9780060794002
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Blonde audiobook

  • By: Joyce Carol Oates
  • Narrator: Jayne Atkinson
  • Category: Fiction, Literary
  • Length: 8 hours 23 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio
  • Publish date: September 21, 2004
  • Language: English
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Blonde Audiobook Summary

The National Book Award finalist and national bestseller exploring the life and legend of Marilyn Monroe

Soon to be a Netflix Film starring Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale and Julianne Nicholson

In one of her most ambitious works, Joyce Carol Oates boldly reimagines the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of Norma Jeane Baker–the child, the woman, the fated celebrity, and idolized blonde the world came to know as Marilyn Monroe. In a voice startlingly intimate and rich, Norma Jeane tells her own story of an emblematic American artist–intensely conflicted and driven–who had lost her way. A powerful portrait of Hollywood’s myth and an extraordinary woman’s heartbreaking reality, Blonde is a sweeping epic that pays tribute to the elusive magic and devastation behind the creation of the great 20th-century American star.

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Blonde Audiobook Narrator

Jayne Atkinson is the narrator of Blonde audiobook that was written by Joyce Carol Oates

Jayne Atkinson Starred on Broadway in The Rainmaker and in Ivanov at Lincoln Center; Off-Broadway she starred in How I Learned To Drive. Her film credits include Free Willy I and II; on TV she has appeared in The Practice and The X-Files.

About the Author(s) of Blonde

Joyce Carol Oates is the author of Blonde

Blonde Full Details

Narrator Jayne Atkinson
Length 8 hours 23 minutes
Author Joyce Carol Oates
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date September 21, 2004
ISBN 9780060794002

Subjects

The publisher of the Blonde is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Fiction, Literary

Additional info

The publisher of the Blonde is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780060794002.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Fabian

October 22, 2020

YOU MUST READ THIS! Have to have to! And you will. It must be one of the BEST (FINEST) novels of all time. (& y'all know that this is the sole topic I will NEVER joke about.)Seeing the elusive, the ephemeral, through different filters--a jaguar prowling through the jungle, a baby left all alone, as if you had the privilege to do so in the first place. "Blonde" is a privilege to read-- the rarest of rare novel/poetry book combos. Why read itty bitty poetry in its refracted, basically restricted state? Read novels, exemplary novels like this one, for a novel like "Blonde" kicks the ass of those tiny singular books... there is poetry in each and every page. Undertaking this journey is a huge endeavor for the reader. This humongous tale for the reader is a grotesque fairy tale through & through.Norma Jean's thoughts/actions occur in present tense, in actual time, & also in fatalistic retrospection. It is a topsy turvy house of horror.This is an expert fictionalization; momentous literature which must be absolutely devoured. The saga is sublime. The topic, the figurehead that is Marilyn Monroe, is and has been ultimately misinterpreted. But thanks to Joyce Carol Oates (give her a Nobel already [I mean, even Coetzee and Saramago have one!]) and her extensive research, the meat on the bones are as beautiful and enigmatic as the person herself (and by this, I mean Monroe AND J.C.O.: their collaboration is what dreams are made of. Their nightmare is our heaven).(Strange to figure how many modern actresses wish to emulate the gorgeous blond, they try time after time, and the great actress tried so much to be the character she was chosen to portray. She was even painfully paranoid of her fictional characterizations drifting into her real life like ghosts!)Consider Oates's Norma Jean as a 20th century Emma Bovary-- but with something to offer the outside world. And of this many great Hollywood men took notice, and the exploitation that ensues is demonic. The elusive father figure-- Norma Jean never met hers, and so what happens is a collection of men she disgustingly refers to as "Daddy." (see? Even porno stars want to be Marilyn!) She becomes addicted to Codeine tablets, super quick solutions to issues which stem all the way from infancy. There is a patina of infinite sadness, of devastation being covered up for the sake of illusion and the glimmering of the silver screen. The novel is filled with endings-- conceivably, almost every section in the story could be a possible way for Oates to finish her masterpiece-- the prolongment is absolutely masochistic and inspiring, if that makes any sense. The novel that starts off with dolls, star homes and star funerals is undoubtedly what awaits the girl (beautiful and young corpse) at the end. Everything: sad, with a foretaste of certain doom, of impending tragedy. The girl devoted to God and literature and meaty roles (as evidenced by her poems and musings which) beg the reader to feel defensive of her, of this child in a woman's body, The Woman's body. The cooly complex metaphysical stuff (this is a 21st century novel after all and all the Greats brought out all their tricks at this point) is infused with intelligence, and, yes, MAGIC. Marilyn is a woman who falls out of time. She recalls scripts that have never even existed before but compete with her actual life-- she's smart beyond recognition, she is not DUMB AT ALL. She juxtaposes art with life, and this is what all actresses, all good actresses, must feel for their art. She suffers for her art like any other artist worth his or her salt.It is pretty rare for literature to be so perfectly precise in emulating the theme and source it describes: like the person herself (R.I.P) the novel, for me, will remain unique and unforgettable.

