The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe

Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: having read all the main 'lives' of marilyn monroe this book is a blast of fresh air. not a biography but a timely study in what has been said and written about her over the years, how we have mythologised and fictionalised her life. a biography of the biographies if you like. the author looks at the many conflicting interpretations of marilyns life (and death) and in doing so has written easily the best book on mm to date. objective and intelligent, i can not recommend this highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: having read all the main 'lives' of marilyn monroe this book is a blast of fresh air. not a biography but a timely study in what has been said and written about her over the years, how we have mythologised and fictionalised her life. a biography of the biographies if you like. the author looks at the many conflicting interpretations of marilyns life (and death) and in doing so has written easily the best book on mm to date. objective and intelligent, i can not recommend this highly enough.

Rating:
Summary: Whose Marilyn do you know (or want to know)?
Review: While there are so many positive things I can say about what Sarah Churchwell's book does for Marilyn Monroe - the person and the 'persona' - the best advice I can give you is to read it yourself.

This book doesn't attempt to ensnare readers by promising some earth-shattering revelation or by tempting you with some hitherto unheard of 'dirt.' I'll fully admit that concept alone had irresistible charm. I've always been somewhat skeptical of the myriad biographies that have been released about such a fascinating 'icon', and the possibility that someone could present a thorough examination of these biographies was intriguing.

Exercising an admirable, objective, distance, while never losing passion for her subject, the author makes this book a joy to read. The book creates an effective `view from above,' and Churchwell takes the time to cite her sources (something sadly neglected by some looking to capitalize on the MM phenomenon). Churchwell tackles an impressive number of biographies overall, but focuses on some of those that have contributed the most to the overall 'idea of Marilyn Monroe'. From the general biographies to the more sensationalist to the fictional interpretations; the reader of "Many Lives" is given a delightfully readable comparison of the books, bringing into stark contrast the sometimes surprisingly different accounts they convey.

By exposing how one short life, Marilyn's, can produce so many different 'lives,' the author then shows that unraveling The Girl becomes much more than just trying to 'get the facts straight'. The book not only serves as an examination of the biographies, but it also makes interesting observations about our perceptions of women, ourselves and about our culture as whole (just to name a few things).

I won't say much more as I think the BEST way to go into this book is with NO impressions of the actual content except those images/impressions of the Marilyn that has made you interested in her in the first place.

Then, sit back and enjoy the questions that Sarah Churchwell is bound to make you ask... yourself.