cautious and reserved in comparison - Lally threw her life and money into the hands of strangers, including psychics and some questionable men that I just couldn’t fathom trusting. Although it made for an interesting story/plot, I couldn’t help but be stressed out during my read.
I had to stop myself multiple times from googling Lally’s name and seeing how her story ends. What chapter of her life is she on now? Who does she end up with? Does she have kids? Is her vagina still cursed?
Without too many spoilers about said “cursed vagina”, this book also touched on STDs, ovarian cysts, miscarriages and hysterectomies - definitely keep that in mind if that may be triggering for you to read, as these events are recorded in depth. Reading this book happened to coincide with a particularly bad week of PCOS related cramping on my part, so the book felt even more immersive 😅
If you’re looking for a memoir that’s unfiltered, raw and refreshingly TMI, then grab a copy of My Cursed Vagina! (Out Feb 3rd 2026) Thank you A&U for the proof copy! 💖
January 23, 2026
An honest over-share about the drama and difficulties in her creative life.
“This is one if the craziest things you’ve ever said. And you’ve said so many crazy things.”
Full review to follow
“This is one if the craziest things you’ve ever said. And you’ve said so many crazy things.”
Full review to follow
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Well, frankly speaking, I requested a review copy of this book because of the title [how can you not? 😅].
It's a memoir written by Lally Katz, a playwright born in the USA, who moved to Australia as a child.
Quickly approaching forty, Lally tried hard to get a meaningful relationship, yet she kept finding herself in and falling into disastrous dates and breakups. She's anxiously holding on into a psychic 🔮 who told her that her vagina is cursed as how she'll find the love of her life.
It's an entertaining read, full of humour and i read this in one sitting during one of my quiet weekend.
PS: I'm glad I found that I'm not the only one think that going into MRI machine is like a deep meditation, a really good quality alone time. 😆
It's a memoir written by Lally Katz, a playwright born in the USA, who moved to Australia as a child.
Quickly approaching forty, Lally tried hard to get a meaningful relationship, yet she kept finding herself in and falling into disastrous dates and breakups. She's anxiously holding on into a psychic 🔮 who told her that her vagina is cursed as how she'll find the love of her life.
It's an entertaining read, full of humour and i read this in one sitting during one of my quiet weekend.
PS: I'm glad I found that I'm not the only one think that going into MRI machine is like a deep meditation, a really good quality alone time. 😆
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Lally Katz, My Cursed Vagina A memoir, Allen & Unwin, February 2026.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
In her acknowledgements, Lally Katz expresses gratitude to three of her teachers for helping her recognise her potential as a writer. I was a colleague of one of those teachers. So, while I did not have Lally Katz in any of my classes, I heard a great deal about this vibrant writer who was seen as an honour to teach. The teachers’ accolades highlighted her notable talent and the enthusiasm she brought to her classes. Lally was a young woman with superb creative skills. It is no surprise that she has become an esteemed playwright, and now she has written this poignant, funny, sad, and raw memoir. It depicts an absorbing journey from which is difficult to disengage: one more page must be read, another anecdote considered, Lally must be given another chance to defy the curse, and one more story in which she does not. Success or not, what she does achieve lives in the memory. The writing is a joy, the story immense, and Lally Katz’s outlook one of courage, humour, and enthusiasm. Her memoir is a monument to a woman who loves her life, its despairing and happy moments, those which are life giving, and those that are so challenging that the potential for damage threatens.
Lally Katz moved from Miami, USA to Canberra, Australia as a child, spending her pioneering creative years in Australia, with successfully staged plays Australia wide and internationally. In 2010 she is thirty-two, and in America on a Churchill Fellowship, and it is with this memory she begins her memoir. However, the central theme is the impact of her visit to a psychic whose dire prediction provides the name for the memoir and much of its action. Her title and honesty with which she approaches her life takes the reader through love affairs; sexual encounters, successful and otherwise; herpes; miscarriages and birth. Some of the stories are humorous, some are transparently not. However, all are engaging and incredibly human. Many are exploits that can only be imagined - some of us do not have Katz’s courage and headlong approach to living.
This is a memoir to be read, cried over, laughed with, and admired. I am thrilled to have been able to meet this vibrant and courageous woman, who was once a student I passed in a school corridor and heard about in the staff room, if only once again second hand though her writing. Lally Katz’s memoir is one to be savoured.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.
In her acknowledgements, Lally Katz expresses gratitude to three of her teachers for helping her recognise her potential as a writer. I was a colleague of one of those teachers. So, while I did not have Lally Katz in any of my classes, I heard a great deal about this vibrant writer who was seen as an honour to teach. The teachers’ accolades highlighted her notable talent and the enthusiasm she brought to her classes. Lally was a young woman with superb creative skills. It is no surprise that she has become an esteemed playwright, and now she has written this poignant, funny, sad, and raw memoir. It depicts an absorbing journey from which is difficult to disengage: one more page must be read, another anecdote considered, Lally must be given another chance to defy the curse, and one more story in which she does not. Success or not, what she does achieve lives in the memory. The writing is a joy, the story immense, and Lally Katz’s outlook one of courage, humour, and enthusiasm. Her memoir is a monument to a woman who loves her life, its despairing and happy moments, those which are life giving, and those that are so challenging that the potential for damage threatens.