Bess

February 25, 2008

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 over, pawned, and sucked dry by man after man (playwright and athlete and high school sweetheart alike) -- as well as by Men™, which includes not just men, but all the women, gentlemen, scholars, mathematicians, AND carpenters' wives who agree that the female body is but a glittery, soft object for boys to ogle, pet, and circle-jerk off to from the comforts of the Oval Office or locker-room bench alike -- an object off of which there's billions to be made! -- throughout her brief life.All the girls these days who walk around purring docilely between bouts of bulimia in designer skinnyjeans on their way to have their antidepressant prescriptions refilled need to read this book and then get back to us on whether or not they still think calling themselves -- and maybe actually BECOMING -- feminists is unnecessary.___________________________________________Update: I'm absorbing this book slowly through a long & visually unremarkable osmotic process... or maybe it's the other way around, and I'm ITS prey. Either way, I'm only a little more than halfway through, and I think I might experience actual, physical withdrawal when I'm done.For madness is seductive, sexy. Female madness.So long as the female is reasonably young and attractive.= why I love Joyce Carol Oates

Alex

September 08, 2022

Joyce Carol Oates has appropriated our American wet dream, the winner of the global boner bracket, the all-time "Who'd You Rather?" champion, she's taken and made some kind of Cinderella Christ myth out of her, tarted up for the ball by her leering old fairy godfather and when the clock hits twelve martyred for our filthy sins. No soft-focus angel Christ here, either: this is Mel Gibson torture Christ, all meat and oozing sores inside her mouth. Oates insists on the fact of her body: Marilyn Monroe spends the entire book menstruating and sweating and stinking and pissing. When she's sodomized by an old guy Oates describes it, "like a beak plunging in." She never blinks. She feels everything. Like Christ, she has some Daddy issues. Like Christ, she tries to chicken out. Like Christ she seems to understand where this is all headed, and to face it bewildered and terrified. She's not dumb, she just has no defenses. She knows why she's here. "It was my intention to create a female portrait as emblematic of her time and place as Emma Bovary was of hers," says Oates, and you're like, "Create? Wasn't Marilyn Monroe already created?" But the historical Monroe is a palimpsest for Oates. She has her own agenda. "The historical individuals are not in the novel," she says: "Rather, their historical roles are the subject of the novel." In one scene Marilyn Monroe goes incognito to the theater to watch her own movie and finds herself surrounded by men staring up at the screen and masturbating, and that scene is this book in a nutshell.Oates has her sights set high. Blonde is her longest book and her most audacious in a long career of audacity, and it totally works. (Suck it, Mailer.) The singular Great American Novel doesn't exist, because there are so many Americans, right? The loner cowboy; the runaway slave; the pioneer woman - and the dizzy blonde, too, the sexpot, that's an American archetype. "Oh hey! - you can't miss Marilyn," says Marilyn: "She'll be the one with the vagina." Here she is.

Jaline

April 22, 2017

This book was very difficult to read. Not because of the writing, which is phenomenal, but because we already know the sad ending. Joyce Carol Oates takes us on a literary journey from babyhood through to the end with a flawless, relentless depiction of the mind within the body that embarked on this particular journey. It is beyond sad to bear witness to the reactions and defenses of a mind molded by fear, uncertainty, unpredictability and unreliability that resulted in a young woman who became her own worst enemy and basically orchestrated her own downfall. With her background, falling prey to the Hollywood system of male dominance of the time seemed inevitable. The failure of The Blonde’s various coping mechanisms was not surprising, nor was it surprising that this also sabotaged her personal relationships resulting in yet more reinforcement for self-sabotage. A downward-directed spiral, indeed. Lamentable as the story is, I would recommend this book to any reader who is interested in the psychology of mind that can propel a soul through life from innocence to a tragic end.

