Rating: 
Summary: strange experience and tough...
Review: I don't normally review anything, but this book has stuck with me for some time. HBO's Norma Jean and Marilyn is on tonight, and as I watch it, I remember my experience reading Oates' Blonde. I took it along as a good beach read on a trip to paradise and this proved to be a very good choice, because it was thouroughly engrossing...and disturbing. About halfway through, I found myself unconciously thinking of things in terms of the language and perception of the book. In this way it is insidious and terribly denigrating to the self esteem of a woman. Oates' Blonde (Marilyn) is so utterly powerless in the face of the macabre and disassociated carnival that is her life, and so completely the victim. At times, I felt disgusted, with the character, and, through relation, with myself. If I could ask Oates anything, it would be this: "Did you write this book hoping to stir us all out of complacency to take charge of our lives?" Although I'm a gen-X youngster, I'm fairly traditional, even conservative in my thinking (tattooes, aside). This book made me feel used, dirty and cheap...as a woman in general. I've never experienced this through literature, before. Therein is the power of this novel, and was that the point? To react so strongly to the utter weakness and facility of The Blonde that one strives to change? I've read other Oates books, and this seems to be a common thread (especially with Mulvaneys, and the character of Marianne, who takes what seems like a century to find her sea legs (life legs). Blonde deserves five stars, but for the fact that it is a very emotionally difficult read, if you choose to really absorb it. I picked it up as a beach read, and I suppose it could be casually read as such, but somewhere around page 10, it takes on a far deeper purpose. A recommendation: For those looking for a book less emotionally denigrating to the feminine heart, read The Blind Assassin. Equally well written, engrossing and heart wrenching, but with a better moral at the end.
Rating: 
Summary: A Modern Masterpiece, Oates' finest!
Review: READ THIS BOOK, trust me. The only reason this example of modern literary perfection is getting one star reviews is because there are die-hard Monroe fans out there and they would hate ANYTHING that took creative license with her life, BUT THAT IS WHAT FICTION IS! They need to realize that this book would have been an complete, utter failure had it been written by someone other than Joyce Carol Oates, one of the living masters of fiction. Unlike what some bitter reviewers say, Oates does not hate Monroe and she is not jealous of Monroe either! Oates cares deeply for Monroe (or rather Norma Jean Baker) and wants to see her be happy, but anyone knowing the course of Monroe's life knows that would never happen. It's a long and at times depressing read, but it's worth every word. From the opening lines, I could not put this book down! It's become my favorite book and I've have read it many times. There so many wonderful elements to the book that I could go on raving about it for paragraphs and paragraphs, but I just needed to say that it's not fair that people are taking this book as something that it isn't: a biography, non-fiction. And they therefore are trashing it. This the first book I've read of Oates and I never knew much of anything about Monroe's life before this book, but after reading this book, I became die-hard fans of both of these talented women. So take my word for it: At the very least it's worth a checkout at the library, if you go to it with an open, unbiased mind, you'll be in for an unforrgetable read! Grade: A
Rating: 
Summary: A great novel: a horrific book
Review: This would be a minor basilica in the architecture of the American novel, except for one small problem.
Marilyn Monroe may have been a creation of an industry and a confused, naive destitute woman, but the supporting cast are no works of fiction. They were, and some-Miller, Dougherty, others-still are (as of Christmas 2004!) living humans, not fictional entities to be used as the author would have. Norma Jeane Mortenson, who was Marilyn Monroe in every way at the end, and Joe DiMaggio, Frank SInatra, and all the players in this penultimate drama-under the pseudonyms (Bucky, et al) or their real names (Whitey Snyder) were real humans and deserve to be treated as such. And Joyce Carol Oates is, however great a novelist, not fit to judge them.
If the story had replaced every single name with a fictionalized one, including those of the central being herself, I would have had more respect for Oates. However, as one of the younger people on the planet who belong to an exclusive club-I met the real Marilyn Monroe, talked with her, shook her hand, smelled her perfume (supposedly she wore Chanel #5, but I've never smelled anything like she did:wonderful!) in New York when I was fourteen-I would like to speak for all of us, from her husbands and lovers to her adoring fans to those like myself who _weren't_ fans until we met her.
She deserves better; so do we!
Rating:
Summary: Blonde: an honest view of a life
Review: I was never a Marilyn Monroe fan. I would never even watch a movie of hers. I didn't want to jump on what I thought was a bandwagon of people who loved her because she was so tragic. I was never interested in the dumb blonde sexpot thing. I've always preferred the more exotic Joan Crawford or Rita Hayworth. I knew Monroe's story but it never became personal for me. It never spoke to me.
Oates' words spoke to me. I have a love/hate relationship with her work. I like it but it often annoys me. I also said the first couple of pages had me thinking I'd never get through the book. Well, after that I never wanted to put it down. I was totally engrossed for all 738 pages. I often read several books at once. In this case, I wasn't interested in reading books that I had just gotten in from my favorite authors. There was just no comparison.
Oates breaks some "rules". She throws in dialogue imagined and real. Sometimes, you're not sure who the story teller is. You have to "listen" as it unfolds. Sometimes, the story is told as poetry. Sometimes a chapter is a page long. A great thing about this is... she doesn't do anything to the point where it's annoying. For example, sentences without verbs--which I always notice and it personally drives me nuts. She does it sometimes, but not on every page. She does it enough that it's needed and not jarring.
