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Misfit

by Adam Braver (Goodreads Author)

3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 · rating details · 86 ratings · 30 reviews

Marilyn Monroe is one of the most iconic figures in the history of Hollywood, and her legendary work on the big screen is eclipsed only perhaps by the lengend of her life off it. Adam Braver’s Misfit centers on the last weekend of Monroe’s life, which she spent at Frank Sinatra’s resort, the Cal Neva Lodge, in Lake Tahoe. Melding facts with fiction, Braver takes moments th...more

Paperback, 312 pages

Published July 24th 2012 by Tin House Books

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Marilyn Monroe

11th out of 18 books — 23 voters

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Aug 06, 2012 Elizabeth Moeller rated it 4 of 5 stars

I was very hesitant to read this book because of my love for Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates which, in a manner similar to this book, imagines the interior life of Norma Jean Baker/Marilyn Monroe. However, once I finally took the plunge I was very pleased with what I found.

While Blonde is an in depth narrative of Marilyn's whole life, Misfit focuses primarily on her later years, when she was filming the movie The Misfits with Montogomery Clift and her childhood idol, Clark Gable. I really enjoyed t...more

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May 31, 2012 Nathalie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: roman-us

J'avais envie de lire des romans évoquant le cinéma, après un passage éclair en librairie je suis sortie avec Misfit et le dernier Nabab de FS Fitzgérald.

Misfit m'a agréablement surprise, le roman a pour fil conducteur le dernier week end de Marylin fin Juillet 1962, qu'elle passât en compagnie de F Sinatra dans son lodge du Nevada sur le Lac Tahoe. Marylin arrive au "bout du rouleau", elle tourne Something's got to give , pour se reposer, se ressourcer en compagnie de ses amis le couple Lawfo...more

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Aug 07, 2012 nomadreader (Carrie D-L) rated it 4 of 5 stars

(originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)

The basics: In Misfit, Adam Braver imagines the life of Marilyn Monroe, from childhood until her death, in brief vignettes.

My thoughts: Reading this novel, I learned how little I knew about Marilyn Monroe's life. This novel isn't a comprehensive novel of her life, but Braver offered fascinating possible insights into certain moments, some quite well known and some that were not known to me. From the beginning, the focus is on the end of Ma...more (originally published at http://nomadreader.blogspot.com)

The basics: In Misfit, Adam Braver imagines the life of Marilyn Monroe, from childhood until her death, in brief vignettes.

My thoughts: Reading this novel, I learned how little I knew about Marilyn Monroe's life. This novel isn't a comprehensive novel of her life, but Braver offered fascinating possible insights into certain moments, some quite well known and some that were not known to me. From the beginning, the focus is on the end of Marilyn's life. Braver intersperses more detailed events of the weeks before Monroe's death with a chronological narrative. The effect was at times sad, at times downright morbid, but mostly fascinating.

This novel doesn't have much plot. For someone more familiar with Ms. Monroe's life, there would likely be no plot. For me, however, there were enough surprises added in with the known facts to provide a haunting context to a fascinating woman. What struck me as most impressive in this novel was not how well Braver got into the psyche of Monroe at different parts of her lives, although he does an excellent job. What was most impressive was how Braver captured the time of Monroe's life in a novel with sparse historical detail. For the first time, I was shocked at just how young Marilyn was, both in her fame and her death. Braver sets the stage with a date and location, but otherwise the narrative pulls the reader into the story. At times, Braver addresses the reader as Marilyn. A few times this technique was jarring, but mostly it did make me identify with Marilyn in a purely human way.

Favorite passage: "Because it’s nice to know there’s a person who wants to hear what you have to say, and is interested in it. And because of that trust, you try to be mindful that even if the things you say aren’t always entirely factual, they’re always truthful."

The verdict: Misfit is a fascinating piece of historical fiction. Braver's writing was luminous and highlighted the joy, pain, and idiosyncrasies of an icon's life. Ultimately, it's the most human portrait of Marilyn Monroe I've experienced, and it's one I won't forget. Its publication in coordination with the fiftieth anniversary of her death is particularly poignant.(less)

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Aug 07, 2012 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

The 50th anniversary of Marilyn’s death was this month and it’s been heralded by an uptick in new books about her life. I reviewed Lois Banner’s biography Marilyn last week but was interested to see what a fiction author would do, especially as so much of Marilyn’s life reads like fiction anyway. How would one choose which way to go from the trove of material available?

