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connorstory's review against another edition
What a heartbreaker. Oates uses just about every literary device possible to tell this story and what’s incredible is that it all feels justified. She did something special with this book, which is just about one of the great explorations of character I’ve seen in a story. I’ll never be able to look at Norma Jeane the same.
kitayers's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Wow this one was very upsetting. I really found it heartbreaking. The way the perspective shifts and it includes poetic quote like aspects I thought was clever. I just wish I could find a trustworthy article to fact check the whole thing for me… I believe much was speculative which makes me feel quite uneasy
nikiniki's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
queenpluto's review against another edition
5.0
american epic, american behemoth. an article once knighted this as the modern moby dick and they were on the right track. blonde was my companion for nearly seven months. there were times while reading that I wondered if oates was baker reincarnate, and then I considered the idea (since oates was born before baker's death) that oates traveled to the underworld just so she could speak to baker there. I won't stop and *consider the ethics* of recreating baker for a single moment because people write from lee harvey oswald's point of view all the fucking time. plus the fact that male manly men were worming themselves into baker's brain and weaving their stories about her unchecked before and after her death to specifically dominate and overpower her - so oates' exuberantly complex portrayal might be the closest to the story baker would have approved of being released. because it's fantastically meaningful and purely poetical and rich and full and a long, arduous love letter to the everyday woman that was elevated to white whale godhood. "the american girl healthy and clean as a bandaid" who could have wanted to be respected as an artist and a genius above all else. but "where does dreaming end and madness begin?" I hope oates and baker had a lovely time together. I hope they ordered room service and talked pensées and swam in pools of lava. you'll get it if you get it. and if you don't get it, then try harder. she's worth that much.
caspertfq's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rebeccasreads20's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
anniebh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
noel_rene_cisneros's review against another edition
5.0
Oates narra la vida de Norma Jeane y ahonda, a través de una prosa envolvente y no exenta de lirismo, en esa mujer que atraía todas las miradas. Cuenta su vida y el vacío que la atravesó, el vacío que es, a fin de cuentas el vacío que toda existencia trae consigo. Los amores, las decepciones, la violencia que Norma Jean vivió, la inteligencia que asomaba a pesar de su imagen ingenua, todo lo capta con su narrativa Joyce Carol Oates y ofrece esta novela de una vida, de un talento y de una sonrisa.
faintgirl's review against another edition
4.0
So, I should start by saying I know virtually nothing about Marilyn Monroe. I've never watched one of her films and I have no concept of how accurate this biography is. But my word, it's a splendid read. The story of persistence, corruption, manipulation and the success surrounding this most American of icons is gripping from start to finish. I never knew how I felt about Marilyn - no doubt the victim of neglect and poor parenting early on in life, being essentially married off out of Foster care, then showing enormous independence to begin her a career during the war when many women stayed home. She forged her own path, and was sometime respected, and sometimes used to the point of exhaustion. Her mental health issues and the way those around her felt are so intricate, and the way the whole book is told is wonderful. 700 odd pages whipped by in a whirlwind. Really enjoyed this, whilst feeling incensed and angry most of the time.