In this ambitious book, Joyce Carol Oates boldly reimagines the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of Norma Jeane Baker—the child, the woman, the fa...
read full description
reviews
Feb 25, 2008
Bess
rated it: 
Finally finished, wish I were still reading, all magic is gone from life now, pls advs.
This is the New Feminist Text. I honestly think if every gal too young to remember (or too young to even have a mother who actively remembers the effects of) the women's movement of the 60s were given a copy of this book, we'd have much less patriarchy snackdom in the world, much more equal pay, and way fewer pointy-toed stilettos.
Marilyn Monroe was continuously, systematically screwed More...
This is the New Feminist Text. I honestly think if every gal too young to remember (or too young to even have a mother who actively remembers the effects of) the women's movement of the 60s were given a copy of this book, we'd have much less patriarchy snackdom in the world, much more equal pay, and way fewer pointy-toed stilettos.
Marilyn Monroe was continuously, systematically screwed More...
Dec 14, 2008
Krenzel
rated it: 
I have never watched a Marilyn Monroe movie and, before reading "Blonde," Joyce Carol Oates’ fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe, I knew pretty much nothing about her life, other than she had been married to famous people and sang "Happy Birthday" to JFK. I chose to read "Blonde" to find out more about Marilyn Monroe, to learn some of the truth behind the icon, so that she would become more real to me and less abstract. Ironically, I think this is the opposite o
More...
Aug 18, 2007
Alison
rated it:
I had no idea what this book was about when I checked it out from the library. It wasn't until I got it home that I noticed the cover was a silhouette of Marilyn Monroe with her back to the camera. This book kept me up til the wee hours for the seven days it took me to finish it. It is a fictionalized biography in that it recalls the life of Marilyn from birth to "mysterious" death at age 37 (?) from an overdose of sleeping pills with conversations and situations imagined as they mi
More...
2 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jan 27, 2009
Madeline
rated it:
I wasn't really sure how to go about reviewing this book at first, but then I came up with a solution, and it's a reviewing style I'll call The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.
Here we go.
The Good: Of course, Joyce Carol Oates is a scary-talented author and I bow at her feet. The writing in this book goes from staggeringly beautiful to heart-wrenchingly sad, and all of it is masterfully executed. The fact is, no matter what the following might say, I would probably give my left foot More...
Here we go.
The Good: Of course, Joyce Carol Oates is a scary-talented author and I bow at her feet. The writing in this book goes from staggeringly beautiful to heart-wrenchingly sad, and all of it is masterfully executed. The fact is, no matter what the following might say, I would probably give my left foot More...
4 comments
like
(9 people liked it)
Aug 16, 2011
patty
rated it: 
Man, I have been reading this novel forever it seems like, I started in May and kept misplacing it, then starting on others, finishing the others even after Blonde was found.
I wanted to LOVE this book, but I didn't I wish there was a half star system because I might have given it 3 1/2 stars. It made me really interested in Marilyn Monroe, I'll say that. It made her seem 'real'. I wish I would have known her, to really know what she was like. In Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Ingra More...
I wanted to LOVE this book, but I didn't I wish there was a half star system because I might have given it 3 1/2 stars. It made me really interested in Marilyn Monroe, I'll say that. It made her seem 'real'. I wish I would have known her, to really know what she was like. In Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Ingra More...
Jul 27, 2011
Jenny
rated it:
"Blonde" väcker många känslor hos läsaren och den gick rakt in i mitt hjärta. Den var mycket tungläst då den i detalj skildrar Norma Jeanes osäkerhet och livskval. Boken tar upp allvarliga ämnen som identitetskris, tablettmissbruk, dålig självkänsla, sexuellt utnyttjande och mäns maktlystnad, sexmissbruk, aborter och graviditeter, bekräftelsesökande, Hollywoods filmindustri, intellekt vs skönhet, etc. Alla andra människor runtomkring henne dyrkar den glamorösa och sexiga Marilyn Monroe
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Apr 11, 2011
Michael
rated it:
“Blonde” is a remarkable fictionalized biography of Marilyn Monroe that not only tracks the course of her life, but attempts with great sensitivity to lay bare the inner demons that drove this greatest of icons among mid-20th century film stars. Perhaps the most insightful aspect of the book is its explanation of how “Marilyn Monroe” was created to be just another role played by Norma Jeane Baker, the gifted, intelligent, but abandoned, abused, exploited and deeply troubled young woman who lit
More...
