This was an interesting read. I had always loved Warhol’s art but not really much more about him. This really gave me a deep dive into his life and more about him. I loved hearing about the women he ‘worked with,’ which really isn’t the right term. He used them more than anything. The beginning of this book was a little hard to get through with all the different people, which I had no context to. My view of Warhol changed and this was a good read for that.

This was an amazing comprehensive look at all those superstars involved with Andy Warhol and his connection to them. I loved that it didn't solely focus on Andy Warhol (as he was pretty problematic), and we got a mini biography on each muse. While it's true many came to tragic ends, there are a few that outlived the strings to the factory so I enjoyed the piece at the end of the book letting readers know where each person ended up. I think that many of these characters had in common was definitely a sense of being different and wanting to display their personalities freely. It's unfortunate most weren't monetarily compensated fairly, however what they didn't get in wealth they certainly achieved in fame (which is the Andy Warhol ethos, after all).

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an advance copy of this look at the artist Andy Warhol and the scene that he created from whole cloth, inventing a new way to look at celebrity, the time their fame can last, and how quickly they can be replaced in both the public eye and by the creator, artist himself.

To paraphrase Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice 'It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in search of a good fortune, must be in want of a entourage.' I can't think of anything more true about celebrities, from real stars, to self-created influencers who appear and disappear at the drop of an app. My friend has done some ghost writing and he always discusses the scene around the artist he is to write about as "a mix between the worst prep school in fiction, and the worst prison in America. There is constant fighting for position, gossip, rumors, even fights to get close to the star, the creator of the scene. People appear and disappear regularly, some leaving because the scene is too much, or the scene has crushed them either mentally, health wise, or worse. Andy Warhol was a scene maker, a scene traveller and a artist with POP. His factory gave birth to silk screen works, the Velvet Underground and numerous women with names Warhol provided. Some went on to better things, some decayed in Warhol's orbit. Many fell to Earth and never recovered. This book tells their story. Warhol's Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine by historian and journalist Laurence Leamer is a look at what the gears of the Factory were lubricated with, the fame made, and the lives destroyed in the pursuit of Andy Warhol's 15 minutes of fame.

Andy Warhol was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and never wanted to talk about it. Warhol actually was not much of a talker, but an observer. fascinated by people, the way they acted, and the good life that many had. A good life that Warhol craved. Moving to New York Warhol made his first accomplishments in fashion, drawing shoes that were acclaimed throughout the industry. Warhol wanted more, and knew that they world or art was where he could make it. Warhol found sponsors to get his art to the dealers who could make his career, and among the rich he found people he could use. Baby Jane Holzer was his first 'Superstar' an idle rich woman with British taste, looks and the first to be labeled an It Girl. Warhol appeared in public with here, a symbiotic relationship that got both press and more. Soon there were others Edie Sedgwick, Nico, Mary Woronov, Vita, Candy Darling and others. Some Warhol named, most he filmed in his movies, many he discarded when he grew bored, or their fame didn't equate to what he wanted. Within a few short years Warhol was the Artist he wanted to be, until another scenester tried to take it all away.

A book that really surprised me, one that I thought I had an idea of what life was like in the Warhol circle, but surprised me how much a circle of Hell it must have been. Warhol was not a good person, as this book shows. Warhol would discard people, feel nothing about their deaths, pay his actors and hanger-ons nothing. In many ways this is both a cautionary tale about fame, and a book about not joining cults, as neither one can end well. Leamer is a very good writer, capturing the scene, the drugs, the art, and the sadness of many of the characters. There are a tremendous amount of people, but Leamer is good about describing them, even the famous ones so one is never lost. I learned quite a bit, and enjoyed this book quite a lot, though I feel very bad for many of the people featured here.

In the afterword Leamer discusses how much of this information printed has not been released, using many transcripts of tapes from the Warhol estate, as Andy Warhol taped almost every conversation he had. Learner has really done his work and has written a very important book about the Factory scene, one that still interests many people. And a book that we can learn quite a lot from.

Such a well researched book. Laurence Leamer never disappoints. I read more about some Andy Warhol Superstars I already knew about and was able to read about others I didn’t. I loved it! Thank you NetGallery!

*I received a copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity*

Warhol's Muses is a sad and detailed look into the lives of the “superstars” who were brought to fame by and with the Andy Warhol. Specifically those he worked with through the 1960s into the early 70s.

