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Elizabeth and Marilyn
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 14, 2026
Such a great book - couldn’t stop reading it, and wanted to then find out more. I did read all of Elizabeth’s chapters in a very plummy, The Crown style voice but the writing just so perfectly fitted the characters. Loved this.
May 15, 2026
London, 1956. In the run up to the star-studded film premiere of The Battle of the River Plate in November, two very famous women are struggling to balance their personal and very public lives - Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom, and the Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe.
The book mostly unfurls in the summer of 1956, with forays back in time to 1936 and 1946 which fill in some back story. In 1956, Elizabeth is still in the early days of her position as Queen, and Marilyn Monroe is in London to film The Prince and the Showgirl with Laurence Olivier.
Having loved all of Julie's previous books, I was really looking forward to seeing how she would find common ground between two seemingly incongruous figures whose lives have already been pulled apart so much. She does this by cleverly writing about them as the real women that lie behind the legends, Lilibet and Norma Jeane, delving into their attempts to balance public and private personas.
For Lilibet, this means negotiating the demands of Royal duty, family recriminations, and walking a fine line in her marriage to Philip. Meanwhile, Norma Jeanne suffers a crisis of confidence in her acting abilities, and finds her new marriage to much older playwright, Arthur Miller, is not the bed of roses she was hoping for. Both women are discovering that the task of being all things to everyone is impossible, especially under the intense scrutiny of the media, hungry for a scandalous scoop.
I really enjoyed how Julie tackles Lilibet's character, bringing out her shy, softer side (though not without a core of iron), but at times it is difficult to put aside the fact that she is living a life of privilege, for all her admirable dedication to duty - fans of The Crown will love her. For me, it is Julie's portrayal of the fragile Norma Jeane that tears your heart to shreds, which is perhaps inevitable given hindsight - her desperate need to be loved, her palpable loneliness, her battle with endometriosis, and her unhappiness at being let down once again by a man who wants a pocket Marilyn Monroe for his personal entertainment, are laid bare for all to see. Tears were shed.
This is Julie's must ambitious novel yet, and I applaud the way she makes you see the struggles of these women were more similar than you might imagine in love, loss and being taken seriously, despite the gulf in their backgrounds. Julie's women are always so well written in rich tones of light and shade, and her Lilibet and Norma Jeane are no exception. Compulsive reading.
The book mostly unfurls in the summer of 1956, with forays back in time to 1936 and 1946 which fill in some back story. In 1956, Elizabeth is still in the early days of her position as Queen, and Marilyn Monroe is in London to film The Prince and the Showgirl with Laurence Olivier.
Having loved all of Julie's previous books, I was really looking forward to seeing how she would find common ground between two seemingly incongruous figures whose lives have already been pulled apart so much. She does this by cleverly writing about them as the real women that lie behind the legends, Lilibet and Norma Jeane, delving into their attempts to balance public and private personas.
For Lilibet, this means negotiating the demands of Royal duty, family recriminations, and walking a fine line in her marriage to Philip. Meanwhile, Norma Jeanne suffers a crisis of confidence in her acting abilities, and finds her new marriage to much older playwright, Arthur Miller, is not the bed of roses she was hoping for. Both women are discovering that the task of being all things to everyone is impossible, especially under the intense scrutiny of the media, hungry for a scandalous scoop.
I really enjoyed how Julie tackles Lilibet's character, bringing out her shy, softer side (though not without a core of iron), but at times it is difficult to put aside the fact that she is living a life of privilege, for all her admirable dedication to duty - fans of The Crown will love her. For me, it is Julie's portrayal of the fragile Norma Jeane that tears your heart to shreds, which is perhaps inevitable given hindsight - her desperate need to be loved, her palpable loneliness, her battle with endometriosis, and her unhappiness at being let down once again by a man who wants a pocket Marilyn Monroe for his personal entertainment, are laid bare for all to see. Tears were shed.
This is Julie's must ambitious novel yet, and I applaud the way she makes you see the struggles of these women were more similar than you might imagine in love, loss and being taken seriously, despite the gulf in their backgrounds. Julie's women are always so well written in rich tones of light and shade, and her Lilibet and Norma Jeane are no exception. Compulsive reading.
June 28, 2026
I enjoyed this fictionalised account of the intersection of the lives of Queen Elizabeth II and Marilyn Monroe set (mostly) in 1956, when both women were in tricky situations with their spouses in addition to juggling complex public personas alongside their inner turmoil. There is a fine balancing act to be had when writing fiction about real people, but Julie Owen Moylan treads well here, and whilst I imagine it was harder to write Elizabeth she is just as real as the more familiar Marilyn (in terms of their known private lives, that is), and equally as interesting (my reservation here is that before reading the book I had 100% interest in Marilyn and 0% in Elizabeth, which indicates a bias). Overall, I found the novel to be an engaging, if not challenging, read which is likely to be enjoyed by aficionados of either/or.