Helene Jeppesen

April 02, 2017

This book was marvellous in many ways! It's a fictional piece of work following the life of Norma Jeane Baker, aka. Marilyn Monroe, from she's a child till her death as a 36-year-old woman devoured and intoxicated with drugs, medication and alcohol. It's a tragic life story, but it's hugely inspiring as well, and if you have even the faintest interest in Marilyn Monroe's life I would highly recommend this book. To me, one of the most interesting aspects of "Blonde" was how it balances fiction and facts. It's based on the truth, but it's retold through another person who, I assume, hasn't ever met Monroe and only know her through the media coverage that we all have access to. This book reads like great fiction, but simultaneously I learned so much about Monroe's fascinating life and development into the sexy icon she became. I LOVED THIS! I have never read anything like this, and I know that this book has impacted me hugely. I will remember and cherish it for a long time to come because it speaks of a life so beloved, intriguing, tragic and yet fascinating, and it does so wonderfully. What a piece of art "Blonde" is!

María

August 30, 2022

La superficialidad más profunda es la de Marilyn. Pero no la de la persona -a la que nunca conoceremos- sino la de nosotros mismos vistos a través de la construcción del icono y nuestra respuesta hacia él. Es lo que ella representa y lo que su imagen abrió al mundo, lo que determina su cualidad mitificada. Marilyn abrió una nueva época. La cultura de masas, la cultura pop. Luego vendrían Elvis, Los Beatles… y desde ahí, todo ha sido un poco una repetición de lo mismo. Marilyn es hija de ese mini-renacimiento de la posguerra, del esplendor de la cultura occidental y el consumo. Marilyn fue el primer "usa y descarta" que se usó pero nunca se descartó y por eso ascendió al Olimpo del mito. Allí, en donde solo una muerte temprana puede transformar un objeto de consumo en una deidad inmortal. No. De esto no habla Joyce Carol Oates en esta novela de más de mil páginas. Al menos no en su literalidad. Lo hace de una manera sutil y literaria, muy al estilo norteamericano (largas escenas y abundantes descripciones), pero hace un juego interesante del que nos pone en aviso desde el prólogo: una ficción sobre la ficción. Y es que Marilyn, al ser un personaje creado por directivos y productores hollywoodenses, ya es una primera invención. La segunda es la que hace Oates, quien toma los hitos más importantes de su vida y los ficciona desde un lugar muy íntimo, como quien abre tajos en la carne con sus propias manos, en busca del corazón que late. Y adentro, algo inaprensible, como un vaho liviano que sale expelido como una leve exhalación. Así se siente esta novela. Así se siente llegar al final de esta novela. Asistimos al último aliento de Marylin, que ya en este punto es el lugar en el que se encuentran dos ficciones que se funden en un mismo plano y prácticamente no hay diferencia alguna.Pero antes de que suceda esto, hay algunos recursos narrativos que no convencen del todo o quizás se trate del punto de vista reivindicativo y a la vez martirológico que Oates le imprime a la novela. Durante la primera mitad, talvez, hay muchas escenas que resultan exageradas y otras son interpretaciones de sucesos que están muy basados en una visión contemporánea de la mujer y, a la vez, son autocompasivos y están en constante búsqueda de conmiseración, al usar la crítica hacia machismos y actitudes sexistas atávicas como un recurso acusador (a nosotros mismos, a la sociedad en general) que por momentos roza lo sensiblero. Sin embargo, pese a todo esto, Oates ha construido un personaje complejo y profundo que es una representación perfecta de la mujer esponja, la mujer pantalla, que fue M.M. Yo también soy parte de esa multitud depredadora que consumió a Marylin ya como deidad. Conozco todas sus películas y su vida, por lo que esta novela sin duda, es un caramelo (duro, pero caramelo al fin). Todos hemos sido fisgones de su vida y Joyce Carol Oates nos lo hace notar con dureza, pero también con mucha belleza y poesía. Finalmente, ese 'je ne sais quoi' de Marilyn que resulta inexplicable en su superficie -pues mujeres hermosas en Hollywood hubo y hay por montones- es lo que Oates trata de explicar, o mejor, de hacérnoslo sentir en esta novela. Hay una mezcla de voluntad colectiva que viene con el inicio de un nuevo tiempo, uno en el que la construcción del ideal femenino pasaba por la destrucción del recato tradicional, porque era necesario hacerlo. No era suficiente con desaparecer el recato, había que transformarlo en un bien consumible, pero en un bien idealizado que el dinero no podía comprar. Aquí anoto una idea: una prostituta se puede comprar, por lo que hay un cambio de estatus en el deseo masculino representado desde la cultura de masas. Marilyn no era ni representaba a una prostituta (aunque en el libro se repite intencionalmente que parece y viste como una puta). Lo cierto es que hay un cambio de paradigma en la imagen y el rol de la mujer, y Marilyn es quien inaugura este nuevo paradigma que venía dando atisbos desde hace décadas atrás. Los cambios sociales y económicos derivados de la Revolución Industrial, las posteriores guerras y el acelerado movimiento social y cultural venido después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, generaron una necesidad de cambiar el rol de la mujer. No voy a dar una cátedra de historia social (he escrito un ensayo sobre este tema) pero la idea es que surge la necesidad de asociar el amor romántico al matrimonio (en el siglo XIX se afinca, pero aún está vetado el placer carnal) y en el siglo XX, especialmente a partir de la segunda mitad, esa intención de unir amor romántico y matrimonio se transforma en la necesidad de añadir el placer sexual a la ecuación. Me refiero a la exploración sexual dentro del matrimonio, que durante siglos estuvo limitada a un mero