Dear Red: The Lost Diary of Marilyn Monroe

by Maureen McNeil

It is 1962 and America’s greatest sex symbol is ahead of her time. Within the pages of a secret diary she names Red, Marilyn Monroe scribbles her hopes, dreams, and fears, inspired by her aspiration to one day motivate a young person to become something bigger than they ever imagined.

Marilyn begins on January 1 by divulging she has officially given up eating mammals. As she pens her feelings and experiences for the next seven months, the thirty-six-year-old actress shares impressions of dogs and bike rides, memories of married life with DiMaggio and Miller, and reveries of a future with Dreamboat. As she attempts to distinguish friends from enemies while preparing for her last film, Marilyn details her rehearsals for the Happy Birthday performance for JFK’s Madison Square Garden celebration, worries about her mother’s health, and battles for a million-dollar deal with Twentieth Century Fox. But as Marilyn makes plans to free herself from those she cannot trust, she never imagines what will happen next.

Dear Red shares the fictionalized diary of the brilliantly funny and hardworking artist, Marilyn Monroe, as she lives again, if only to reveal an emotional truth about her death.

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2017

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I, in general terms, enjoyed the reading, I believe that Marilyns character is not greatly portrayed, as she had a much deeper inner world and was certainly lonely, sad (she didn’t try to cover her sadness with humor, contrary to what this book shows), and not as outgoing as it might seem at first glance. She also had the soul of a poet, although her physics and instrument showed she was destined for the screen.

[Alaina | Bookhavenslibrary · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ummmm.... good concept but this was ridiculous! First judgement was the author photo... you put all the effort to write the book and THATS the photo you picked... come on take some pride!- One minute she was writing about one thing and in the same sentence jumped to something completely different. I have been obsessed with marilyn since I was 8 years old. And yeah... this was a joke. Some stuff I could see and understood. And others completely off. Jeanne Carmen NEVER new Marilyn Monroe... lies, lies, lies... Marilyn supposedly wrote big things about the Kennedys and the government in her red diary... umm did the author leave that out.

[Sherry Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a pretty fun read. Written by a local author, nice surprise to me!

[Dréya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cool read but I bought it because someone told me it was the real deal...silly me. Nevertheless I enjoyed the book and definitely recommend it.

[Honeyblood · Rating 2 out of 5]

although this is a fictional diary of Marilyn Monroe, I felt like her “characteristics” and thoughts were very flat. there’s so much more to Marilyn Monroe.