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Legend: The Life and Death of Marilyn Monroe
The definitive biography.—Los Angeles Times
536 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 1984
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 15, 2023
Legend is a biography of Marilyn Monroe written by Fred Lawrence Guiles and published in 1984. It is actually a follow-up to his 1969 bio of Marilyn entitled Norma Jean. In this book, the author adds more details that he was keeping secret when the first book was published. Specifically, Guiles adds details about the fact that Bobby Kennedy was having an affair with Marilyn and the extent of their relationship, which he either left out or obscured in the prior book (which the author discusses in the prologue).
I would say that the book focuses on the highlights (not necessarily the high points, but the key events) of Marilyn Monroe's life. Basically, the details that are very well known or for which he could get corroboration through interviews (such as with Authur Miller). The discussion of her death is mostly confined to the second to last chapter of the book. Guiles early in the book dismisses the notion that she was killed, and at the end of the book details the number of pills she was able to get ahold of up to the day she committed suicide and argues that she was essentially reaching out to people who, if they would have gotten her help in time, could have saved her. The author also notes that Marilyn had two other nearly identical suicide attempts that were thwarted by Miller, who, of course, was not there when she died which supports the argument that her act was intentional and not accidental.
The book is right around 500 pages. The substantive bio portion is about 445 pages, then the rest of the book includes a filmography and an index. The filmography is interesting in that it not only lists her films from 1948 to 1961 but shows the credits and adds reviews so you can see when she starts getting credited when she starts to get higher (and eventually top billing) and when the reviewers start to focus on her performance. The book is not hard to read, but it does have a lot of detail that (for me at least) made it a little slower to read than I normally can get through a book of that length. Most of what is in the book is now pretty well-known, a lot of what the author talks about is known in even more detail than he gets into in the book. Even so, it is still an interesting read and worth checking out.
I would say that the book focuses on the highlights (not necessarily the high points, but the key events) of Marilyn Monroe's life. Basically, the details that are very well known or for which he could get corroboration through interviews (such as with Authur Miller). The discussion of her death is mostly confined to the second to last chapter of the book. Guiles early in the book dismisses the notion that she was killed, and at the end of the book details the number of pills she was able to get ahold of up to the day she committed suicide and argues that she was essentially reaching out to people who, if they would have gotten her help in time, could have saved her. The author also notes that Marilyn had two other nearly identical suicide attempts that were thwarted by Miller, who, of course, was not there when she died which supports the argument that her act was intentional and not accidental.
The book is right around 500 pages. The substantive bio portion is about 445 pages, then the rest of the book includes a filmography and an index. The filmography is interesting in that it not only lists her films from 1948 to 1961 but shows the credits and adds reviews so you can see when she starts getting credited when she starts to get higher (and eventually top billing) and when the reviewers start to focus on her performance. The book is not hard to read, but it does have a lot of detail that (for me at least) made it a little slower to read than I normally can get through a book of that length. Most of what is in the book is now pretty well-known, a lot of what the author talks about is known in even more detail than he gets into in the book. Even so, it is still an interesting read and worth checking out.
September 11, 2025
I didn’t know very much about Marilyn Monroe before reading this, and wow, her story is both fascinating and absolutely heartbreaking. She had such a rough childhood and a terrible family situation, being constantly tossed around from place to place. That kind of instability does awful things to a little girl, and you can really see how those early experiences followed her throughout her life.
She spent so much of her life feeling unwanted, first by her family, and later even by the film studios that shaped her image. Struggles with her mental health and eventually drug addiction only made things harder. On the outside, she was this glamorous, iconic sex symbol, adored by millions. But behind the scenes, she was a lonely, deeply sad woman who didn’t seem to have true friends or anyone she could really confide in.
By the time I finished, her tragic death felt sadly inevitable. It’s a powerful, haunting read that shows the heartbreaking reality behind the glittering image.
She spent so much of her life feeling unwanted, first by her family, and later even by the film studios that shaped her image. Struggles with her mental health and eventually drug addiction only made things harder. On the outside, she was this glamorous, iconic sex symbol, adored by millions. But behind the scenes, she was a lonely, deeply sad woman who didn’t seem to have true friends or anyone she could really confide in.
By the time I finished, her tragic death felt sadly inevitable. It’s a powerful, haunting read that shows the heartbreaking reality behind the glittering image.
March 8, 2018
Very detailed recap on this gorgeous woman. I feel the writer has written a very fair account on her life as well as some conspiracy theories on how she passed.
February 20, 2012
A decent popular biography. A little sparse in places. Lacks footnotes, which is always a red flag for reliability. Differs greatly from other biographies (which all seem to differ greatly) in some essentials. Overall an interesting an fun read for any M.M. enthusiast ... but not to be taken completely seriously.
February 26, 2010
Mid 3. Detailed and informative, this biography charts Monroe's tragic story and provides great insights from her beginnings as Norma Jean. Yet, at times this is too traditional a biography in its structure and doesn't really capture the screen icon and sex symbol's allure.
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December 23, 2011I have always wanted to read a biography on Marilyn Monroe, but wanted to make sure that it was as factual as possible, without any conspiracy theories and such like. This one is not perfect, but definitely gives a good insight into the life of a very unique and very troubled woman.
August 4, 2007
Always interesting to read about Marilyn. I still think she was murdered, and more comes out as time goes by, and the principal people are no longer living to punish.
January 30, 2008
I learned Marilyn was a woman who was confused about what she wanted. She worked hard to try to understand what it was she would want in life. She gave up on life becouse she became clouded.
June 16, 2008
best biography about the life and legend. the intimate details make it worth every second... great for those who aren't even a fan.
July 6, 2008
I was stunned by all the deatails of the movie industry and how it's affecting the life of the actors ... learned a lot about Marilyn as well as the backgrounds ...
August 31, 2013
A fascinating subject but the biography was wordy to the point of getting lost.
January 8, 2017
An in depth, fascinating book about Marilyn Monroe.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews