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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Save yourself the repeated stories in the book and just watch the Netflix documentary.
This is the first Marilyn Monroe biography that I have read, and must admit my knowledge of her life and career was cursory before picking it up. A lot of ink has been spilled over her life and even more over her death, and while I'm sure there are inaccuracies and omissions in Anthony Summers' "Goddess" ...was a fantastic read. Summers traces her life from birth til death, but not in a simple, linear fashion. He acknowledges (if not embraces) the complex mythology that has built up around Marilyn Monroe. He uses Marilyn's own words about her life (which changed frequently over time) as well as those of the friends, relatives, and colleagues who knew he best . Ultimately, the picture he paints is a sad one. The story of a little girl who never quite grew up; the brilliant actress with crushing stage fright; and the sex goddess who really just wanted to be loved. I was amazed at how much she was at the crux of mid-century life and fame and that she knew...absolutely everyone. Most haunting, certainly, were the last days of her life...her decent into drugs and alcohol and loneliness. All in all, a compelling read and a well-rounded portrait.
This was an audiobook listen that took way too long for me to get through, so I don't think I can appreciate Summers' writing to its fullest. However, Goddess is a gut-wrenching look into the depths of Marilyn Monroe's life. It covers her rise to stardom, the inevitable exploitation by Hollywood, her tumultuous love life, and her too-quick end.
Summers’ research on Marilyn is phenomenal. He uses a variety of sources, including testimonies from Marilyn's loved ones, photographs, movies, her own writings, and even documents from the FBI.
Tightly involved in Marilyn's life were the Kennedy brothers, whose shady dealings with her were often relegated to obscurity to save face for America’s royalty. However, Summers' research exposes the sordid affairs and exploitation surrounding the Kennedys and Marilyn—something that sparked heavy backlash upon this book’s publication.
Perhaps the most interesting theme in Marilyn's life is her search for love, something Summers captures tragically. Despite three marriages and a host of affairs, Marilyn was always left unsatisfied and heartbroken. She was America’s darling who could not seem to find love herself. Her life is a hard story to read. At every turn, it seems Marilyn was abused for her body and looks, and her slow fall into mental instability makes sadly too much sense.
Summers' Goddess is a quintessential read for anyone attempting to understand Marilyn Monroe and her short, yet culture-shaping life.
Summers’ research on Marilyn is phenomenal. He uses a variety of sources, including testimonies from Marilyn's loved ones, photographs, movies, her own writings, and even documents from the FBI.
Tightly involved in Marilyn's life were the Kennedy brothers, whose shady dealings with her were often relegated to obscurity to save face for America’s royalty. However, Summers' research exposes the sordid affairs and exploitation surrounding the Kennedys and Marilyn—something that sparked heavy backlash upon this book’s publication.
Perhaps the most interesting theme in Marilyn's life is her search for love, something Summers captures tragically. Despite three marriages and a host of affairs, Marilyn was always left unsatisfied and heartbroken. She was America’s darling who could not seem to find love herself. Her life is a hard story to read. At every turn, it seems Marilyn was abused for her body and looks, and her slow fall into mental instability makes sadly too much sense.
Summers' Goddess is a quintessential read for anyone attempting to understand Marilyn Monroe and her short, yet culture-shaping life.
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
I first learned about this book from an interview Summers did on the podcast Betwixt the Sheets. I've always had an interest in Monroe as a person and have enjoyed several of her films. So, based on Summer's interview I decided to give this book a listen on Audible.
Overall, it provided a great deal of information about Monroe from her birth to her death. From that perspective, I enjoyed this book. It had many interviews and first-hand sources from Monroe's friends and life, which helped to paint a clear picture of her. However, I did not enjoy Summers' writing. He attempted to have an objective perspective on the facts that he presented, but there were several instances where I felt that his biases showed through and I frankly found them a bit grating.
For example, when Summers discusses Monroe's (possible - the reports on this are conflicting and it is unclear how many there may have been if any) early abortions and her later desire to have children. The tone for how these events were discussed read as very judgmental and Summers continues to say that Monroe's (maybe) early abortions were botched impacting her later abilities to have children. However, there is no evidence presented in the text that any potential abortions that Monroe had were not done properly or resulted in medical complications. Also, Monroe appears to have gotten pregnant later in life without issue but unfortunately did suffer from miscarriages.
Furthermore, Summers introduces secondhand evidence that Joe DiMaggio was physically and emotionally abusive. However, toward the end of the book it did read that Summers was attempting to make DiMaggio the hero of part of the story because he was keeping tabs on Monroe when her mental health was deteriorating and even helped with the funeral. Now, I understand I have my own biases, but the way that it was written made it seem like DiMaggio was continuing abusive behaviour toward Monroe given how much supervising and alleged spying he was attempting to do to "keep Marilyn safe". It is possible that DiMaggio could have been worried about her, but it did feel a bit like the control that he exerted over her during their marriage was continuing after they divorced. However, Summers is directly contrasting DiMaggio with the Kennedy brothers and rather than demonstrating that Monroe did not have very good taste in men seems to be contrasting the two.