acto reproductivo que repudiaba al placer femenino. Hasta entrado el Siglo XX, el conocimiento y acceso al placer estaba exclusivamente destinado a las prostitutas. ¿Qué pasa entonces en el siglo XX? En resumen, la entrada del Capitalismo productivista en Occidente, el comienzo de la sociedad de consumo y el cambio que ello trajo dentro de los núcleos productivos y la familia, hizo que se reestructuren los roles masculinos y femeninos. Era necesaria la participación de la mujer en la rueda de la producción y con ello, la conquista de espacios más allá de lo doméstico y la consecución de derechos básicos como el voto, la educación, el trabajo… y la sexualidad. En un campo aún dominado por las proyecciones masculinas, hay una necesidad estética que toma un préstamo de la estética de lo que hasta ese entonces era una prostituta. Ahora una novia, una esposa, también podían ser objeto de deseo. Debían ser objeto de deseo. Marilyn encarnó a esa nueva mujer. A Marilyn Monroe se la llamó prostituta, porque para el imaginario de la época su forma de vestir, maquillarse y moverse eran eso. Pero su imagen -aun inventada por el deseo y la necesidad masculina- abrió una brecha estético-simbólica en la que precisamente esa forma de verse/vestirse ya no correspondería al de la puta sino a ese anhelo otrora idealizado que ahora podía estar a la vuelta de la esquina. Marilyn era Norma Jean, la chica de al lado. Esa dualidad es lo que remueve con tanta fuerza. La seudo-huérfana, la mujer desvalida que revolucionó una estética que en realidad es un ethos y un cambio biopolítico, y por eso tiene tanta resonancia cultural. Finalmente, todas las mujeres contemporáneas somos herederas de esa Marilyn. Y todos los estereotipos y cánones de belleza actuales son herederos de esos que "ella" (mejor dicho, su imagen) implantó en la mente del espectador/consumidor. Mismos que hoy luego de sesenta años se empiezan a cuestionar porque, nuevamente, estamos camino hacia un nuevo paradigma, pero ese es otro tema. Es verdad que ya hubo antes en el cine mujeres con imágenes poderosas y con el mismo préstamo de la estética de la prostituta, pero todas -o la mayoría- estaban retratadas como vamps o femmes fatales (vampiresas come hombres), mientras que Marilyn era una mezcla de sensualidad, inocencia y picardía, lo cual paradójicamente la bajaba del pedestal; además de que por una conjunción espacio-temporal, la historia la acompañó: las demás aparecieron en los períodos de guerras o entreguerras, en los que la Cultura estaba en un momento de parálisis, por lo que no existían apuestas a futuro, todo era inestable, sobre todo la Economía.Lo analizado arriba es a vuelo de pájaro porque este no es un ensayo sociológico sino la reseña de un libro, pero consideré pertinente explicar por qué creo que la figura de Marilyn representa algo muy crucial en nuestra evolución como sociedad contemporánea, y el por qué nos identificamos tanto con ella. Y aquí pongo otra causa de esa identificación. La historia de Norma Jean es la paradoja del sueño americano (que se devora a sí mismo): niña abandonada por el padre, con madre esquizofrénica, peloteada entre orfanatos y hogares de acogida, casada por voluntad de otros a los quince años, que triunfa por su belleza maleable al deseo de los otros, y que muere absorbida por su propio monstruo. El ciclo de vida de Marilyn es el de la heroína trágica, ella cumple un arquetipo básico que llevamos inserto en el inconsciente desde que existe la Cultura (o desde que existe la lengua y la capacidad de abstracción). La heroína que está llena de dones y todo lo que hace es dar, dar de sí, darse por completo a los demás. Dejar que la fagociten y así vivir a través de los otros. Es la metáfora de la Gran Madre, la gran paridora. Marilyn no tuvo hijos, pero en este sentido figurado/simbólico, ella nos parió a todos, seres de la sociedad de consumo. Ella es el símbolo de esa mater que se deja devorar viva, porque si ya no tiene nada que dar, entrega su cuerpo. Y esto no es un delirio mío, es una reflexión que me ha surgido luego de leer Blonde y de ver su última película, The misfits (Vidas rebeldes), cuyo papel fue completamente basado en ella y escrito para ella por su entonces marido, el dramaturgo Arthur Miller. Bueno, en ese filme, el personaje de Marilyn es justamente esa mujer que se deja fagocitar -como esa Gran Madre salvadora- por el resto de desangelados personajes. (Curiosamente Miller en esta novela es retratado como el amante más abnegado de Monroe, casi un pobre enamorado que vive para servir a su mujer y que es abandonado por ella. Jamás una cualidad negativa, a diferencia de cuando describe al resto de maridos/amantes, lo cual me deja qué pensar, aunque Oates haya dicho que todo era ficción, la cuestión es que todos los personajes que usa existieron, y la línea cronológica y de la historia que narra son reales. El propio Miller no se refirió en buenos términos a Marilyn, escribió dos obras sobre ella en las que la retrata de forma patética, y aunque ambos se fueron infieles mutuamente, él se enamoró y empezó una relación con una fotógrafa con la que al poco tiempo se casó, durante el rodaje de The Misfits, cosa que devastó a Marylin. Pero de esto no habla Oates, lo cual no hace más que parecerme sumamente extraño, y para ello tengo dos hipótesis. La primera: era su amiga o no quiso ofender a Miller que para cuando se publicó esta novela aún estaba vivo. La segunda: quiso darle un giro irónico al personaje de Miller al convertirlo en el opuesto exacto de lo que en realidad era. Según el escritor Norman Mailer, Arthur Miller era un oportunista al aprovecharse de la fama de su esposa para escribir The misfits, y dijo de él que era "ambicioso, limitado y mezquino"). Por último, espero con ansia la adaptación cinematográfica de esta novela que se estrena en poco tiempo. Recomendada para quienes gusten de las novelas largas y/o les interese la figura de Marilyn Monroe.

