Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1238447 in Books
• Published on: 2001-09-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 752 pages

Synopsis
Relying on over 150 interviews as well as Marilyn's letters and diaries, this work by best-selling biographer Spoto casts new light on every aspect of the actress's tempestuous life.

Customer Reviews

The book for the true Marilyn fan
Out of the many Monroe books I own, this one is my all time favourite. A very good book to devote time to if you don't know much about Marilyn's life but really want to learn everything about her and what made her who she was. It deals with difficult events in a very sensitive yet frank manner, is thoughtful of Marilyn while not hiding her faults, and is cram packed full of all the information you need to know about her. Her last days are explained in detail but the entire book does not feel as though it is working up to her death as many Marilyn books do. This is about a life, not a death. It does take some reading as there is a lot of information to digest, but it is well written and well worth the time. If you really want to know about the person behind the legend of Marilyn Monroe then this is the book to do it with. It is best read in small sections so that the vast amounts of information can be considered and digested before moving onto the next part of her life as the amount of detailed information found in this book is really quite astounding at times. I have also found this to be the only regular Marilyn biography I have *enjoyed* reading as most books on her are very heavy, traumatic reading, whereas this one is something I can pick up repeatedly and enjoy reading over and over.

A must-read for all fans of Marilyn Monroe
Certainly this is one of the best biographies of Monroe. Impeccably researched and detailed. It doesn't go down the usual path of portraying MM as a victim. Instead you see a more rounded picture of an essentially good-natured, uniquely talented and determined woman. It goes some way to explaining her "difficult" behaviour on movie sets as the only defence of an actress who was rarely afforded the respect she deserved.

My only quibble is with the way Spoto largely disregards the many rumours concerning her doomed relationships with the Kennedy brothers. Like many he seems to have been seduced by their glamour and doesn't want to show them in a negative light.

Also, his theory of how Marilyn died - that she was killed by her psychiatrist - is interesting but I'm not really convinced. Personally, I think it was probably an accidental overdose. But the role of Bobby Kennedy in her final days cannot be ignored.

Overall though this is an informative read and a must-have for all fans of Monroe.

Fantastic
I am a huge Marilyn fan and have read many of her biographies - none of which come close to this! Donald Spoto manages to wipe them off the board with this riveting and thoroughly researched account of her life. It goes deeper than the blonde hair and red lips to uncover a deeply sensitive, intelligent, funny and fragile woman. The account of her death is the most realistic to date - it actually makes sense! (but I'll not spoil it for you). Never has a biography sent shivers up my spine and made me feel uneasy reading it at night.

Utterly compelling and latterly chilling - highly recommended to everyone - even non Marilyn fans.