The Girl: Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist

by Michelle Morgan

With an in-depth look at the two most empowering years in the life of Marilyn Monroe, The Girl details how The Seven Year Itch created an icon and sent the star on an adventure of self-discovery and transformation from a controlled wife and contract player into a businesswoman and unlikely feminist whose power is still felt today.
When Marilyn Monroe stepped over a subway grating as The Girl in The Seven Year Itch and let a gust of wind catch the skirt of her pleated white dress, an icon was born. Before that, the actress was mainly known for a nude calendar and one-dimensional, albeit memorable, characters on the screen. Though she again played a "dumb blonde" in this film and was making headlines by revealing her enviable anatomy, the star was now every bit in control of her image, and ready for a personal revolution.
Emboldened by her winning fight to land the role of The Girl, the making of The Seven Year Itch and the eighteen months that followed was the period of greatest confidence, liberation, and career success that Monroe lived in her tumultuous life. It was a time in which, among other things, she:

Ended her marriage to Joe DiMaggio and later began a relationship with Arthur Miller;
Legally changed her name to Marilyn Monroe, divorcing herself from the troubled past of Norma Jeane;
Started her own production company;
Studied in private lessons with Lee and Paula Strasberg of the Actors Studio and became a part of the acting revolution of the day
The ripple effects her personal rebellion had on Hollywood, and in trailblazing the way for women that followed, will both surprise and inspire readers to see the Marilyn Monroe in an entirely new light.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, History, Womens, Feminism, Pop Culture

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 8, 2018

About the author

Michelle Morgan is the author of The Ice Cream Blonde, The Mammoth Book of Hollywood Scandals, Marilyn's Addresses, and Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed. She has been interviewed on dozens of radio stations and featured on many television programs, including the BBC National News.

Reviews

[Evelina | AvalinahsBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another biography of Marilyn, you say? There are so many already, right? Well, what if I told you that you need a lot of books to cover the life of a multi-faceted personality? Marilyn was one of a kind, and The Girl covers a part of her life few seem to have spoken about in detail - the feminist side of Marilyn, the way she opened the door for a lot of other women in show business and how she challenges the attitudes of the 50's - things we all need to speak about more because Marilyn is rarely ever mentioned in these contexts. And this book is precisely the book to show you the side of her you have never seen on TV, or in the movies, or even read about much in other biographies. (You can also read this post on my blog.)


3 Things You Might Not Know About Marilyn Monroe


Why is Marilyn Monroe often so underestimated, sometimes to this day? Why is it that we equate this smart, strong and independent woman with the simple blondes she was often cast to play? Little do we know that Marilyn was actually one of the first to shake off the dumb blonde typecast. The Girl is a book of things you might have not known about Marilyn. Let's look at at least some of these things.


#1. She Was An Avid Bookworm


As it turns out, Marilyn would never walk out of a book store without a stash of books. Can you relate yet? More over, it wasn't dime novels she read. She preferred quite high brow literature, such as Mann or Kafka. Once she even signed up to a university course - arts and literature at UCLA - and despite frequently being looked down on for attempting to study something apparently 'not for her', she could often be seen on campus with books under her arm.




Courtesy of The Marilyn Monroe Collection


#2. Marilyn Wanted To Fight For A Woman's Right To Both Be Beautiful And Smart


In the 50s this idea was irreconcilable. I mean, the idea of a smart woman wasn't very popular back then - but smart AND pretty? Now, now, let's not get ahead of ourselves. You can only have one thing. But Marilyn challenged this idea.





Time and again, she tried to get difficult roles, and when she wasn't cast for them, she eventually ended up starting her own film company - a woman. In the 50's. So before you equate her with her ditzy film characters next time, take a moment to ponder about that. You probably haven't even started a company. And if you have, it's not the 50s. And you probably haven't been typecast as a beautiful blonde with no brain. What she tried to achieve, what she DARED to try, is nothing short of stunning and inspirational. Let me just quote Marilyn in 1959:


“I’d like to be known as a real actress and human being, but listen, there’s nothing wrong with glamour either. I think everything adds up. I’ll never knock glamour. But I want to be in the kind of pictures where I can develop, not just wear tights.”