Mar 04, 2010
BarkLessWagMore
rated it:
This is an interesting fiction/real life blend about the life and death of Marilyn Monroe. It appears to have pissed off many Monroe as well as Oates fans. Many who claim writer Oates was just bitter and jealous of Monroe's beauty, one reviewer going so far, after seeing Oates picture on the back cover, to say it was because "she'd been beaten with the ugly stick herself". Sheesh, talk about ugly people!
I enjoyed the book even though it was pretty bleak and mostly depressing More...
I enjoyed the book even though it was pretty bleak and mostly depressing More...
0 comments
like
(3 people liked it)
Jun 28, 2009
This is my nighttime reading book because it is just to heavy to carry around all day, but it is everything an Oates novel should be. It is a fictionalized biography of Marilyn Monroe, starting from her childhood and absent parents to her demise some decades later. It is compelling and moving and full of that stunning Oates prose that I have become completely addicted to. She can take you right through to a character's inner thoughts and feelings, instantly binding you to humanity. The novel ope
More...
Jan 24, 2011
Amy
rated it:
Blonde
By: Joyce Carol Oates
Pages: 1-738
(Counted as 3 books, Ms. Shah gave approval)
Marilyn Monroe, written in a different perspective. Now you will know much more about her! Joyce Carol Oates writes this book to let the reader unconsciously know that she is writing about Marilyn Monroe. Written in a way that most people do not know about Marilyn Monroe, Oates describes Marilyn Monroe in a way that tells us exciting details about Monroe's life and describes vividly about More...
By: Joyce Carol Oates
Pages: 1-738
(Counted as 3 books, Ms. Shah gave approval)
Marilyn Monroe, written in a different perspective. Now you will know much more about her! Joyce Carol Oates writes this book to let the reader unconsciously know that she is writing about Marilyn Monroe. Written in a way that most people do not know about Marilyn Monroe, Oates describes Marilyn Monroe in a way that tells us exciting details about Monroe's life and describes vividly about More...
Aug 02, 2011
The combination of a sensational Hollywood story and exquisite, emotive writing make this novel impossible to put down until the tragic end. It is a story we all know, the story of Marilyn Monroe yet Joyce Carol Oates explores it in a way that has never been done before and does this brilliantly. Although it is a work of fiction, you feel such painful truth when ever she writes using Norma Jeane's voice. It is the imagined emotional life of Norma Jeane on her way to becoming Marilyn Monroe an
More...
Jan 21, 2012
Janne
rated it: 
I have always loved Marilyn Monroe, I just find her an incredibly interesting person, and actress, and that's why, when I discovered this novel of her life by Joyce Carol Oates, it became a must-read.
My expectations were perhaps a little too high.
I was looking forward to some imagined insights into Marilyn's head. I mean, we know the facts of her life, at least to some extent, but I was anticipating how Oates would address her feelings, thoughts and outlook on life. The truth i More...
My expectations were perhaps a little too high.
I was looking forward to some imagined insights into Marilyn's head. I mean, we know the facts of her life, at least to some extent, but I was anticipating how Oates would address her feelings, thoughts and outlook on life. The truth i More...
Oct 06, 2010
Valentina
rated it:
How must it feel to be under Marilyn Monroe's skin? What must it be like to be right inside the head of one of the world's first global celebrities, a star so beloved by her fans and yet a woman desperately longing for real and long-lasting affection?
These are the questions that Joyce Carol Oates' imagined autobiography of Monroe tries to answer. And with some success. By the end of the book, the depths of Monroe's peaks of joy and despair are explored, enlightening the contradictio More...
These are the questions that Joyce Carol Oates' imagined autobiography of Monroe tries to answer. And with some success. By the end of the book, the depths of Monroe's peaks of joy and despair are explored, enlightening the contradictio More...
Jun 23, 2010
Marigold
rated it:
Award-winning novelist Joyce Carol Oates gives us a picture of the life of "Marilyn Monroe", born Norma Jeane Baker, in this novel loosely based on Marilyn's life story. From her early childhood (abusive) to her years growing up in an orphanage & various foster homes, to her early marriage & years as a model & starlet, to her stardom, her lovers, her marriages, to her last years, the novel brings to life Marilyn's insecurity, instability, her yearning to prove or justify herself in som
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Feb 14, 2012
Sunflower
rated it:
Marilyn Monroe is everywhere - she is still a part of our psyche somehow, even though you can't help noticing that if she was alive today she would be would be thought to be overweight. This book is also a doorstopper size-wise, with huge scope, following the young Norma Jean as she goes through her life, carrying her childhood wounds and lack of self esteem, to the eventual train-wreck conclusion that you know is coming.Her incredible fame didn't translate to success in her own mind, which appa
More...