Ken

October 03, 2022

Obviously it was the Netflix movie that made me want to read this novel and it was actually quite apparent early on how little I actually knew of Norma Jeane/Marilyn.I definitely still intend to watch the adaptation and at the same token should try and find some of Monroe's own movies to watch. As at this point I've only seen two.It's quite clear that even in this fictional portrayal of the film star that she had a troubled life.One aspect that stands out is how the industry uses their stars to such an extent that it becomes to shocking to really comprehend.I'd also not realised the body of work that Carol Oates had written up until this point and I found her style quite addictive (though the subject matter slightly helped!).The level of detail in some of the crude aspects of the novel did feel a little excessive but I guess that's the point.At many times I found myself looking up to see if what she'd put was true and went down a few rabbit holes on YouTube.There's no getting away from the books length and whilst I was enjoying (?) it, at times it felt a little long.Certainly a fascinating if not heartbreaking read, I'm glad that Netflix had decided to make it and Marilyn's star power still has people interested in her to this day.

AudioBookLover

June 22, 2022

After hearing about the new NC-17 movie about a simi-fictionalized life of Marilyn Monroe coming to Netflix, I really wanted to check out the novel it was based on. This is a great novel and a great audiobook! It gets really dark at times. I tried to track down the HBO miniseries they adapted from this book shortly after it was published but didn't have any luck finding it. Let me know if anybody in Bookland knows where I can see it!