This book also really falls apart at the end. I do think that Summers does a good job of discussing the evidence related to Monroe's relationships with the Kennedy Brothers. However, when he provides evidence that suggests that she may have been killed because of this relationship it does feel a little conspiracy theory-esch. Some first-hand accounts lend credibility to the theory that Summers discusses concerning Monroe's death, but he ends by saying the evidence continues to be hidden. Summers' opinions on what that evidence shows however appear pretty clearly in the text.
If you are looking for a biography of Monroe I would read a few different ones before reading this book to allow you to critically analyze the information it discusses.
Overall, it provided a great deal of information about Monroe from her birth to her death. From that perspective, I enjoyed this book. It had many interviews and first-hand sources from Monroe's friends and life, which helped to paint a clear picture of her. However, I did not enjoy Summers' writing. He attempted to have an objective perspective on the facts that he presented, but there were several instances where I felt that his biases showed through and I frankly found them a bit grating.
For example, when Summers discusses Monroe's (possible - the reports on this are conflicting and it is unclear how many there may have been if any) early abortions and her later desire to have children. The tone for how these events were discussed read as very judgmental and Summers continues to say that Monroe's (maybe) early abortions were botched impacting her later abilities to have children. However, there is no evidence presented in the text that any potential abortions that Monroe had were not done properly or resulted in medical complications. Also, Monroe appears to have gotten pregnant later in life without issue but unfortunately did suffer from miscarriages.
Furthermore, Summers introduces secondhand evidence that Joe DiMaggio was physically and emotionally abusive. However, toward the end of the book it did read that Summers was attempting to make DiMaggio the hero of part of the story because he was keeping tabs on Monroe when her mental health was deteriorating and even helped with the funeral. Now, I understand I have my own biases, but the way that it was written made it seem like DiMaggio was continuing abusive behaviour toward Monroe given how much supervising and alleged spying he was attempting to do to "keep Marilyn safe". It is possible that DiMaggio could have been worried about her, but it did feel a bit like the control that he exerted over her during their marriage was continuing after they divorced. However, Summers is directly contrasting DiMaggio with the Kennedy brothers and rather than demonstrating that Monroe did not have very good taste in men seems to be contrasting the two.
This book also really falls apart at the end. I do think that Summers does a good job of discussing the evidence related to Monroe's relationships with the Kennedy Brothers. However, when he provides evidence that suggests that she may have been killed because of this relationship it does feel a little conspiracy theory-esch. Some first-hand accounts lend credibility to the theory that Summers discusses concerning Monroe's death, but he ends by saying the evidence continues to be hidden. Summers' opinions on what that evidence shows however appear pretty clearly in the text.
If you are looking for a biography of Monroe I would read a few different ones before reading this book to allow you to critically analyze the information it discusses.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Classism
Moderate: Cancer, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Physical abuse, Rape, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Stalking, Abortion, Pregnancy
Minor: War
Ugh, idk. I think this book was interesting, very thorough, but an incredible amount of speculation.
informative
slow-paced
I really enjoyed the beginning of this book. I didn't know as much as I thought about the life of Marilyn, so I was totally engrossed learning about her childhood and after. I was kind of surprised that she died with so much of the book left to read. After that it wasn't as good for me, but probably because I have heard all the different speculation of her death before. All in all a decent book to read.
Recently, Netflix released The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, covering and re-enacting audio tapes from Summers' collection. This prompted me to reread what is almost certainly the most comprehensive, independent autobiography of Marilyn Monroe to date. Released nearly 40 years ago, almost half of the book is devoted to the circumstances surrounding the events of the tragic night of August 4, 1962. Using witness statements, wiretaps, testimonies of family members, and other sources, Summers documents and allows one to piece together a plausible and probable timeline of events that differs dramatically from the generally-accepted story. I gain new insights every time I read this book.
Marilyn in my opinion was a sad, fatally-flawed woman whose fame thrust her into powerful circles which overlapped and conflicted with each other. These stresses ultimately led to her downfall, and the truths behind her death needed to be sacrificed, officially covered up to protect the living. It is a tragedy of operatic, mythical proportions, and one of the reasons she remains immortal to her fans.
Marilyn in my opinion was a sad, fatally-flawed woman whose fame thrust her into powerful circles which overlapped and conflicted with each other. These stresses ultimately led to her downfall, and the truths behind her death needed to be sacrificed, officially covered up to protect the living. It is a tragedy of operatic, mythical proportions, and one of the reasons she remains immortal to her fans.
Great book! I especially love how Anthony Summers takes the reader through different points of Marilyn's life and acknowledges its surface while exploring its depth. Favorite anecdote has to be when Summers describes what she was like in acting class. How she could be just another student one minute and then the next she's Marilyn F*cking Monroe. Incredible!
The first half was a little too tabloid-y but the parts covering 1962, the Kennedys, her death, and the subsequent "investigation" were well worth the read. Summers doesn't really come to any definitive conclusion, which is fair given the absence of a smoking gun pointing one way or the other but, come on, lots of shady shit was going on in the 1960s.