Feb 11, 2010
Jenny
rated it:
I'm giving this 5 stars because JCO is such a talented writer, I really felt like I was in MM's head listening to the non-stop babble of every thought and worry that plagued her. However, there were some things I didn't like.
One thing I didn't like was that JCO did not stay true to the facts regarding MM and Joe Dimaggio's relationship after their split. Actually JD and MM remained friends after their divorce and JD made MM's funeral arrangements and tried to help MM with her depen More...
One thing I didn't like was that JCO did not stay true to the facts regarding MM and Joe Dimaggio's relationship after their split. Actually JD and MM remained friends after their divorce and JD made MM's funeral arrangements and tried to help MM with her depen More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Nov 05, 2011
Farrah
rated it:
This book is about 750 pages long and I honestly thought it would take me much longer to finish it than it did. It's been sitting on my shelves for a few years, waiting to be tackled. I've always been fascinated by Marilyn Monroe's life - the classic Hollywood story-grew up an orphan, was "discovered", became a huge star, died young, tragically, and I knew I liked and respected Joyce Carol Oates as an author so I expected to like this book and I really did.
It's basically More...
It's basically More...
Sep 15, 2011
Katrina
rated it:
This is a fictional account of the life of Marilyn Monroe told in her words.
I like the fact that the real names of the people in Marilyn's life were not mentioned, instead Mrs. Oates used descriptions. Exp: "The Playwright," "The Ex-Athlete," and "The President."
The story is very captivating, powerful writing from Mrs. Oates. I first read the novel when I was eighteen? I was browsing a bookstore at the mall and came across this. I didn't wan More...
I like the fact that the real names of the people in Marilyn's life were not mentioned, instead Mrs. Oates used descriptions. Exp: "The Playwright," "The Ex-Athlete," and "The President."
The story is very captivating, powerful writing from Mrs. Oates. I first read the novel when I was eighteen? I was browsing a bookstore at the mall and came across this. I didn't wan More...
May 10, 2011
Charisma
rated it:
I have always found Joyce Carol Oates really intense to read, and this book was no different. Even though I tried really hard to remember that this was this fictionalized life story of Marilyn Monroe I kept feeling as if I were reading her autiobiography. Before you read this book you should definitely do you research on MM. Even though her life is already public knowledge you get the feeling that you are getting an insight to this woman that has been an icon for decades. There is a lot of image
More...
Apr 16, 2010
Sara
rated it:
For all of Blonde's claims as a novelized, feminist retelling of Marilyn Monroe's life, I have seldom come across a book with more disturbing, dehumanizing references to the female body and mind. I am aware that these are intended to further emphasize Marilyn's loathed and loved standing in the American psyche as the virgin/whore goddess/garbage dichotomy, but the painful overuse of the adjectives "cow", "cunt", and "mammalian" to describe Marilyn, as well as endles
More...
Jun 08, 2010
Julie
rated it:
Somehow never having read a Joyce Carol Oates book, I didn't know what to expect from Blonde. I was silmotaneously impressed and let down. The book is long (over 700 pages) and even being a voracious reader currently trying to drown myself in books, it took me over a week to finish. Why? I had to read it in instalments. Norma Jean and all iterations of her personality presented as different characters she had played, including Marilyn Monroe, were hard to stomach for too long. Although I eventu
More...
Feb 20, 2012
Julie at All Ears
rated it:
Blonde is the fictionalized biography of Marilyn Monroe, from birth to her 'suicide'. I've never followed Marilyn Monroe or known anything more than sketchy details about her life. Joyce Carol Oates tries to make some of the details intentionally vague - referring to famous people by just a single initial, and calling her husbands/lovers 'The Ex-Athlete', 'The Playwright' or 'The President'. The story is told through a combination of 3rd person narrative and Marilyn's point of view. A big pa
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 01, 2011
Heidi
rated it: 
Masentava kirja. Masentava elämä. Keventävä huumori loisti poissaolollaan ja kuolema oli lopulta kaivattu vapautus.