#3. Marilyn Was One Of The First To Speak Of Sexual Harassment


So many decades later, the #metoo movement is finally taking off. And we're feeling proud that it's finally running. But think about how much safer it is for us to speak about this! And now imagine you're in the 50s. How much more likely would you be to be attacked, if you spoke out? And yet, despite this, Marilyn spoke out about encounters in foster care, and also ones in Hollywood. She had the bravery to do that.





There are many other reasons to find out more about the side of Marilyn nobody really talks about much. I am happy I read this book - as I too had believed in my mid-twenties that my regard of Marilyn might have been wrongly placed (I loved her a lot when I was a teen), but after reading this book, I realized that my feelings were always in the right place. I'm proud to look up to Marilyn, as sadly as her story ended - there's even more reason to love her for that, and for all she tried to stand in in a world where women like her weren't really welcome. Marilyn was truly a woman ahead of her times.





I thank Perseus Books, Running Press for giving me a copy of the book in exchange to my honest opinion. Receiving the book for free does not affect my opinion.


Read Post on My Blog | My Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

The Girl isn't a biography of Marilyn Monroe and it isn't really about the movie The Seven Year Itch. It's more about how feminism can be viewed through the film and Marilyn Monroe as a person.

For some people seeing Marilyn Monroe as a feminist icon seems completely out of left field but if you actually look at Marilyn's life you can see how hard she fought for respect. She wasn't just fighting for respect for herself but also she wanted all women in the film industry to rise. Marilyn was a smart business woman(even through she didn't care about money), a very politically minded person and she just wanted fairness in all walks of life.

While Marilyn never viewed herself as a feminist and feminist of her day definitely didn't see her as one, she was. Viewed through modern eyes Marilyn's fight to be taken seriously as an actress and her honesty about mental health are perfectly in line with feminist of today. And with women taking back the label "bimbo" and turning it into a positive label, Marilyn's reign as an ICON sees no signs of stopping.

The Girl is an important and different look at a woman for whom hundreds of books have been written. My only problem with this book is that it was too short.

I highly recommend this book!

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book and learnt so much about a completely different side to Marilyn Monroe. I’ve seen the memes and photos of her reading, but didn’t really know much about her private life or that was she a real bookworm and lover of the arts. Like most people I always thought of her as a screen icon, for her looks and ditzy dumb blonde films.
This book really has opened my eyes and given me a new admiration for her and her achievements. I now want to watch her films, particularly Bus Stop and The Misfits and will definitely try and get hold of a copy of Norman Mailer’s book.
I definitely recommend this if you’re a fan or if you’re interested in another side to Marilyn Monroe.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Running Press for my digital copy.

[Norelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of books about Marilyn Monroe. And no doubt – there will be more in the future. And there is nothing wrong with it. This time, author tries to take a step back from ''Marilyn The sex bomb'' and talk about other things. Like – how she fought against company when she was tired of dumb blond girl roles in movies. She talks more about Marilyn's own voice and her accomplishments. The thing is... some moments it felt... like book is repeating itself. This book was not bad. No. It was quite okay and i was not bored reading it. It just wasn't WOW or to die for. But then again – we already know so much about Marilyn from 100 other books. So it is hard to come up with something that no one has ever heard about her. When i was reading this, it made me think about Marilyn of course, but also about movie industry at that time and how difficult it was to be an actress at that time. It's not easy today too. But today actress can choose her roles and she doesn't have to make her career based on roles her company makes her to do.

If you haven't read a lot or books about Marilyn... you can definitely try this one. I think it's written well and was not boring to read. It was easy to read and i like Marilyn, so i wasn't disappointed. Only you have to keep in mind that this book focuses more on specific time of her life and it is not full bio(like from the moment she was born till her death).
Also, i think Marilyn fans will like this :)

[Gennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although this book is an easy read, I found it repetitive and not very engaging. True Marilyn fans may enjoy seeing another perspective of her personality but not a good overview of her life.