In Misfit, Adam Braver chooses to reenact the last weekend before Marilyn’s death; a weekend spent at the Cal Neva Lodge & C...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Jaime Boler rated it 4 of 5 stars

Marilyn Monroe was not born; she was the creation of both Norma Jean Baker and Hollywood. Marilyn became one of the most iconic figures of all time yet possessed a fragile, insecure psyche. Adam Braver's novel Misfit explores key moments of Marilyn's past and how they shaped her and, ultimately, how they destroyed her. Braver's story is a character study of the twentieth century's most prolific sex symbol who saw herself as a misfit. Braver shows that Marilyn should have won Best Actress for sta...more

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Aug 19, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a Marilyn Monroe novel, which is to say Braver uses what worked for him in November 22 1963 and uses a framework of facts to come up with his own internal narrative. The book moves around in time, starting out broad and finishing up in tight focus on her last days, and I ended up liking this more than I thought when I started.

I'm not sure how nuanced it really was -- there was something a little Creative Writing-y to it -- but Braver does a decent job painting a picture (if not a super...more

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Aug 22, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

"Allow me to ask you this, Miss Monroe, What are you converting from" and you say, "From?" and he says, "If you're converting, then you have to be going from something to something." And you remember your great-aunt Mrs. Martin taking you to her fundamentalist church in Compton, but you were only a child, and it was something forced upon you, something you never even accepted enough to reject. So you look at Rabbi Goldberg, patiently waiting for your response, and all you can do is answer with a...more "Allow me to ask you this, Miss Monroe, What are you converting from" and you say, "From?" and he says, "If you're converting, then you have to be going from something to something." And you remember your great-aunt Mrs. Martin taking you to her fundamentalist church in Compton, but you were only a child, and it was something forced upon you, something you never even accepted enough to reject. So you look at Rabbi Goldberg, patiently waiting for your response, and all you can do is answer with another question: "Can nothing be something?"

This is a book about an actress named Marilyn Monroe. She was famous once upon a time. Elton John wrote a song about her, but then he wrote the same song for a dead princess. Marilyn Monroe died, too. Some people think she was killed as part of an elaborate conspiracy. Or she just might have od'ed on pills because she was somewhat of a mess.

This book doesn't give any pages to affairs with Kennedys. Or conspiracies about her death. It barely mentions either, which you would think would be the fertile ground for a novel to take.

The author, in his previous book, took on the death of JFK and he didn't fall into the conspiracy trap there either. Instead he looked at the day through a variety of fictional eyes that maybe were there, and maybe were made up, but were the types of people who would have been around the event. An ambulance driver. The people who would make the White House presentable for mourning. Etc.

This book doesn't take a satellite approach to the subject. Just about every page is Marilyn Monroe. Jumping back and forth from a weekend right before her death when she went to Lake Tahoe, as Frank Sinatra's guest to scenes spanning from the time she was first discovered by one of Ronald Regan's photographers for some military magazine he was in charge of in WW2 up through her last movie. She's there on almost every page, right in the center of all the action but in a weirdly unknowable way. She's seen from all sorts of angles, and almost always from the way that the people around her saw her and she comes to life on these pages not necessarily as her own person but as the friction between creating and living up to expectations of others and rebelling against them. She's the sex symbol who basks in the ardor, but who also runs away to New York dons dumpy clothes and hides in the back of acting classes and begins a (gasp) intellectual relationship with a famous playwright. She's a spoiled brat who pushes away that same playwright with diva like tantrums, right when she should have been having everything she wanted (a 'smart' movie, working with a movie star she was gaga over as a child). I don't know how much of what is in the book is true, the author is quite clear that he took many fictional liberties, but it's a fascinating look at a person who refuses to be pinned down.