Toisin kuin muissa Oatesin kirjoissa teksti oli sekavaa ja ailahtelevaa, heijastellen päähenkilön epävakaata mieltä.
Olen pitänyt Marilynia lahjattomana pin up hempukkana, mutta Oatesin tulkinnassa hän onkin poikkeuksellinen lahjakkuus, nerouden ja hulluuden välimailta.
Nyt haluaisinkin tutustua niihin Marilynin varhaisaikojen vakavampiin elokuviin.
Vaikka kirja olikin kiinnostava erää More...
Toisin kuin muissa Oatesin kirjoissa teksti oli sekavaa ja ailahtelevaa, heijastellen päähenkilön epävakaata mieltä.
Olen pitänyt Marilynia lahjattomana pin up hempukkana, mutta Oatesin tulkinnassa hän onkin poikkeuksellinen lahjakkuus, nerouden ja hulluuden välimailta.
Nyt haluaisinkin tutustua niihin Marilynin varhaisaikojen vakavampiin elokuviin.
Vaikka kirja olikin kiinnostava erää More...
Jan 08, 2012
Jennyreadsexcessively
rated it:
Oohh, this was a great read. Oates's controversial novel is a fictionalization of the life of the Hollywood siren Marilyn Monroe. Some have found it repellent that the author dared to write about such a tragedy without knowing the truth of possible abuses, love affairs, abortions, drug use, etc... But I accept this work as fiction and it seemed more than fair to me in its treatment of Norma Jeane. The writing is daring and thrilling in its unconventionality (e.g. Death comes riding on a bicycle
More...
3 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Feb 07, 2011
Jim
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 26, 2010
Catherine
rated it:
Blonde provides a masterful, disturbing and perceptive characterization of Marilyn Monroe that coincides with all of the other information I have read about her but provides additional interpretation into her psyche through the guise of fiction. The book itself is impossible to describe as it takes on a stylistic form that is very specific and complex. This is not just someone randomly writing a fictional biography of Monroe. This is Joyce Carol Oates, one of the most prolific and important auth
More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Aug 27, 2010
Erin
rated it:
I loved this book. I have to admit I knew next to nothing about the life of Marilyn Monroe before this book, and now it seems every time that I see a picture of her, or one of her films I am more entranced by her.
This book is a fictionalized retelling of her life. Many times Oats can make her female characters to saccharine that you end up despising them, I think she toted a fine line here, and I do not think she ever crossed it. The story is told mainly in the third person, but also thr More...
This book is a fictionalized retelling of her life. Many times Oats can make her female characters to saccharine that you end up despising them, I think she toted a fine line here, and I do not think she ever crossed it. The story is told mainly in the third person, but also thr More...
Jul 19, 2010
Lanette
rated it:
A masterpiece!!! I am a fan of Joyce Carol Oates, but so far, this trumps what I've read of her books. I was locked in the world of this book not being able to put it down, even when it became quite dark. I think that Ms. Oates does darkness very well and though I kept forgetting that this was fiction, it's quite a tribute to Marilyn Monroe or should I say her true creator: Norma Jeane Baker. Since reading this book, I've read a few biographies on Marilyn Monroe and this book trumps those as
More...
Sep 08, 2011
Christopher
rated it:
A mammoth-sized epic novel, told with the close-up intimacy of a documentary, is what Joyce Carol Oates has created in this postmodern masterpiece of fact-based fiction.
While the novel offers insight into the heart and mind of Marilyn Monroe, it does not tell us much about her life that we do not already know -- indeed, Oates instead helps to make the legend of Monroe's life grow exponentially larger, by raising more questions about the iconic actress, and by adding in plot-lines that did not ac More...
While the novel offers insight into the heart and mind of Marilyn Monroe, it does not tell us much about her life that we do not already know -- indeed, Oates instead helps to make the legend of Monroe's life grow exponentially larger, by raising more questions about the iconic actress, and by adding in plot-lines that did not ac More...
Aug 15, 2010
L-J
rated it:
Once again I am reminded of why JCO is one of my favorite authors. This was a novelization of the life of Marilyn Monroe, and it was fascinating and appalling. The writing was so brilliant that I was often walking around in a daze for the last two weeks with the author's voice going 'round and 'round in my brain. It becomes unimportant what is "true" and what is the author's invention because larger questions of where does victimization end and calculation begin, and whose "rea
More...