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 4 out of 5]

'The Girl: Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist' is a light, fun and cute read, compared to Michelle Morgan's previous book on Marilyn, 'Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed', which is more detailed, sombre and serious. It's less objective and didactic than 'The Girl', too. You'd hardly believe they're by the same author.

'The Girl' is mostly about Marilyn's life around her time on her movies - 'The Seven Year Itch', 'There's No Business Like Show Business', 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes', 'Bus Stop', and 'The Prince and the Showgirl'. But mainly 'The Seven Year Itch' and then 'The Prince and the Showgirl'. Inexplicably, it barely mentions her other famous films, such as 'Some Like It Hot' and 'The Misfits' (boo!). It is also about Marilyn's role as a surprising, unlikely feminist role model for her time - her fight for independence, away from the abuses of Hollywood men pigeonholing her and taking her for granted, and her starting and running her own company - and as a woman and a human being.

In a way, it is like an abridged version of 'Private and Undisclosed', and viewed from different angles, similar to an alternate cut of a movie.

It vitally mentions the #MeeToo Movement. Plus facts like Eartha Kitt, Justin Trudeau, and Patrick Stewart being outspoken feminists.

Marilyn Monroe was definitely never a dumb blonde, or merely eye candy.

No matter how she was dehumanised, and grossly treated by the public, and by the marketing, merchandising, advertising, and even the agricultural departments - blatantly, even while she was alive.

I love that Marilyn loved books and reading; that she always tried to grow and improve herself and her talents is a characteristic of hers that should never be overlooked. I love how determined, proactive, and dynamic she was.

Included in 'The Girl' are some of the best photographs of Marilyn I have ever seen. My favourite is one in colour of her reading a book on a bed (I think?) in a room with a bookcase at her home. It looks very sixties, though it was taken "during her early career.". How did she manage to look so glamourous and charming in everything she did, and in every mood she was in?

'The Girl: Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist' - about Marilyn the inspiration - during her lifetime and beyond - and ultimately the tragedy. It's 'Private and Undisclosed'-lite, but it is just as engaging and addictive, if not more so. It makes for a wonderful, juicy (not in the exploitative, tabloid way) holiday read. Even better (and more highbrow), it's interesting, educational, and relevant feminist nonfiction.

Fuck, how very little things have actually changed for women since the fifties, especially in the entertainment industry. Millions of women are still being abused, taken advantage of, underestimated, underappreciated, neglected, shut out, silenced, and ignored - everywhere, all the time. While the narcissistic, entitled, empty, self-loathing, apathetic, pathetic, amoral, rich and famous men in power - often with no talent except in failing upwards and knowing how capitalism works - only face consequences for their criminal actions 0.1% of the time. It's sickening. It's inhuman. Why have we not done better?

Anyway, read 'The Girl' if you also liked 'Marilyn Monroe: Private and Undisclosed' (link to my review here). Likewise read my review of 'Marilyn Monroe: By Eve Arnold' for further thoughts on the greatest starlet who ever lived.

But I'm sorry, Michelle Morgan: I will not be convinced to like 'The Seven Year Itch' enough to list it as one of my favourite Marilyn Monroe films. You must be wearing blinkers, performing mental gymnastics, or unintentionally using doublespeak to explain away certain scenes from that picture. Same goes for 'Bus Stop'.

Final Score: 3.5/5

[Ariel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-researched and well-written book about Monroe's life that reclaims Monroe as person instead of wielding her as a sex symbol. I really appreciated Morgan's inclusion of contemporary events and contemporary voices of other starlets throughout the book. This thoughtful research of what women in 1950s Hollywood were facing seems a more accurate and thorough analysis of Monroe's decisions and actions than Gloria Steinem's imposed feminist views on the past.

Obviously Morgan as a biographer has a soft spot for Monroe, but this understandable flaw is more noticeable when some aspects of Monroe's life were brushed over. Particularly at the end of the book/Monroe's life, the storytelling felt rushed and incomplete. Perhaps there wasn't a lot of detail for Morgan to draw from.

Despite the rushed ending, the contextual details and strong bibliography make this my favorite book on the complex person Marilyn Monroe was.