If Oates wants you to feel like the character-- frightened, sad, confused, numb, glad, she weaves her words so that the experience of reading enables that feeling. You don't just view it as an outsider, you are a participant.
I could relate to the character personally. I understand being smart and wanting to be smarter and reading all you can to know as much as everyone else but always feeling inferior, always sounding like the airhead. I can grasp that, hold it in my hand and KNOW that experience. I understand being able to read philosophers and have great opinions but never being able to verbally express myself about any of it in any kind of coherent manner.
Also, she portrays Monroe as multidimensional. Lost people often don't know who they are. None of us are always one thing, are we? We are often contradictions of ourselves.
I always thought Monroe played herself. I didn't consider that maybe the dumb blonde was a brilliant talent, something she gave them, almost like a joke or a slap in the face. I also understand being able to use that, to fool people with it, allowing it to be an advantage and then being able to offer a beautiful surprise for anyone who is special, more deserving.
I've ordered all of Monroe's movies. I've got some catching up to do.
I HIGHLY recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: a pinnacle among Oates books
Review: Blonde is an ambitious book. Oates is such an established writer of fiction that it is surprising that she took on a biography of someone so iconic and intrinsic to American movie culture. But Oates tells the story as only she could, getting inside her character to disturbing degrees. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It definitely stands out against other works on Marilyn Monroe as a sensitive portrayal. I gave it five stars because it is abundantly well researched and detailed, but also intriguing, which isn't always the case with such a large book. There are so many things that could be included in a work like this and Oates has obviously selected her subject matter with the utmost care. In an interview with Book Forum Oates commented that she originally intended to end the book with the actress receiving her screen name, but that to end there seemed too incomplete.
There are highly publicized aspects of Monroe's life that are touched on tentatively and not delved into (the JFK ordeal) and this might annoy some readers. With this book Oates puts the emphasis into her character, and that is the focus inarguably of this book, the events scandals etc... are not the crux of this work. If you're looking for a more tabloid approach try reading Goddess. In conclusion I'd recommend this to any Oates fan as a must read, but caution Monroe fans as the subject matter included isn't for the faint of heart.
Rating:
Summary: A Modern Masterpiece, Oates' finest!
Review: Ok, Don't read BLONDE.If you respect Marilyn.Or, if you respect literature.Or, if you just respect yourself.
Disguising itself as a Blockbuster novel, this book is nothing more than a porn-novel.I swear it is.I'm not being prudish.I can indeed be prudish but here I speak in all honesty.If you are looking for an "adult" novel that drivels on with no meaningful content and plenty of dirty scenes wherin the author lives out her filthiest fantasies on paper, then this is the book for you.
DOn't be fooled by the many many pages, into thinking that all that writing means GOOD writing.
If you are a Marilyn fan, skip this.JCO has simply used the fame of MArilyn's name to write a [...] book that will sell by the truckload.
Does Joyce have talent and some clever literacy?Maybe. Maybe the people who claim the book is clever are right to some small extent.
But, basically, this is just pages nad pages of what I have already mentioned.
The glimpses inside this book of Marilyn's life and insecurities are surely obligatory pieces that lead to what Oates was really dying to write.What I have aforementioned.Along with a whole lot of fiction.
Again, Oates longed to write an, ahem, "adult" novel and used Marilyn Monroe as the central character.
If it's really Marilyn you want to read about, I suggest My Sister Marilyn.Her sister respected her.Even writers who didn't know her had some kind of respect for her and for literature.And for themselves.And for theri readers.Not this author.
This "novel" is a farce.
Rest in peace, Marilyn, if you can.
Linda M Rowe
Rating:
Summary: Oates gives Marilyn depth & intelligence
Review: It is strange that "Blonde" has offended so many Marilyn Monroe fans. I knew little about Miss Monroe before reading "Blonde," and when I put the book down I had a lot of respect for Marilyn. Oates seems anything but "resentful" and "degrading" in her portrayel of of Marilyn. Infact, "Blonde" is probably the only reading material that honors Marilyn enough to make her human. For example, Marilyn was was indeed physically beautiful, and also intelligent and strong but also wounded and desperately alone at times. It's a seemingly insightful, psychologically interesting book. ....Tough book to put down.
Rating:
Summary: an incredible experience
Review: Already a fan of Joyce Carol Oates, when I finished _Blonde_ I almost immediately became a fan of Marilyn Monroe as well. Yes, it is a very long, somewhat foggy fictionalized account of Marilyn's life, but having now read several different biograhpies I see how close to the truth Oates really came. Changing many names (foster parents and producers, for example) and referring to Marilyn's husbands as "The Ex-Athlete" and "The Playwright", Oates nevertheless fills the book with all the people who surrounded Marilyn, and reveals the roles they played in both her desperate need to be loved and her blind ambition to become famous. The best part about this novel is Oates' ability to BECOME Norma Jeane, to get inside of her head and write in the actress' voice in an extremely believable way (hence the sometimes confusing and "foggy" aspect of the narration). _Blonde_ is a very haunting and beautiful work that will always be with me.
|