Lally Katz moved from Miami, USA to Canberra, Australia as a child, spending her pioneering creative years in Australia, with successfully staged plays Australia wide and internationally. In 2010 she is thirty-two, and in America on a Churchill Fellowship, and it is with this memory she begins her memoir. However, the central theme is the impact of her visit to a psychic whose dire prediction provides the name for the memoir and much of its action. Her title and honesty with which she approaches her life takes the reader through love affairs; sexual encounters, successful and otherwise; herpes; miscarriages and birth. Some of the stories are humorous, some are transparently not. However, all are engaging and incredibly human. Many are exploits that can only be imagined - some of us do not have Katz’s courage and headlong approach to living.
This is a memoir to be read, cried over, laughed with, and admired. I am thrilled to have been able to meet this vibrant and courageous woman, who was once a student I passed in a school corridor and heard about in the staff room, if only once again second hand though her writing. Lally Katz’s memoir is one to be savoured.
November 11, 2025
I don't often leave my reviews here (laziness is a curse, although not as bad as one on your vagina) but when I saw that no one had yet written one I couldn't resist.
One of the easiest books to give a 5 star rating to.
I wasn't familiar with the work of Lally Katz before reading this (clearly I was living underground), but I certainly wasn't going to go past a book with this title. And wow did it live up to its name. I've never known a vagina to be cursed before but with my anxiety, I'll now be worried about my own forever more.
As noted above, I requested this book purely due to the title. I sat down with it and thought "I'll just read the first few pages, see what it's like". Well, cue a couple of hours later and it would seem I have read the whole book in one sitting. I just couldn't stop! This was like sitting down with an old friend for a natter. It's in parts sad but also joyous and just so damn funny and I'm pretty sure Lally and I are now best friends (albeit rather one-sided).
This book is for the Dolly Alderton fans, but it's also a book for just about anyone who wants to read an entertaining, brutally honest story of love, loss and adventure.
Really wished this was published in December so I give it to everyone I know for Christmas.
(read thanks to Allen & Unwin via netgalley)
One of the easiest books to give a 5 star rating to.
I wasn't familiar with the work of Lally Katz before reading this (clearly I was living underground), but I certainly wasn't going to go past a book with this title. And wow did it live up to its name. I've never known a vagina to be cursed before but with my anxiety, I'll now be worried about my own forever more.
As noted above, I requested this book purely due to the title. I sat down with it and thought "I'll just read the first few pages, see what it's like". Well, cue a couple of hours later and it would seem I have read the whole book in one sitting. I just couldn't stop! This was like sitting down with an old friend for a natter. It's in parts sad but also joyous and just so damn funny and I'm pretty sure Lally and I are now best friends (albeit rather one-sided).
This book is for the Dolly Alderton fans, but it's also a book for just about anyone who wants to read an entertaining, brutally honest story of love, loss and adventure.
Really wished this was published in December so I give it to everyone I know for Christmas.
(read thanks to Allen & Unwin via netgalley)
January 10, 2026
I had never heard of Lally Katz but I saw this book reviewed in the Guardian and had to read it.
A little bit Sex and the City, Golden Girls and Dear Dolly (yes I’m that old), the honesty of Kurtz’s storytelling had me laughing and cringing in equal measure, at events and thoughts all too relatable. The brutal vulnerability she shows throughout this book is both comforting and confronting. At time like a car crash you can’t look away from, feeling admiration at her strength and resilience and at times wanting to give her a hug or a slap, she lays herself bare on the page.
In a world where exuding perfection is the norm, her raw honesty about her strengths and flaws is a total breath of fresh air. If you’re looking for a book about someone who’s got it all together, this is definitely not the book for you. But if you’re wanting to feel like you’re spending time with the best friend you can share absolutely everything with run, don’t walk, to get this book.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. #MyCursedVagina #NetGalley.
A little bit Sex and the City, Golden Girls and Dear Dolly (yes I’m that old), the honesty of Kurtz’s storytelling had me laughing and cringing in equal measure, at events and thoughts all too relatable. The brutal vulnerability she shows throughout this book is both comforting and confronting. At time like a car crash you can’t look away from, feeling admiration at her strength and resilience and at times wanting to give her a hug or a slap, she lays herself bare on the page.
In a world where exuding perfection is the norm, her raw honesty about her strengths and flaws is a total breath of fresh air. If you’re looking for a book about someone who’s got it all together, this is definitely not the book for you. But if you’re wanting to feel like you’re spending time with the best friend you can share absolutely everything with run, don’t walk, to get this book.
Thanks to Allen & Unwin and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. #MyCursedVagina #NetGalley.