[Katrina Gilles · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel a bit guilty giving a 1, but I honestly wouldn't have read past page 5 if it wasn't for book club. The text felt like the author published her dissertation and felt extremely biased. She did give tons of information, and I did learn, but the timeline was almost nonexistent and there were no good transitions. There were also often random paragraphs or pages about other topics or people that were only tangentially related to Marilyn.

[Ashley Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far the only biography I’ve been able to find that humanizes Marilyn Monroe. Brilliant biography and well written.

[Lilacraindrops · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Michelle has done it again and proves to me why she is my favourite Marilyn author. Concentrating predominantly on, what I would call Marilyn's awakening years: 1955 & 1956; a small window of time in her short life. It truly is a breath of fresh air championing Marilyn's sassy, strong and determined character (which ran in conjunction with her sensitivity), whereby she achieved many a 'first' for the female actress and indeed female race, against all odds. Many new Marilyn quotes I had not read before, are delightfully found in this book, and also many quotes about Marilyn from many fellow actors also appear, again ones which I had never seen before. She may not have classed herself as a feminist back in the day, but she was truly a pioneer in so many ways. The book is also a joy to behold; the size is cute and the photos are beautiful. Frankly, your Marilyn collection isn't complete without this gem. It really is one of my very favourite Marilyn books, and thank you Michelle for writing another amazing book about my idol Marilyn.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book that I have ever read about Marilyn Monroe so "The Girl Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist" at first seemed to be a surprising title to be used for this book, because for me personally, I never realised that Marilyn Monroe was so much more than just an actress and icon of her generation until her untimely death in 1962. I became intrigued as to why the title was chosen but my question was soon answered the further that I read about her life and the rights that she fought for that at that time period of the 1950's were mostly denied to women. This book was a major eye opener for me as to the true personality of Marilyn and how she made a stance against the film studios she was contracted to and of her own personal struggles within her marriages, to be regarded as something more than a just wife, but as woman with a clever mind that had ambition to be taken seriously with regards to the roles she was cast to play. After being typecast as nothing more than a dumb blonde for so long she wanted to be given the chance to play a serious role to show that she was more than just a sex symbol and could actually be a great actress.
I really liked this book as it has shattered the media driven opinion of Marilyn Monroe of being just a dumb blonde actress, and gave me plenty of food for thought about how hard it must have been for her as a forward thinking woman during her lifetime as actresses today wouldn't put up with all the restrains and expectations she faced during her career. This book was well written, easy to digest and very informative so I believe that the author has a good knowledge of the subject and it's not just a copy and paste of information already widely available. I also liked that it had all the information such as quotes and sources listed at the end of the book that made for easy reference. I would widely recommend this book to any fan of Marilyn Monroe as a good source of information.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had really high hopes for this "The Girl". I love the old Hollywood stories and MM is great part of it. There is no doubt that MM was intelligent, beautiful and professional actress, as well as very fragile soul - so you want to hear it repeatedly in 320 pages? I don't think so...

Author does a great job depicting MM as amazon in the hollywood jungle. You will learn about each an every book she read and how much work she put in her acting, but unfortunately, this is super repetitive, thus all the good content get forgotten as reader might get just frustrated from reading thing all over again. If you can finish the book without frustration, you will be able to learn more about MM as a an actress committed to the method acting, about her fight for "non-blond-roles", about her as businesswoman and what she was like as person, not only actress. what you will not find is her love life. Facts are given, short periods of romance are included, but in this work, you will not find MM defined by her romances, which is amazing, as it allows to shed more light on her, than on the juicy gossips.

I highly recommend watching again The Seven Year Itch and the Misfits while you're reading - adds new shares to the movies. You'll find the acting and the characters in the movies to be much more interesting when the books brings out all the light to the backstage.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.5 Hearts So I love Marilyn Monroe. We share the same birthday so I have always felt a kinship with her. I was excited to read this book. I enjoyed the story very much. It had a unique view on MM and really gave some information about MM that I didn’t know. And in a world that is dealing with so many women’s issues right now it was timely to read of her troubles and how she overcame them. She really learned to be her own woman more than the public gives her credit for.

The problem with the book is the writing. It is very immature. It is jumpy to me. Almost like it started out as a college term paper. And there was a lot of references to other biographers.