A favorite image from the book:

The actor Eli Wallach often tells the story of walking down the street in New York with Marilyn and suddenly realizing that nobody recognizes her. How strange it was. Even for New York. But when he mentions it to her, she tells him it isn't strange at all; she is only noticed when she wants to be, and , as an offer of proof, she stops and says to watch this. She takes a deep breath, rolls her neck, and shakes out her arms and hands. Pushes at her hair. And then starts walking again. The tone of her skin softens. Her hips sashay. The blond in her hair takes on an unreal sheen. Her lips, half-open, deepen into a blood red. And, as if from an animators hand, her whole figure seems to mold into an exaggerated shape and glow almost celestially. Within seconds she's surrounded. People point from across the street. Cameras are fumbled for and aimed. Taxis slow down, their passengers pushed against the windows, supping their hands against the glass.

Late she'll say that sometimes the mood to become Marilyn can just hit. But usually it will last only for a moment.

I almost forgot to mention one of the more unsettling aspects of the novel. It's told in a variety of voices, but the dominate and haunting one can be seen in the quote from the top of the review, the rarely used second person. For a novel where the subject is essentially evading being truly known, the style of writing is in a way making the reader into this iconic character. Of couse the reader (I would hope) knows that he or she is not the Marilyn Monroe, but there is something still so intimate about the voice, as if it were reminding you of memories and allowing you to help construct this fragmented persona. As the passages written in this voice go on you start to feel like you know something about this character, but you are also subtly being reminded that what you think you know is going to be dashed whatever she does next. And that Marilyn Monroe has no history, and no stability, she was just a creation of a person named Norma Jeane who has no very little interest in stepping forward again and being seen but is still lingering in the background.

Ulysses
Leaves of Grass
Madame Bovary
Notes from the Underground
Paradise Lost
The Prophet
Death in Venice
Swann's Way
Anna Karenina...
She stops you there. But your mind is racing, trying to picture the bookshelf, the nightstand, and the syllabus. She leans forward, legs still crossed. She draws in a breath through her nose that is startlingly loud. "This is my question," she begins. Her hands are clasped, the right is massaging the left. "Do you think," she asks, "that your purpose for reading all these books, for taking the night classes at UCLA, is, in part a way for Norma Jeane to prove or to demonstrate that she can rise above her upbringing?" There's a temptation to challenge the fallacy of the question, that there's even a Norma Jeane that exists to prove anything. OR that Norma Jeane could ever rise above her upbringing, because in fact she can't, she ended (or was ended). but that kind of talk sounds too crazy, even for a therapist's office, and so you just shake your head. "No," you reply, "I just really like to read."(less)

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Dec 08, 2012 Krista rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction, historical-fiction

I'm not sure what to do with this book.

On the one hand, it is a flipbook of memories surrounding Marilyn Monroe, all pointing out the abuse the actress suffered in her life--abuse from authorities, partners, friends, doctors. At every turn, the book suggests there was more to MM than her public image, and the tragedy of her life is that the white dress overshadowed the reality of the woman who wore it.

On the other hand, this book contributes to the very same myth-making it wants to undermine. MM...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Many novelists have tried to depict Marilyn Monroe in their fiction, often with poor results. Adam Braver, however, avoids the exploitative route and instead creates a sensitive inner life for his heroine. It is set a week before her death at Frank Sinatra's Cal-Neva lodge, with flashbacks to her early life, marriages and movies. Braver uses a variety of perspectives but the central focus is on Marilyn. Sometimes it is almost so cerebral as to be almost obtuse, but when he gets it right, Braver...more

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May 05, 2012 Mary Pat rated it 4 of 5 stars

This novel was a great picture of the inner struggle that consumed Marilyn Monroe. I enjoyed the journal entry format and learning more about the life and loves of this American icon. Braver takes the time to delve into the woman that Monroe wanted to be seen as—a serious actress separate from her often tumultuous relationships and her family’s history of mental illness. Monroe is characterized as a woman struggling with inner demons, pushing the limits of acceptable behavior all the while movin...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Jolene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: elle-readers-club

I know very little about Marilyn Monroe and I have not seen any of the movies she's been in. This book was a bit dull but I give the author a lot of credit for his research and empathy (some might call it adulation). Now I know a little bit more about an icon--but not much more.

Another book in this genre that I liked immensely was The Paris Wife. But I think I might have preferred a biography about Ms. Monroe.

