"I've never fooled anyone, darling. Sometimes I've just let men fool themselves."Wow. That's all I can really say about this book. And this is a good wow. Just from this sentence, one can glean so much from the whole plot of the story.I was perusing the shelves at work (putting away books of course!) and I happened to find this little beauty. What immediately caught my eye was the dark and shadowy cover, it just OOOOZED intrigue. So I decided that this book would be my first good read in a long time. This book took me on an emotional roller coaster ride which doesn't happen too often to me, especially with books that are borderline "Teen Fiction". I personally don't know much about Marilyn Monroe and her history so this was a perfect read for someone like me. THIS book was almost like my first impression of the starlet and I loved it. My only problem with the design of the character of Marilyn, was how the author just assumed that Marilyn was this deep and perplexing creature which is not believable at all. Anna Godberson did a beautiful job of setting scenes and characters up, but at times gave them too much of a similar, all seeing, all knowing tongue and that made me feel as if all the characters thought the same way. I was with Marilyn's story all the way, feeling her love for Kennedy, her agony of indecisiveness, and her loneliness. Godberson really drags you into this story and forces you to stay and fight, much like Marilyn did in most of this book. AWESOME concept, I would love to read more fictional period pieces from Godberson very soon! Anna Godbersen. She wrote the Luxe series that I was in love with in high school. So when I saw The Blonde, you can assume I was intrigued. I was expecting the novel to be a quick read as the Luxe series was a YA series. However, this book was not as shallow as I expected it to be. It was about Marilyn Monroe and how she was a spy for the Russians. Throughout the novel she was the one supplying them with information about John F. Kennedy and yet, somehow, falls in love with him. It is definitely a book for conspiracy enthusiasts. However, Godbersen does such a fantastic job delving into Marilyn’s psyche and discovering her need and greatest desire to be loved and to have something that resembles familial affection. The novel is all about her affair with JFK and I realize that it is fiction but Godbersen had me convinced that it could be true. Marilyn was a human being with feelings and desires just like everyone else. She had monsters that followed her; she was basically an orphan and yet she made something of herself. And that is extremely difficult to do in the film industry. Godbersen created this woman who was so much more than a Hollywood starlet. Insecurities abounded in her world. She is relatable and that is what makes her character development in this novel so intriguing. Godbersen makes you feel pity for woman larger than life.Maybe I am just partial to Monroe because of how much I was surprised by this book. I went in with low expectations and was thoroughly blown away. Slow at times, the novel is definitely worth the read.
What do You think about The Blonde (2014)?
This was an interesting twist to the conspiracy theories of Marilyn and the President. Quick read.
—kriz
If you really get into conspiracy theories, you'll probably like this novel.
—lecbook
