Conversations avec Marilyn

by William J. Weatherby

Conversations with Marilyn

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

William J. Weatherby, also credited as W.J. Weatherby, was a British journalist and novelist.

Reviews

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best book about Marilyn I have read.

[Graceann · Rating 4 out of 5]

W.J. Weatherby did not start off as a pro-Marilyn observer. When The Misfits was beginning to be put together, he was far more interested in the dynamic of the director John Huston and the playwright Arthur Miller (Marilyn's husband) working together to bring the story to the screen. He was on set when filming began, and spoke with others, but kept his distance from Miss Monroe (or Mrs. Miller, as she was often referred to on set), determined not to fall under her spell.

Best laid plans.

This book, first released in 1972 and then updated in 1992 (the edition I read) details the talks that Weatherby and Marilyn had together, most importantly, after the filming was over and the Misfits premiered. Their conversations were wide-ranging and sometimes intimate, with Marilyn trusting that she was not speaking for the record (which trust was honored by Weatherby during her lifetime and for a long time after her passing). It's an illuminating set of discussions.

What I took from reading about their talks is the realization of something I don't think I'd noticed before; it shows Marilyn to have been an empath (long before that term seems to have been in general use). She feels not just her own pain, but *everyone's.* She's angry when someone kills a moth, she's riddled with guilt when she gives a homeless person only the 25 cents he asked for, rather than a dollar. She worries, a lot, about others within her circle and outside of it.

Conversations with Marilyn gave me a new, interesting way to look at how Marilyn saw the world, and how one person (Weatherby) saw her. It was educational, to say the least, and gave me a new appreciation for the woman behind the persona.

[Velvetink · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have the 1976 edition

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different view of Marilyn Monroe from some interesting candid conversations with the author. Certainly opened my view of who she was and how she thought of so many things.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT!

[Leanne Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite Marilyn book!!!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books of all time.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec Conversations avec Marilyn ?
"J'ai tourné autour, j'ai hésité un moment, j'adore Marilyn depuis toujours mais je n'aime pas, parfois, la façon dont elle est représentée. Je sélectionne donc mes lectures soigneusement. Puis j'ai craqué, face aux bonnes critiques, et je remercie les éditions Seghers de me l'avoir envoyé."

Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...
"W.J. Weatherby ne s'intéressait pas du tout à Marilyn lorsqu'il l'a rencontrée pour la première fois. C'est peut-être pour cela qu'elle finira par lui accorder plusieurs entretiens officieux dont il parlera des années plus tard..."

Mais que s'est-il exactement passé entre vous ?
"Toute la première moitié pose le contexte. L'auteur était un grand admirateur d'Arthur Miller (et pas vraiment de sa femme) et c'est pour cela qu'il s'est retrouvé sur le tournage des désaxés. Il nous raconte divers entretiens, le déroulé des choses et ce qui l'amènera finalement à partager un verre avec Marilyn à plusieurs reprises dans un bar. Je comprends l'utilité de cette partie du texte mais je ne peux pas dire qu'elle m'ait passionnée. Je trouve aussi que l'auteur déploie beaucoup d'énergie à essayer de nous convaincre de son indifférence face à cette icône hollywoodienne. La deuxième moitié de l'ouvrage, en revanche, est passionnante, entièrement dédiée à Marilyn, à ses mots, à ce qu'elle était vraiment derrière tous ses artifices. On y aperçoit ses failles bien sûr, son manque de confiance en elle mais aussi son humilité, sa simplicité, ses aspirations et son intelligence. N'en déplaise à certains, Marilyn était une femme brillante. C'est émouvant à plus d'un titre, quand elle se livre sur ce qu'elle aimerait faire à 50 ans, ou elle aimerait être quand elle sera vieille, pour nous qui savons bien qu'elle ne sera plus là depuis longtemps... Mais c'est quand elle s'attarde pour parler à une vendeuse de roses dans la rue que j'ai versé ma petite larme. Bref, malgré quelques réflexions de l'auteur sur son âge et son physique dont je me serais bien passée, j'ai adoré."

Et comment cela s'est-il fini ?
"Le texte n'est pas récent et je me demande si certains faits évoqués par l'auteur sont de simples rumeurs de l'époque ou ont été prouvées depuis mais cela me donne envie de me pencher à nouveau sur la fin de sa vie. Et de revoir les désaxés aussi évidemment."

http://booksaremywonderland.hautetfor...

[megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been interested in the life of Marilyn and was curious to see how I would do reading a non fiction type story rather than my usual fantasy choice. This book surprisingly has me hooked from the start, there were several times that I found myself forgetting that these people were real people. I often found myself reading this story in the voice of an old noir film. I throughly enjoyed this book as my first experience in reading a biography and believe it will help as a delve into more biographies about Marilyn. In this book she talks about having many selves so I’m interested to see if I can spot the different selves in my collection of biographies about her written by different people. There many great quotes in this and I felt the author chose one of the best, if not the best to end on. I would give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars if goodreads allowed half stars. My only problem with the book was that the author at times felt like he was forcing the trope of not being interested in her to romanticize the story more. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this book and look forward to reading more about Marilyn.

[Paul Monroe · Rating 5 out of 5]

second time reading this but I remember it was lovely cuz it's Marilyn in her own words ! So you guys if you want REAL quotes and not that FAKE shit that is on google you might actually use your time wisely and instead of googleling fake quotes in 2 seconds take your time and read a good book about an actress you pretend you loooooove sooooo muuuuuch ;) only it looks stupid when you use fake quotes then ;)

[Mick Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing new to add,just off the record conversations,whether or not they are true I'll leave it up to the reader.

[Athena · Rating 4 out of 5]

My only problem was that I felt Weatherby weirdly overplayed his apparent disinterest in Marylin. Perhaps he only did it to play into the trope of switching roles between celebrity and interviewer. However, I thought it was slightly annoying. Also the constant commenting on her “bitchiness” or how the back of her legs looked unattractive? I personally didn’t find it funny.
Veering from the negativity though, the interviews were such a delight to read. So insightful so as to attempt at providing a slight different glimpse of Marylin that want mainstream media usually portrays. She’s relatable. Absolutely relatable. Additionally, I thought the pacing in this book was brilliant. Never a tired moment.

[Monty Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

First Print.

A page turner, and a tear jerker.

This story and personal testimony by Weatherby describes the accountability, and human aspects inclusive of drug use speculation, challenges, affairs and ethics of the late Marilyn Monroe, “ Norma Jean Baker / Mortenson

Thus mindfully depicting a human being with quirks, setbacks, accomplishments, disappointments, and endeavors full of life and emotions.

These traits are the very essence that wins the underdog empathy with the public of the era, present and future generations.

Amazing and timeless.