I remember one summer day when I was a young teen, a movie by this name came on afternoon TV. My mother, passing through the family room, hurriedly turned it off and forbade me to watch it. In her eyes, it was too advanced in concept (translation: sex) for a girl my age. She didn't know, of course, that I was reading Lady Chatterley's Lover or Tropic of Cancer at babysitting jobs. In the long view, none of these books did much to prepare me for womanhood, but at 13, I was just trying to learn about sex.Marjorie Morningstar was the #1 bestseller in 1955. When I finally read it in 1992, after having read Wouk's Youngblood Hawke, I found out what I had missed over thirty years earlier. It starts out great. Marjorie is a Jewish girl with stars in her eyes. She is all set to flaunt everything her mother tried to teach her and become an actress. She falls for Noel Airman, director of plays, a rebel against Judaism and society and a comet burning out. He is in fact another version of Youngblood Hawke, a novelist who meets a tragic end.After much emotional waffling, reminiscent of Bella in Twilight; after realizing that being a "bad girl" means you have to go to bed with the guy, Marjorie turns tail and settles for marriage, security and all the rest, just as Noel had predicted. (I never finished the Twilight Series and don't know what Bella decided.) I'm not sure what Wouk was up to here. Youngblood Hawke burned out from a relentless pursuit of art and fame, as is predicted for Noel. It's a depressing end, but in the 1950s and today, that is appropriate for a man. Are women not allowed to burn out? Can they not be comets?Well, the double standard was the official line in the 1950s. Marjorie Morningstar was an enlightening read. Free love, feminism, and all the rest was just a decade away in 1955. And at least Wouk posed the questions.
I clearly remember the summer I turned thirteen. My mom, knowing what an avid reader I was, brought home thrift store copies of the books Gone with the Wind and Marjorie Morningstar hoping I'd make a dent in them during the summer. I got through four chapters of each book and gave up. I'm so glad I did! I ended up finishing Gone with the Wind a few years ago, and was so awed by the in depth research and history that went into the novel.Now after finishing Marjorie Morningstar, I am equally amazed at the depth of this novel! I don't think the thirteen- year-old me would have appreciated Wouk's message about Judaism and the evolving role of women in society during the 30s. I knew it was mainly about a young, beautiful girl trying to make a name for herself on Broadway while looking for love in all the wrong places. What surprised me was how frank Wouk was about sex, and the age old battle between traditional and bohemian lifestyles, or the diverging paths of the virtuous and the "fallen woman."This was a big hunk of a book, but I promise that I carried it with me everywhere, including my current vacation. It was nearly impossible for me to step away from it. Marjorie and I became one person, and the enormity of each decision she made gave me anxiety attacks. Wouk was on to something here, and the fleshed out characters and dialogue were extremely engaging. I look forward to reading more of his work. This is definitely one of my all-time favorites.
What do You think about Marjorie Morningstar (1992)?
I feel like I have to give five stars to any book that makes me think so hard about big topics even though I didn't enjoy a lot of the book. Also- it has one of my favorite last lines of all time. "But one thing I know now I will never have- the triumph I once wanted above everything on earth, the triumph I promised myself when I was a heartsick boy, the triumph that slipped through my fingers yesterday, once for all. I will never have that second kiss from Marjorie under the lilacs." Also loved these:"I think it's a bit like coming to the end of a book. The plot's in its thickest, all the characters are in a mess, but you can see that there aren't fifty pages left, and you know that the finish can't be far off. " "Marjorie, standing at the rail beside Eden, felt close to tears --not because the day was over but because the last moments were as perfect as the rest."
—Aubrey Chaves
I was very surprised at this book. For one thing, Herman Wouk writing something like this, given his usual genre. The second was that I thought it might be a piece of fluff, a young girl wanting to be an actress, writing her stage name over and over in different penmanship. BUT..it was not a light novel in the least. I'm not sure if my perspective on it isn't due to my advanced age. Although I'm happily married, I've always suspected that, for the older women at any wedding, their tears flow les
—Carol
This book wasn't entirely what I was expecting;however, it was a gorgeous read. It has left me with such a melancholy feeling that I almost regret reading because now I'm all sad. I was definitely tearing up the last 30 pages or so. This book follows the life of Marjorie a young girl from a traditional New York Jewish family who has dreams of becoming an actress. While at times I felt she was shallow and naive I did grow to like her. I felt her sadness and frustration with her family,her life, and everything around her. I wanted her to triumph to get the things she wanted and to prove everyone wrong. The book spans years in her life and a certain relationship that impacted her life for the good and bad. At times the novel tended to lag and follow the same pattern and has a tendency to ramble. I have never read anything by Wouk so I wasn't sure what to expect. Judging from this gem though I will be on the hunt for more of his books. Highly recommend, but you might have the urge to play some sad music just a warning.
—Ana
