LIFE Remembering Marilyn

by LIFE Special - 2017-7-7 SIP, Meredith (Contributor)

From a hard childhood lived largely in foster homes, she ascended to the highest of Hollywood heights—a screen icon beyond compare. And then she died young under mysterious circumstances, tragically cementing her legend. The life story of Norma Jeane Baker, the girl who would become Marilyn Monroe, is as thrilling, glamorous and dramatic as anything seen on the big screen, and the camera was there to capture every chapter. With intimate, rarely seen photographs of a pretty little child growing up in California during the 1930s right through to the classic imagery of the movie star in the 1950s and '60s made by LIFE's legendary team of photographers, this book is a warm portrait of a woman who was majestic and vulnerable in equal measure. These pages prove beyond any doubt: There has never been another like Marilyn, and there never will be.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography

128 pages, Single Issue Magazine

First published October 13, 2009

Reviews

[Piper Winchester · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful magazine about a beautiful woman. Treasure it

[Bailee Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like I said in a progress update while reading this, I had it marked as "Want to read" but I do think I read this when I first got it. Either that or I've read this information before in other biographical works about Marilyn. One of the standout quotes from this book to me is: "Monroe, whether she was a great movie actress or not, was an incomparable star of the still image." Though this is written in a LIFE special, a publication focused on photographs and the moments, people, stories, and emotions they capture, it is such an accurate assessment of her. I don't necessarily like the question of her talent as an actress, (though I get that's open to interpretation,) but there seems to be a constant glow to photographs of her.

This book gives a nice overview of her life. Of course there are going to be things missing and parts with more detail. There's quite a lot of speculation about areas of her life, which the book also addresses- varying accounts, altered accounts, etc. There will always be things we never know about people in the past and Marilyn is certainly a figure who will forever have that shroud of mystery, intrigue, and conjecture.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't offer much insight on Marilyn as a person, felt a lot like reading a long Wikipedia article. The pictures are wonderful though, Marilyn had such light and charisma that shone through her.

One of my favorite pictures of her in here:

From an article called "Eight Girls Try Out Mixed Emotions." Marilyn's 'emotions' were embracing a lover, hearing a joke, seeing a monster, and taking a drink.


When asked whether she really had nothing on in the calendar spread, she answered, "I had the radio on." Asked what she wore to bed nightly, she replied coquettishly, "Chanel No. 5."

[Cristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

She was a legend. I wish her life wasn't so tragic.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful photos with factual text that makes very clear which details are speculative and others that were fabricated by Marilyn herself. Plenty will remain unknown. Not a juicy read like other biographies

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great photos, some I had not seen before, especially when she was a child and several candid photos.

[Isaac Lambert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating pictures! The few words also attempt to shed some light on her life.