If you are a fan of MM then you should not miss this book because I would think you will find out information you did not know before but just be ready for a hard read.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Morgan delivers another stunning Marilyn Monroe biography!

Morgan applies the lens of the 2017/2018 social society and reviews Monroe's life. Through the post-Weinstein era and the rise of The #MeToo movement, the expectations of an actor in Hollywood have changed. Morgan shows us how Monroe was ahead of her time, refusing to be shamed for her photos, and took control of her own career in a time where women had very little say (and when they did speak, no one listened).

This biography is unique in this perspective, showcasing Monroe's strength and determination to be the best actor she could be, while working on projects that would further her career.

Well written, captivating the reader to bringing them along an amazing journey.

[Annette Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first Marilyn Monroe biography and I’m so pleased with it. I loved the way the timeline was set out, I loved the information that was included and I liked Michelle’s writing style. She included her opinions without coming off as forceful and I appreciated that.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, well written book that focuses on 2 key years in the life of Marilyn Monroe within the context of her whole life and the broader social history of the 1950s and 60s. It highlights her efforts to take control of her professional life by fighting back against the studio system that tried to keep her in the “dumb blonde” roles on screen. She studied at the famous Actor’s Studio, read a great deal of literature and established her own production company. It is sad that she was not able to realise her full potential before her untimely death.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! A lightweight look at a time in Marilyn's career that is often overlooked. From the mid-50s Marilyn was desperate to escape the ditsy image she had, on and off screen, in so doing she fought to accomplish many things in Hollywood not available to women, especially those "like her".

A timely testament to what Marilyn achieved for women in filmmaking, beyond the billowy dress, and a stark reminder that there is still so much to be done.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

That Marilyn Monroe was a dazzling presence, that she achieved legendary status is without question. That she is a feminist icon however is a question that has rarely been pursued. The reasons for this are debatable but author Michelle Morgan has undertaken this very issue in THE GIRL: Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist .

Credit must be given for a valiant attempt. Certainly there are indicators of an independent, indomitable spirit. During the period in question, generally the summer of 1954 to the summer of 1956, although Morgan makes forays into years both preceding and following, Monroe loosens the grip of her studio contract, starts her own production company and immerses herself in the influential Actors Studio. She makes herself a bit of a New Yorker, eschews the role of '50’s housewife by divorcing Joe DiMaggio and develops friendships and acquaintances among the artistic and literary, ultimately marrying playwright Arthur Miller. But sadly, as is the case when delving into Monroe’s life, her emotional instability, at times debilitating insecurity and wavering identity are unavoidable aspects of the actor. Morgan tries to shift focus to her accomplishments, intellectual pursuits and artistic interests, those she impressed and those who attempted to unsuccessfully oppress, even providing expository cultural context, yet the book suffers by the nature of its subject. Monroe’s life rarely followed a straight line and as she winds along her path of halting self-discovery, frustratingly unfocused during the few years she was free (and alive!) to truly pursue her luminous talent, the book follows in a similar meandering fashion. The actor, so innately gifted, does as much to hurt as help her career during this two year period; the book ultimately culminates in the filming of The Misfits and the end of her crumbling marriage to Miller. Yet Morgan has provided exhaustive detail for this brief two year period leaving this mini-biography well-positioned to be fascinating to fans of Monroe.

Due to the focus upon Monroe as potential feminist icon and smart and savvy professional, short shrift is naturally given to rich back stories, particularly on set, that are familiar to many fans of this most charismatic of stars. In that way too the book frustrates as it struggles to makes its points. Along the way we do learn of the many ways in which Monroe attempted to advance herself, culturally and artistically, yet at the end of it all, I was only wishing she’d left us with more movies and a little bit more of her time.

Thank you to Running Press for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. THE GIRL: Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist by Michelle Morgan (Running Press 2018) will be available for purchase May 8th in Hardcover, eBook and Audio CD from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble or your favorite bookseller. It is currently available for pre-order.

For full review please see https://dreaminginthebalcony.wordpres...