June 2, 2026
Set in 1956, Marilyn Monroe has travelled to London with her playwright husband, Arthur Miller, to the start filming ‘The Prince and the Showgirl’ with Sir Laurence Olivier. Meanwhile Queen Elizabeth is finding the duties of royal life a strain with her sister, Margaret, being disagreeable over her break-up with Peter Townsend and there are rumours about her husband, Philip, and his social activities. This all takes place in the run up to the Royal Film Premiere and the meeting between the Queen and Marilyn.
The story is told via the very distinct voices of Lilibet and Norma Jeane. It is like a ‘fly on the wall’ account/documentary. Both characters are sympathetically and wonderfully portrayed. It’s historical fiction woven with fact but it felt very real throughout. It’s well written and researched and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with these two iconic women. A fantastic exploration of what might have happened. Highly recommended.
The story is told via the very distinct voices of Lilibet and Norma Jeane. It is like a ‘fly on the wall’ account/documentary. Both characters are sympathetically and wonderfully portrayed. It’s historical fiction woven with fact but it felt very real throughout. It’s well written and researched and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with these two iconic women. A fantastic exploration of what might have happened. Highly recommended.
June 2, 2026
Insight into both Marilyn Monroe and Queen Elizabeth's lives and the parallel between the two during 1956 and the contrast between their childhood experiences. Loved it!
June 18, 2026
Oh my gosh, I adored this book!! I found it so readable and looked forward to going to bed each night to read it! I found it fascinating, particularly Marilyn's story which I knew very little about.
July 2, 2026
Loved this!! I listened to it which helped to bring each narrative alive.
July 23, 2026
I finished this book over a month ago – but I finished it late at night and then went away for a few days and completely forgot to write up my review and that is such a shame as it is one of the best books Ive read this year.
Elizabeth (Queen of England) and Marylin (Munroe) are the same age. It is the summer of 1956, and both are having personal challenges. Elizabeth is going through a tricky time with Prince Phillip – not sure if he is being completely loyal, and the potential divorce of his best friend is bringing the Royal family under scrutiny. Marylin is filming the Price and the Showgirl – a film she is heavily invested in – but her mental and physical health are making is a challenging time. She is recently married to Arther Miller, and she is navigating this new relationship.
The book takes place in England over the summer of 1956. The chapters alternate between the two and are also interspersed with flashbacks of when they were 10 and 20 and the occasional newspaper story. The story moves towards the one (as far as we know) meeting between the two at a film premiere.
This is a wonderful book. The perfect mix between fact and fiction that I enjoy. Although some of the story is fiction there is enough research and fact to give you a true insight in to both women. I truly recommend this book.
I know a reasonable amount of information about our queen at this time having watched The Crown – but I knew very little about Marilyn Munroe. Both would have been 100 this year so this is a celebration of their lives.
Since reading this I have been rewatching Series 1 and 2 of the Crown and the story with Prince Phillip is included. I also went to see the Marilyn Munroe exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery this week.
Add this book to your TBR.
Elizabeth (Queen of England) and Marylin (Munroe) are the same age. It is the summer of 1956, and both are having personal challenges. Elizabeth is going through a tricky time with Prince Phillip – not sure if he is being completely loyal, and the potential divorce of his best friend is bringing the Royal family under scrutiny. Marylin is filming the Price and the Showgirl – a film she is heavily invested in – but her mental and physical health are making is a challenging time. She is recently married to Arther Miller, and she is navigating this new relationship.
The book takes place in England over the summer of 1956. The chapters alternate between the two and are also interspersed with flashbacks of when they were 10 and 20 and the occasional newspaper story. The story moves towards the one (as far as we know) meeting between the two at a film premiere.
This is a wonderful book. The perfect mix between fact and fiction that I enjoy. Although some of the story is fiction there is enough research and fact to give you a true insight in to both women. I truly recommend this book.
I know a reasonable amount of information about our queen at this time having watched The Crown – but I knew very little about Marilyn Munroe. Both would have been 100 this year so this is a celebration of their lives.
Since reading this I have been rewatching Series 1 and 2 of the Crown and the story with Prince Phillip is included. I also went to see the Marilyn Munroe exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery this week.
Add this book to your TBR.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews