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A review by anyasinatra
Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates
5.0
What a sad, funny little book (not 'little' by literal means!). I didn't like most of it. Despite it being hailed as a "mesmerizing masterpiece" by critics like Elaine Showalter(!) and Hilary Mantel, I found several bits hard to navigate. Hard to read. The blatant sexuality smacked across your face every two pages and the vulgarisation of Monroe, however fictional the book might be, can be behind off putting. This really isn't a book for the faint hearted; even took me almost a month to complete and midway I was positively depressed!
I liked how candid Oates was with showcasing the men around Marilyn who sucked her dry. The world around her that used her and reduced her to meat. There's still so much to unpack, and even though I know that this is a fictionalised account (perhaps the best fictionalised life I've ever read!), I couldn't help but imagine the real Norma Jeane going through all or even more of that.
What a sad book, what a sad, sad life, what a cruel world.
I liked how candid Oates was with showcasing the men around Marilyn who sucked her dry. The world around her that used her and reduced her to meat. There's still so much to unpack, and even though I know that this is a fictionalised account (perhaps the best fictionalised life I've ever read!), I couldn't help but imagine the real Norma Jeane going through all or even more of that.
What a sad book, what a sad, sad life, what a cruel world.