As someone who considered myself a fan of Warhol art I didn’t realize how little I actually knew of his character and this book definitely tainted that. That being said I would most definitely recommend this to any Warhol fan, but brace yourself for tragedy. It is well written and seems to be well researched and gives many a detailed account of life in and around the factory through the 1960s.
Upon reading this book I would say the subheading “The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine” is quite appropriate.

To say that Warhol worked WITH these people (predominantly women) isn’t really the right worked. Andy Warhol used them. Whether for his own social climbing or through manipulation of their desperate place in life getting them to do incredibly destructive things for drugs and attention.

Warhol Muses offers a fascinating look at the women who inspired Andy Warhol's art, from Baby Jane Holzer to Candy Darling, exploring their impact on both his work and the cultural landscape of the era. The book balances striking visuals with insightful commentary, giving readers a glimpse into Warhol's world through the lens of his relationships with these iconic figures.

Whether you're a Warhol aficionado or simply interested in the intersection of art, celebrity, and fashion, the book is an engaging and stylist read. Perfect for fans of pop art and ‘60s-'70 counterculture, Warhol Muses is a must-read for those intrigued by the real-life muses behind the myth.

As an artist I always wanted to meet Andy Warhol. I just figured I could travel to NYC and drop into the Factory. I am not sure what I was thinking, having not read any books about him. My source was newspapers and articles about him. After reading this book, it would have been very pedestrian to go up to him and talk or even to shake his hand. I was not familiar with that famous sofa, but I did know about the 'it' girls, Warhol's muses.
Of these muses it would have been cool to meet Nico or Edie. I been to Ibiza, and I went clubbing every night, maybe Nico was parting in one of those clubs. Besides the Velvet Underground album I have a copy of her Chelsea Girl. I was always into exotic girls and she and Edie would have been right up my alley.
It is too bad that Andy was so self-absorbed and cared little about those whom he used. I know one shouldn't speak ill of the dead. I haven't stopped thinking about this book and the human costs of those Andy collected. Maybe it just as well that I didn't get to meet him.

This book is a pretty comprehensive look at the many muses of Andy Warhol. Let me say at the outset that I find him to be a miserable, selfish person who was more a merchandiser than an artist, and this book did nothing to dispel that opinon. I picked this up because I was interested in how these people came to be associated with him, and what happened to them after their time in the Factory with him. I liked how this book spoke to a lot of people who were there at the time, and especially the update at the end of the book as to what happened to them later in life. It was a quick read, and entertaining.

Warhol’s Muses: The Artists, Misfits, and Superstars Destroyed by the Factory Fame Machine by Laurence Leamer is an enthralling and tragic exploration of the women whose lives were forever changed—often for the worse—by their proximity to Andy Warhol’s orbit. Leamer’s narrative is both a glittering ode to the chaotic allure of 1960s Manhattan and a sobering account of the emotional and psychological cost of fame under Warhol’s manipulative, voyeuristic gaze.

The strength of this book lies in how Leamer humanizes Warhol’s "Superstars." Figures like Edie Sedgwick, Nico, and Candy Darling have often been reduced to pop culture footnotes or tragic archetypes of the "It girl" who burned too brightly. Here, they are portrayed with depth and complexity—not just as muses but as ambitious, flawed, and ultimately vulnerable women who were drawn into Warhol’s world in pursuit of identity, freedom, and creative expression. Leamer excels at placing each woman within the broader cultural and personal context that shaped her decisions, making their stories feel personal rather than sensationalized.

Warhol himself is depicted with a mixture of awe and indictment. Leamer doesn’t shy away from portraying the darker side of his genius—his ability to reduce people to aesthetic objects, his cold detachment from the chaos and suffering around him, and his role as a puppet master who both elevated and destroyed the women who trusted him. Warhol’s confession about watching people self-destruct for the sake of art haunts the entire narrative. Yet Leamer also acknowledges Warhol’s vulnerability—his lifelong fear of death, his asexuality amid the sexual revolution, and his near-fatal shooting in 1968, which forever altered his demeanor and work.

The vivid descriptions of the Factory’s hedonistic culture—the wild parties, the pervasive drug use, and the voyeuristic art installations—transport the reader into a world that was equal parts creative wonderland and emotional wasteland. Leamer captures the dissonance of a place where dreams were born and extinguished in the same breath, where casual cruelty was masked as avant-garde coolness.

One of the most poignant elements of the book is its focus on the aftermath for Warhol’s muses. While Warhol continued to rise in prominence after surviving the shooting, many of the women he made famous struggled with addiction, isolation, and obscurity. Leamer doesn’t romanticize their falls from grace but instead examines the social forces—misogyny, addiction, and a culture obsessed with youth and beauty—that made their stories so tragically common. The author also questions the nature of agency: Did these women make their own choices, or were they victims of a system they didn’t fully understand until it was too late?