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Oct 14, 2012 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is supposed to be fiction but it's based on true events and there were times when I wasn't sure what was real and what wasn't. I think fans of Monroe will enjoy this because, whether it's true or not, it gives some insight into her life. And it's fun to pretend that these interactions and conversations actually took place. I'm not sure how non-fans would feel about this though. The book is told in various styles--present tense, past tense, third and second person, but it's done seamlessly.

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Apr 26, 2012 Kayleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc

This is one of those novels you continually forget is a novel. It puts you right into the thoughts and motivations of these famous personalities. It rewinds the cliches that have become the story of her life and death and brings you the actress as a newly empathetic character.

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Aug 31, 2012 Kjersti Egerdahl rated it 2 of 5 stars

An episodic novel centering on the last week or so of Marilyn Monroe's life. I'm not that into her, so that probably knocked a star off. It's written in a dreamy style that serves to highlight her helplessness to save herself.

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Sep 10, 2012 Merja Pohjola rated it 3 of 5 stars

Liked it, but lost a star because of Jeanne Carmen... although it was nothing disrespectful but don't like to see her name even in novels ;)

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May 16, 2012 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Sara by: elle magazine

Shelves: fiction, read-2012, realistic-fiction

I thoroughly enjoyed this fictional account of Marilyn's life. The author does a fantastic job of melding the final days of Marilyn's life and taking glimpses back to her years prior to death. The conversations in the book make you feel as if you are there, in all the scenes seeing what is going on and makes you want for more.

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Jul 04, 2012 Sharon Pelletier rated it 3 of 5 stars

A quiet, thoughtful book about a larger-than-life figure, presenting one psychological sketch of Marilyn beyond all the sex and fame. Interesting and lovely.

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Mar 02, 2013 Tfalcone rated it 2 of 5 stars

Ok, not great or anything new.

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Jul 14, 2012 Mary added it

Shelves: elle

To be voted for and reviewed for ELLE Magazine's Grand Prix Fiction Book of the Year.

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Jun 07, 2012 Lori marked it as to-read

Shelves: arc-reviewers-copy, own-not-yet-read

from BEA12

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Sep 06, 2012 sis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ebook, 2012

dragged a bit in places, but all in all, and knowing what happened in the end, it was good.

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Jan 22, 2013 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a fantastic read, very well written. Marilyn Monroe is an interesting personality & I enjoy fiction blended with biography.

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Aug 10, 2012 JDAZDesigns rated it 4 of 5 stars

I know it's fiction.

But it just lets my imagination slip into over drive. To the point where I think I'm actually in the book. Living the book. Taking part in each and every little thing that's happening.

Intriguing.

I'm hiding in Frank's closet. A sport coat tangled around my ankles. A lone hanger bobbing ever so lightly against my chin.

And I can still hear the voices. I know they're looking for me.

Yeah. It's over powering fiction.

Damn good!

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Nov 02, 2012 Robin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biographical-fiction

Heartbreaking.

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Feb 18, 2013 Katie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, fiction

While this was a fictionalized account, it was still an interesting read. It made me think of Marilyn as a much more deeply faceted person.

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Jan 22, 2013 Kristin rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a treat, for sure. I felt that I could see and feel what Marilyn was seeing, and feeling... of course, I'm not sure that this is actually true but it did feel that way. Deeply. I'd read an Adam Braver book, anytime. He knows what to put in, and what to leave out.

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Sep 26, 2012 Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars

A sad but beautifully written book about Marilyn Monroe, a tormented soul who struggled to embrace her multi-dimensional identity in the public eye. The book is written to evoke the feelings of the silver screen!

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Jan 13, 2013 Fawn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Loved this. I won't go on and on except to say this was a very, very good book and should be required reading for anyone interested in Marilyn Monroe and her cultural impact.

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Aug 23, 2012 Tammy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Great re-imagined fiction.

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May 15, 2013 Maxinenunes rated it 5 of 5 stars

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About Adam Braver

ADAM BRAVER is the author of Mr. Lincolns Wars, Divine Sarah, Crows Over the Wheatfield, November 22, 1963, and Misfit . His books have been selected for the Barnes and Noble Discover New Writers program, Borders Original Voices series, and twice for the Book Sense list. His work has appeared in journals such as Daedalus, Ontario Review, Cimarron Review, Water-Stone Review, Harvard Review, Tin Ho...more

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Books by Adam Braver

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