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oysterkatcher's review against another edition
1.0
What a fucking horrible depiction of Marilyn Monroe's life. To this day, many people continue the objectification of a woman who had more depth than most ever will, and this fanfiction novelization of her life does little to combat that. What is the purpose of including so many crude and derogatory depictions of her? On the surface, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn't have a vague understanding of her role as a sex symbol, so why does this novel dehumanize her as much as it tries to sensationalize her? I'm baffled. I hated reading this, and honestly if it weren't for a reading challenge, I wouldn't have. If the Netflix version is anything like the novel, I likely won't watch past the first episode.
birdmanseven's review against another edition
5.0
I'm amazed by this book. The depths of research and the insights into the character make it a completely immersive experience. I read this over the course of a few years and each time I went back to it I was impressed all over again. It will take you forever and there's a lot of ugliness to the story. But it is worth it.
We discussed this further on a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/off-the-books-social-distancing-with-pauline-emery
We discussed this further on a special episode of the All the Books Show: https://soundcloud.com/allthebooks/off-the-books-social-distancing-with-pauline-emery
jborst's review against another edition
4.0
An epic, sprawling fictional account of the life of Marilyn Monroe. It's tragic and awful and beautifully written. Every page (and there are a bazillion of them) is worth reading.
mandylou76's review against another edition
4.0
I've been reading this book off and on all year. It was worth it. I didn't know what I was in for in the best, but in many cases disturbing, way (and that's not a bad thing, but the book is more brutal than I anticipated).
tanja_alina_berg's review against another edition
2.0
I came across this book a few weeks ago and thought it would be one to get around to eventually. Then there was a booksale which miraculously included this book, meaning I bought it.I started reading it soon after buying, so that the length would not deter me.
I read a biography about Norma Jean Baker - aka Marilyn Monroe - some twenty years past. This is not a biography. This is a fictional account on what it could have been like to be Miss Baker. It gives insight into her vulnerability, her intelligence and her naivety when it came to men. Norma Jean had a desire to please that went far beyond what was good for her.
I found the book pretty good upto the point where Norma Jean becomes Marilyn Monroe, at around page 250 or so. After that my interest dwindled. I found much of the writing annoying. Too many "&" and "hnnhs". It's supposed to be an insightful portrait of Marilyn Monroe. I did not find this to be the case. Maybe because of my preconceived ideas.
It's pretty incredible how this goody-two-shoes girl became the greatest sex symbol of the 20th century. That even 55 years afte her death, everyone still knows her name, her look. Although what she represented wasn't anything like what she truly was. In this book she is presented as a woman who more than anything wanted to be a wife and a mother.
This isn't really very bad or anything - I just didn't like the writing. Part of the portrait painted of Marilyn is quite touching. This book, as we are warned, must not be read as a biography though. This shows throughout because real historical characters are rarely given their actual names.
Touching at times, annoying more than anything. Could have done without.
I read a biography about Norma Jean Baker - aka Marilyn Monroe - some twenty years past. This is not a biography. This is a fictional account on what it could have been like to be Miss Baker. It gives insight into her vulnerability, her intelligence and her naivety when it came to men. Norma Jean had a desire to please that went far beyond what was good for her.
I found the book pretty good upto the point where Norma Jean becomes Marilyn Monroe, at around page 250 or so. After that my interest dwindled. I found much of the writing annoying. Too many "&" and "hnnhs". It's supposed to be an insightful portrait of Marilyn Monroe. I did not find this to be the case. Maybe because of my preconceived ideas.
It's pretty incredible how this goody-two-shoes girl became the greatest sex symbol of the 20th century. That even 55 years afte her death, everyone still knows her name, her look. Although what she represented wasn't anything like what she truly was. In this book she is presented as a woman who more than anything wanted to be a wife and a mother.
This isn't really very bad or anything - I just didn't like the writing. Part of the portrait painted of Marilyn is quite touching. This book, as we are warned, must not be read as a biography though. This shows throughout because real historical characters are rarely given their actual names.
Touching at times, annoying more than anything. Could have done without.
twturnbow's review against another edition
5.0
Deeply gut wrenching. Amazingly beautiful. I literally cannot comprehend how she wrote this book, but it is WILD.
anistasiabelle's review against another edition
1.0
DNF
I just didn’t “get it,” and about 50% of the 350 pages I read I didn’t understand. I didn’t enjoy her writing style at all; it had me lost wondering who each of these people were. I felt like you needed to intimately know MM’s life before you read this so you understood what the heck was going on.
It started off so strong too. Bummer.
I just didn’t “get it,” and about 50% of the 350 pages I read I didn’t understand. I didn’t enjoy her writing style at all; it had me lost wondering who each of these people were. I felt like you needed to intimately know MM’s life before you read this so you understood what the heck was going on.
It started off so strong too. Bummer.