Monik

August 25, 2022

"Los hombres te desean con un alma a la que sólo se accede a través del cuerpo".Mastodóntica, por larga, biografía de Marilyn Monroe escrita por Joyce Carol Oates en 1999 y de la que Netflix está a punto de estrenar una adaptación. Mil ciento y pico páginas llenas de abusos, Nembutal y un deseo desesperado por sentirse querida y no un cacho de carne con estupendas tetas. Como un caleidoscopio en el que en vez de contemplar el juego de espejos maravillados lo hacemos con terror pues las distintas voces o caras que lo conforman no desprenden belleza, sólo escupen horrores sobre la vida, obra y milagros del mayor símbolo sexual del siglo XX. Hollywood siempre amplifica a sus estrellas porque de toda la vida de Dior se han creído la última Cocacola del desierto, aunque luego pagaran miseria y compañía a alguien como Marilyn Monroe, sujeta a injustos contratos con una productora de la que nunca se dice el nombre. Tanta extensión, alargada por poemas, pasajes oníricos, extractos de diarios o sueños acaban por apabullarnos, como si la autora quisiera imitar el drogado cerebro de la actriz rubia, siempre puesta hasta sus falsas pestañas. Me incomoda que Arthur Miller quede tan bien en el libro, como un hombre que amaba a la actriz y escribió el guión de Vidas Rebeldes como un regalo para ella y no para ridiculizarla."Es tan grande la seducción de la fama que reverenciamos todos los objetos ligados a ella, incluso la muerte".Acabamos conociendo a la Monroe gracias a Blonde? Por supuesto que no, ni ella misma se conocía. Pero nos acercamos bastante. Y no es nada agradable.

Julie

February 16, 2019

It's been many years since I read this one but it really struck me as getting to the heart of Marilyn Monroe better than nonfiction. Or rather Norma Jean, as Marilyn is not the star of this novel. The novel reads like a sweeping biography. Of course, her life and death as well as her goddess-like fame is covered, but it's Norma Jean the reader gets to know. She's the only person worth knowing because Marilyn is a mirage. A mirage that still holds our interest almost sixty years after her death. Oates isn't someone I would have thought would take on this subject. But I'm so glad she did. The novel is intimate and interior in a way that makes all the attention Norma Jean's creation got pale in comparison. We sometimes forget with historical characters, even eye candy like Marilyn, that there is always more than meets the eye. They were real flesh and blood human beings with likes and dislikes, hopes and fears, betrayals and insecurities, opinions and sometimes even a wicked sense of humor. They are never the cartoon or cardboard cutouts we oftentimes have in mind or on a loop. I'll admit it was challenging to go into this novel with all the baggage in my head of her tragic death, her rocky marriages, and her dalliance with a U.S. president. Add to that her stunning beauty, staggering fame, and indelible status as an icon and it would seem almost impossible to get into a fictional account of her life when there are so many real life questions still haunting her ethereal image. But Oates isn't just any writer. She knows the fairytale you have in your head about the girl born under one name that died under another. And that's the hook. Because as much as any one of us thinks we may know about Marilyn, we know even less about Norma Jean. And she's the one to get to know. She's the VIP, not Marilyn. One wonders why the image of Marilyn has never faded. It's like the Energizer Bunny of imagery - it just keeps going and going and going. One could guess it has something to do with her beauty. Sure, that's part of it. But really, there were plenty of beautiful women that she shared the silver screen with. Women that were as famous and desired as Marilyn in her time. Women that aren't still household names like Marilyn is. Part of it is her tragic end. She died young and left a good looking corpse and all that, but more than that she was vulnerable in a way that few are brave enough to even attempt. She's like the spirit animal for vulnerability and empathy. The door to her heart and soul were left more than just a little ajar. That's what still gets to us I think. And that was all Norma Jean peeking out from behind the sex goddess. While we were busy gawking at the caricature she created for us, she was busy seeing us, really seeing us. I think that's the secret sauce of Marilyn.The strength of Oates novel is her foray into Norma Jean's childhood. It really is the heartbeat or lifeblood that feeds into everything else. The entire novel is engrossing even though you know how it all works out. I think because Oates threads the why of it into her prose and not in a heavy-handed way. Oates doesn't candy coat the tragedy. And by tragedy I don't mean the tragedy of her death or the prison of her fame, but rather the tragedy of a woman that maybe never felt truly loved. She was painfully aware of how people treated her because of how she looked, more so than based on who she was. I think she was conflicted. On the one hand her looks were the least interesting thing about her, but on the other she didn't want to let the world into her interior life, where Norma Jean resided. One wonders which one in the end was ready to go. One might even wonder which one may have killed the other (if that's what went down). I highly recommend this book that tackles a myriad of issues but none more than what it is to be a soul lost at sea trying your best to steer your own ship through waters infested with mermaid-sharks and pirate-vultures - and you the only thing on their menu.