January 4, 2026
I won’t lie, the title of this book was well and truly the reason why I requested it - and I wasn’t familiar with Lally Katz prior to reading this, but I’m glad this book found me.
I didn’t quite know what to expect, but when I got an email from Allen & Unwin saying this was “one of the funniest books of 2026”, my interest was piqued.
Reading this book feels like having a little chat with a friend - the vulnerability of Lally to share the good, bad and the ugly is admirable. Downright hilarious - at others, painfully relatable. I’m sure a lot of women will be able to relate to some part or other of this memoir and I was so enthralled I probably could’ve finished it in one sitting if it wasn’t so late at night when I started it.
I also didn’t know she was Australian so it was fun to read about her career in the Australian Arts scene and little name drops to other aussies like Yael Stone and Josh Thomas.
I’m really glad this was my first book of the year and I’ll definitely be recommending it to other women I know.
Thank you Allen & Unwin for the eARC via NetGalley
I didn’t quite know what to expect, but when I got an email from Allen & Unwin saying this was “one of the funniest books of 2026”, my interest was piqued.
Reading this book feels like having a little chat with a friend - the vulnerability of Lally to share the good, bad and the ugly is admirable. Downright hilarious - at others, painfully relatable. I’m sure a lot of women will be able to relate to some part or other of this memoir and I was so enthralled I probably could’ve finished it in one sitting if it wasn’t so late at night when I started it.
I also didn’t know she was Australian so it was fun to read about her career in the Australian Arts scene and little name drops to other aussies like Yael Stone and Josh Thomas.
I’m really glad this was my first book of the year and I’ll definitely be recommending it to other women I know.
Thank you Allen & Unwin for the eARC via NetGalley
December 6, 2025
The title is sure to stop you in your tracks and so it should. Lally Katz is a fabulous playwright and her autobiographical book is equally good. Her style is arrestingly honest and by page two we’re swept along with her psychic advice, her love life and her wonderful family and friends. Switching between Australia and the USA and a few other countries were on the journey. Being half Jewish ( the wrong half) gives us a glimpse of into a life I wouldn’t necessarily believed possible until Lally laid it bare. We’re a best friend as well as an echo of the wonderful neighbour, Anna from Neighbourhood Watch. It’s so relatable in some aspects and so totally out of the world in others. A great combination. The perfect summer read. Thanks to @netgalley for the advance copy to read and to @Allenandunwin for the patience of publishers who waited eleven years for the book to come into its time.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
When the email from Allen and Unwin arrived in my inbox seeking expressions to review this book, I nearly didn’t request it - it’s a memoir, and I’m not normally a non-fiction reader. But the title made me stop and go back. And I’m so glad that I did.
My Cursed Vagina is chaotically candid from start to finish. I mean - it’s exactly what you expect from a book with this title. It’s relatable; Lally writes about experiences so many of us have shared, and it’s raw and real. I laughed, on many occasions and then found myself asking if I should be laughing - I felt deep empathy for Lally through some of her tougher times, and pure happiness for her for others.
If you love a story filled with chaos, a whole lot of TMI, then I would recommend you read My Cursed Vagina.
Thank you to Allen and Unwin for an early review copy of this fantastic memoir.
My Cursed Vagina is chaotically candid from start to finish. I mean - it’s exactly what you expect from a book with this title. It’s relatable; Lally writes about experiences so many of us have shared, and it’s raw and real. I laughed, on many occasions and then found myself asking if I should be laughing - I felt deep empathy for Lally through some of her tougher times, and pure happiness for her for others.
If you love a story filled with chaos, a whole lot of TMI, then I would recommend you read My Cursed Vagina.
Thank you to Allen and Unwin for an early review copy of this fantastic memoir.
December 30, 2025
Thanks to Allen & Unwin for an ARC of this book to read and review.
To be honest, I’ve never heard of Lally Katz before requesting this book to read and review, the title of the book had me curious.
I’m not the biggest reader of Non Fiction, and did struggle with reading this book, but in saying that it was an overall interesting read and insights into Lally’s personal and professional life.
I’m not sure if this would be a book I’d pick up and buy if I saw it on shelves at the bookstore, but if you’re a fan of Lally’s or avid Non Fiction reader, then no doubt you will enjoy it.
To be honest, I’ve never heard of Lally Katz before requesting this book to read and review, the title of the book had me curious.
I’m not the biggest reader of Non Fiction, and did struggle with reading this book, but in saying that it was an overall interesting read and insights into Lally’s personal and professional life.
I’m not sure if this would be a book I’d pick up and buy if I saw it on shelves at the bookstore, but if you’re a fan of Lally’s or avid Non Fiction reader, then no doubt you will enjoy it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Lally takes us on a journey through love, loss, friendships with humour and grace. It made me want to visit a pyschic on the streets of New York.. and well herpes.. never did I think I would be laughing so much about an STI.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Allen and Unwin for a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Allen and Unwin for a copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews