Wendy H. (donkeycheese) - , reviewed on 7/8/2013 + 1255 more book reviews

I've never read anything about Marilyn Monroe. Sure, I've seen some old movies with her in it and I've heard about a conspiracy theory surrounding her death. But beyond that, I was pretty clueless until I immersed myself in Banner's Marilyn. It took me a while to really get a connection to this book. It was really dry reading, with alot of time spent with Banner explaining why her research of Marilyn was correct and why everyone's before her was not.

But getting past that, she did offer some fresh perspectives about Marilyn's life. Was she manipulated by men or was she in charge of her own destiny is for the reader to decide. But I was intrigued in learning about Norma Jean's (her real name) childhood, her rise to stardom and her many men. I particularly enjoyed the photographs in the book. It really added to the story seeing her in so many different places and with so many different people. Her life was simply captivating and tragic.

If you are a Marilyn fan or simply like to read biographies, I urge you to pick up Marilyn by Lois Banner. Even though it's a bit unorthodox in places, meaning the author's whatfors and how comes, it really is a compelling piece of fiction.

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