Judy

October 26, 2022

I have owned this book since the day it came out in paperback, 21 years ago. I read it now because the movie debuted on Netflix streaming, it got less than glowing reviews, I wanted to read the book first and I was worried the movie might vanish.For an entire week I lived inside Joyce Carol Oates's fictional creation of one of the most iconic movie stars of my generation. Gripped by every page, I wandered through those days in such a state that my husband said he hoped I would finish soon. I guess I was freaking him out.I finished the book and made myself wait a few days before watching the movie, but that did no good. From the first scene I was gripped again. Not that the film entirely captured what JCO created in her book. Even at three hours it barely scratched the surface of the imagined Norma Jean/Marilyn created by Oates's novel. But, since I had that still in me like a visitation, I was happy to fill in the missing bits, the cracks in Andrew Dominik's screenplay.I don't blame Dominik. I admire him for taking the challenge. I think JCO did too. Both are clearly ambitious creative people, as was Norma Jean herself.

lucky little cat

January 04, 2021

One of those rare books that will make the world look entirely different to you when you look up from reading.Thanks, Marta!30.05 hours196 w/m

Frequently asked questions

Listening to audiobooks not only easy, it is also very convenient. You can listen to audiobooks on almost every device. From your laptop to your smart phone or even a smart speaker like Apple HomePod or even Alexa. Here’s how you can get started listening to audiobooks.

  • 1. Download your favorite audiobook app such as Speechify.
  • 2. Sign up for an account.
  • 3. Browse the library for the best audiobooks and select the first one for free
  • 4. Download the audiobook file to your device
  • 5. Open the Speechify audiobook app and select the audiobook you want to listen to.
  • 6. Adjust the playback speed and other settings to your preference.
  • 7. Press play and enjoy!

While you can listen to the bestsellers on almost any device, and preferences may vary, generally smart phones are offer the most convenience factor. You could be working out, grocery shopping, or even watching your dog in the dog park on a Saturday morning.
However, most audiobook apps work across multiple devices so you can pick up that riveting new Stephen King book you started at the dog park, back on your laptop when you get back home.

Speechify is one of the best apps for audiobooks. The pricing structure is the most competitive in the market and the app is easy to use. It features the best sellers and award winning authors. Listen to your favorite books or discover new ones and listen to real voice actors read to you. Getting started is easy, the first book is free.

Research showcasing the brain health benefits of reading on a regular basis is wide-ranging and undeniable. However, research comparing the benefits of reading vs listening is much more sparse. According to professor of psychology and author Dr. Kristen Willeumier, though, there is good reason to believe that the reading experience provided by audiobooks offers many of the same brain benefits as reading a physical book.

Audiobooks are recordings of books that are read aloud by a professional voice actor. The recordings are typically available for purchase and download in digital formats such as MP3, WMA, or AAC. They can also be streamed from online services like Speechify, Audible, AppleBooks, or Spotify.
You simply download the app onto your smart phone, create your account, and in Speechify, you can choose your first book, from our vast library of best-sellers and classics, to read for free.

Audiobooks, like real books can add up over time. Here’s where you can listen to audiobooks for free. Speechify let’s you read your first best seller for free. Apart from that, we have a vast selection of free audiobooks that you can enjoy. Get the same rich experience no matter if the book was free or not.

It depends. Yes, there are free audiobooks and paid audiobooks. Speechify offers a blend of both!

It varies. The easiest way depends on a few things. The app and service you use, which device, and platform. Speechify is the easiest way to listen to audiobooks. Downloading the app is quick. It is not a large app and does not eat up space on your iPhone or Android device.
Listening to audiobooks on your smart phone, with Speechify, is the easiest way to listen to audiobooks.

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