Once again I am reminded of why JCO is one of my favorite authors. This was a novelization of the life of Marilyn Monroe, and it was fascinating and appalling. The writing was so brilliant that I was often walking around in a daze while I read it with the author's voice going 'round and 'round in my brain. It becomes unimportant what is "true" and what is the author's invention because larger questions of where does victimization end and calculation begin, and whose "reality" about the Blonde Actress is most trustworthy, take over. I was brought to some ugly, low places with this book and sometimes I would actually need to take some air to shake it off. If you haven't read Oates, you are missing something rare and special.

First time reading Joyce Carol Oates and was not disappointed. It took me a bit to get into the book; I thought it was a little slow, but then it took off and I could not put it down. For such a dark story, she showed she could bring more substance to Marilyn Monroe than any other author I have read,
I will definitely read more of her books.

Oates has a unique talent for creating the most mesmerizing plots. This novel is part poem, part drama, part homage, a giant fresco designed to see one of the most known stars in a completely new light. What I find to be a coup de maître is the fact that Norma Jeane never disappears throughout all of Marilyn's life: a shy, scared girl looking for approval and terrified of failure. Monroe's life suddenly makes so much sense.
Far from being knowledgeable about Monroe's biography, I was transported through fact and fiction, never bored and slightly amazed at the sing song allure of the story which constantly pulls the reader back into the plot.
A haunting tale.

This book immediately grabbed my interest - using Marilyn's voice Oates details the escapades, romances, and Hollywood rumours that made her famous. If you like Oates you will love this one.

Finalist of the 2001 Pulitzer prize for fiction.