[Lisa Bentley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marilyn Monroe has always been an actress that I have been in awe of. Not necessarily for her acting skills – I can’t say that I have seen enough of her movies to make a fair judgement on that but as an icon I have always been overwhelmed by her power of longevity. It is nearly sixty years since her death and really there is only one Marilyn. You don’t even have to say her surname and people know who you are talking about.

Lately I have read a few books about her life and each one has compelled me to read more. What I have found with the other books I have read is a lack of warmth and a detachment to Marilyn Monroe as a person. In Michelle Morgan’s books you are given a very warm and sympathetic look at her life and that was really refreshing. Whilst Morgan doesn’t claim Marilyn was perfect she tries to understand the flaws and imperfections rather than making sweeping gestures.

Of all the Marilyn Monroe books I have read of late this happens to be the one I have enjoyed the most. It only looks at a relatively small (but important) period of Marilyn Monroe’s life but it shows just how much of an impact Marilyn Monroe made on the movie industry and helped paved the way for women working in that field that is felt even today.

The Girl – Marilyn Monroe, The Seven Year Itch, and the Birth of an Unlikely Feminist by Michelle Morgan.

For more information regarding Michelle Morgan (@MMWriterGirl) please visit www.michellemorgan.co.uk.

For more information regarding Perseus Books (@PerseusBooks) please visit their Twitter page.

For more information regarding Running Press (@Running_Press) please visit www.runningpress.com.

[Jill Tool · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off I’d like to thank Netgalley, the author and of course the publisher, for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thought my daughter who loves Marilyn would really enjoy this book, but I must admit, I really did enjoy reading this more! There are a lot of books out there about Marilyn Monroe, and most of them say the same thing about her. One thing I loved was you got to take a peek inside the feminist side of her.

One of the things she helped do was open the door to other women in Hollywood. Marilyn was more than the bleach blonde bombshell with a chest most men adored, and although some people think she was the “dumb blonde”, but she was much more than that. Marilyn was strong, independent, and was pretty smart, she was often underestimated. She wanted to break the mold of the dumb blonde in women, but in the era of the 50’s and 60’s times were so much different than they are now, and it was an uphill battle for her, but she did what she could and passed the torch onto the next generation, and the generation after that, and so on and so on.

This book also expanded on a few things in which was mentioned in other books, but was never followed through, as the other authors of those books didn’t want to say any more about it as it wasn’t what they were wanting to right the book on. I feel this book has been in the wings, waiting for the time to be written in the right time and era. I’m sure if Ms. Monroe was alive today, THIS would be the book she was most proud of that was written about her.

If you’re a Marilyn Monroe fan, and have or want to read books on her life, this is the mush have book for you to read.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic book - well researched, well paced, and very honest and forthright. The author clearly adored Marilyn but she was not about to hide facts or the messier bits of Marilyn's personality and choices. It was illuminating to learn about a very specific few years of Marilyn Monroe's life and how she bucked the studio system. I thought I knew a lot about her; my mom, after all, has a huge THING for MM (and other dead blonde starlets, strangely) and I was that weird kid in 3rd grade who did a book report on MM. Yet I had no idea about her push for independence and control of her own career. I didn't realize she formed a production company to pursue more challenging roles. I also did not quite realize how widely read and self-educated she was. I already knew about her pursuit of acting lessons and honing her craft but the extent of her reading and art appreciation is astounding. Who knew she sketched? Seriously. On the more sober side, my heart broke all over again at how apparent it was that, while it was good for her to seek medical help and therapy, the kind she sought (and the kind that was widely available at the time) were the least likely to help her. Imagine if she had had access to the wide variety of therapy and counseling we have now! Would we have had Marilyn for a little longer? Would we have seen her take all of her accomplishments, her demands for equal respect and chances, her kindness and quiet charities - and label them with the proper term that we can now look back and say, "Yes, she was a feminist"?

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michelle Morgan is a great author to read to find out about the REAL Marilyn Monroe - the woman behind the star. Her book Marilyn Monroe : Private and Undisclosed remains my favourite book on the actress - and I own over fifty biographies about her!