If there’s a critique, it’s that the book sometimes skims over key details in favor of broader storytelling. Certain figures—such as Nico and Viva—deserve more in-depth exploration, as their stories feel abbreviated compared to more iconic muses like Edie Sedgwick. Additionally, some readers may wish for more analysis of Warhol’s complex psychology and the role of queerness in his art and relationships, rather than solely focusing on his detachment and manipulations.

At 4 stars, Warhol’s Muses is a gripping and often heartbreaking portrait of fame, exploitation, and the fleeting allure of the Factory’s silver-lined world. Laurence Leamer’s meticulous research and empathetic storytelling breathe life into these forgotten muses, reclaiming their narratives from the shadows of Warhol’s legacy. For anyone fascinated by the countercultural explosion of the 1960s or the complexities of artist-muse dynamics, this book offers a captivating and cautionary glimpse into a world where beauty, ambition, and art collided with devastating consequences.

We know their names, or their faces, and FINALLY there was a book that would share more about these women in Andy Warhol's orbit. This was a very well researched biographical compilation of these individuals. It was sad to read how they were manipulated, used, taken advantage of, etc. I will forever look at Andy Warhol in a different way.

3.5 stars. I’ve enjoyed the books from Leamer that I’ve read, but this was a bit tougher to connect with.

The novel covers Warhol’s relationships with ten of his “superstars” including Edie Sedgwick, Nico, Candy Darling, Baby Jane Holzer, Brigid Berlin, Mary Woronov, International Velvet, Viva, UltraViolet and Ingrid Superstar. I don’t know that any of them escaped his orbit unscathed.

Leamer wrote a great book on Truman Capote and his swans (I highly recommend it if you are at all interested in the topic) that became the basis for the recent “Feud” miniseries. The big difference between Capote and Warhol is that while Capote certainly used the swans for status he also offered him his loyal friendship (well, til the end) and a terribly witty and welcome dinner guest and alternative to their husbands.

Warhol? He appears to be nothing but a truly awful man with no genuine feeling for anyone, an absolute, unrepentant user. His it girls were often desperate for his help, for him to be the friend they had been to him and he not only withheld, he often hoped they would commit suicide so he could film it. So quite the charmer! He also treated his lovers and everyone associated with the Factory this way.

“…what he does is morally indefensible. He is a kind of confidence man, preying on people’s vanity, ignorance, or loneliness, gaining their trust and betraying them without remorse.” So that’s Andy Warhol. Prior to reading this book I always had a generally positive opinion about him, knowing that he was from Pittsburgh and that he was not from money, but was entirely self-created, but the book has definitely colored my view, a very, very solid black.

As to the book I missed Warhol and the Factory during its heyday and though the names of some of these women are vaguely familiar to me, I lack context. Those who lived through the era may enjoy the book more, though I still liked it fine. Leamer does a good job with subjects like this and he’s quickly becoming a “must read” for me.

Warhol's Muses by Laurence Leamer is an extremely detailed account of women surrounding Warhol at the famed Factory. This is an excellent read for anyone interested in the 60's counterculture, Warhol, and his art creating processes. Leamer explores the lives of 10 women, brings them to life, honors them and respects them in ways Warhol failed.

I enjoyed Warhol’s Muses by Laurence Leamer and found it fascinating to learn about the women who influenced Andy Warhol’s life and art. The book offers compelling insights into these muses, though I felt the pacing was a bit slow at times. Overall, I’d recommend this book to anyone interested in Warhol or fans of Leamer’s previous work, Capote’s Women. Both books explore how their central figures used the women around them to shape and perpetuate their own fame, making for an intriguing parallel.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was interesting to learn about Andy Warhol and the muses he had. It was informative and worked with the overall feel that I was expecting. Laurence Leamer wrote this well and enjoyed the overall research that was put into it.

I received this as digital galley from NetGalley.

Well after reading Gopnik's 976 biography of Warhol and this book by Leamer on Warhol's 'muses' my opinion on Andy Warhol has been firmly cemented as an awful person who ruined people's lives!

Leamer does a good job of giving each of Warhol's muses a portrait and personality of their own and I enjoyed reading about the ones that I did not know as much about (Baby Jane Holzer, Ultra Violet) as well as others that I have read lots about (mainly Edie).

Has someone written about how so many 60s counterculture stars experienced wildly conservative turns in their older age? There's something there.