The Girl concentrates on a period in the 1950s when Marilyn made many big changes in her life, both personally and professionally. It was great to discover more about this time and to read what Marilyn was studying at the Actors Studio and her career ambitions and aspirations. As a long term MM fan, I already knew she was an intelligent and well-read woman, but for anyone who still thinks of her as a "dumb Blonde" will be convinced otherwise reading this biography.

Highly recommended, 9 out of 10.

[Lyndsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really didn't know much about Monroe, only the iconic portrayals of her. The white dress, the birthday song to the president, the mole, and being "blonde ". I was fascinated to learn so much about her and all that she accomplished, and her struggles and who she really was, but the writing was so unorganized and confusing. I had a hard time following the time line and it just kept going back and forth. I felt there was also a lot of extra fluff added to the text. Ways others felt about a current production etc. And I didn't quite understand why it was needed. I'm glad I pushed through it for our book club, but I wouldn't necessarily suggest or recommend this book as a way to learn about marylin. This is why gave it a 2.5, but maybe a 3 for the facts I learned.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed getting to know this side of Marilyn Monroe. She wasn’t a ditty, dumb blonde as she was portrayed in her roles. Marilyn Monroe was an icon, and the character of Marilyn Monroe is that, nothing but a chapter.
Norma Jean was intelligent, an avid reader, independent and wanted to break away from the way the world perceived her.

If you are a fan of Marilyn, please read. If you would like to know the lady behind Marilyn Monroe then please read. It’s nice to have a book portraying her life that doesn’t revolve around her love life.

This book shows you the vulnerable human that Marilyn was and it is truly beautiful to get to know the more real side of her.

[Deborah Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I've just started reading this book. I'm finding it very interesting but not very different from other biographies I've read about Marilyn. The difficulties I'm finding have to do with Marilyn's fight with the studio for better scripts and pictures. The author would have us believe that Marilyn was the first woman to take on the studio moguls. Has she never heard of Bette Davis and Rosalind Russell? Women were fighting for better roles for years before Marilyn came on the scene. There's also some predictable man-bashing, which I find comical. Men were the studio heads and Darryl Zanuck was one of the worst. His ego was the size of Texas. I will definitely finish reading this book but I doubt that I will seek out any of the author's other titles.

Update: Today I decided to throw this book across the room with great force, at the advice of Dorothy Parker. The author has a feminist agenda that gets in the way of the narrative and negates the women in the film industry who came before Marilyn and paved the way for her rebellion against Darryl Zanuck. The only thing she got right was that Marilyn was an intelligent, well-read, savvy actress.

[Strawberry · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review*

As others have already stated, a lot of information presented in this book is common knowledge that is in every single Marilyn bio that's out there. However, since it focuses on a specific time period, the author was able to go into much greater detail, and I did learn a lot of facts about Marilyn's life that I had never read before.

[Abbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always loved Marilyn. I've only seen some of her movies, but I'm more fascinated by her as a cultural icon who seems consistently mislabeled and misunderstood. This book was fantastic at detailing the strength of Marilyn and how she fought to be her own person and her own boss. I look forward to reading more biographies of her in the future, as this only looks at a limited portion of her life.

[Stephanie Pixton Jones · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this in the hopes that I could learn more about Marilyn’s life, especially the time of her life after her book “My Story,” because the ending of that was very abrupt.

This book was informational, but almost too much so and there wasn’t a great flow for me as a reader. The timeline and stories jumped around too much for me to easily follow. It took me forever to finish, but I am glad that I did.

[Biggus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy fanboy batman. Talk about a sycophant. If Marilyn was even half as amazing as the author makes out, she'd be the most well read, greatest actor, well read (she reads Kafka don't you know), and well read person ever. Talk about repetition. We get it, Marilyn liked to read (maybe), but we don't need to be told 27 times!

I like this author, so that's why I read this, but honestly, there isn't enough here for a book.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so wanted to like this book more. The premise was good. Yes, Marilyn Monroe was more than the characters she portrayed onscreen, but all the information in the book did not flow. I do agree that Marilyn was a trailblazer for women in film. A good book for those interested in Marilyn Monroe.

Thank you Netgalley for an advance copy of this book.