Goddess

The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe

By: Anthony Summers

Narrated by: Donna Postel

Marilyn Monroe, born to deprivation and a series of foster homes, became an acting legend of the 20th century. She married famous men, Joe DiMaggio and playwright Arthur Miller, and her many lovers included President John F. Kennedy. Her death, at 36, is a mystery that remains unsolved to this day.

Anthony Summers interviewed 600 people for this book, which reveals unknown truths, some funny, some very sad, about this brilliant but troubled woman. First to gain access to the files of Monroe's last psychiatrist, he throws light on Monroe's troubled psyche and her addiction to medications. He establishes once and for all that she was intimately involved with John and Robert Kennedy, who probably covered up the circumstances of her death.

©1985 Anthony Summers (P)2017 Tantor

Critic reviews

“A remarkable performance…. The ghost of Marilyn Monroe cries out in these pages." ( New York Times)

Grabs your attention.

I really liked this book and I feel better informed about Marilyn, her situation, and the times she lived in.
I would like to thank the author for the excellent and thorough citations for this book.
The narrator did a fantastic job. I love the "voice " she used for Marilyn. It's exactly how I pictured her.
Bravo.

Recommended

I’m not a particular fan of Marilyn Monroe – I’m not sure I’ve ever watched one of her movies - but I do like biographies, including Hollywood biographies, and boy did I not know this woman at all! Mostly for the worst – this is not a flattering portrayal of her or most of her cohorts, including the Kennedys! – but while I found the entire book engaging, it was all the afterword material that I found truly fascinating.

Sadness

Marilyn’s was a sad story all-around. This went into a lot of detail but tended to be slightly redundant toward the end. I wonder if we’ll ever really know what happened to her causing her death—she certainly had serious problems in many areas of her life but maybe she could have found recovery. Maybe that didn’t much happen in the ‘60’s. There were so many apparent cover-ups that make it seem like we never got the whole story. I admire her strengths and her ability to overcome rough beginnings but wish she could have fully overcome. Sad story.

Classic

I read it in high school. Still the best book on Marilyn of the many. Highly recommended.

Best Marilyn Biography

Very well researched and fair. She was many things ...I'm glad she lived then because of she lived today the aggressive tabloid practices would have ruined her even sooner. It was very interesting to learn about the people in her life. DiMaggio loved her to the end.

Wow.

This is possibly the best researched biography i’ve ever read/listened to…Will definitely be listening to his other books now.

Great Information

This book was a great source of information. I have also watched the Netflix documentary by this author about the secret tapes. They go well together.

Extremely Detailed

The character of Marilyn Monroe has been adored and worshipped for decades, but underneath all of the glamour and glitz was Norma Jean, a lost and lonely girl looking for love and guidance with all of the wrong people.

I feel sad for her that she was used and abused by very powerful and well known men. We may never know the absolute truth of her tragic ending, but this book goes into detail to explain how she got there.

RIP Norma Jean.

Phenomenal coverage of Marilyn's life

This is the most thorough and detailed account of Marilyn's life and death out there. Hours and hours of listening, quite intriguing and a great resource for anyone interested in this tragic woman's life. Marilyn fans are die hard and this book goes into detail not available anywhere else. Would recommend to anyone who is curious about the life of this star, and her very mysterious death.

20th Century sex symbol

Few faces are as iconic as that of Norma Jeane Mortenson, also known as Marilyn Monroe. Author Anthony Summers presents her as a smart and talented woman, who succeeded professionally, but remained emotionally dependent to powerful men. Monroe never knew who her father was. Her relationship with her mother was complicated, as the latter gave her away to foster parents and years later was interned in a hospital and diagnosed with schizophrenia. Monroe spent time at an orphanage and at several different homes. She was sexually abused at a young age. During her teens, she became a model and began pursuing a career in entertainment, eventually turning into one of Hollywood's biggest stars. She played a "dumb blonde" in hits like 'Some Like It Hot' and 'The Seven Year Itch'", but this biography suggests that there was much more to her than that.

Monroe married three times, first when she had just turned 16, in order to avoid having to return to an orphanage. She found that relationship unfulfilling and divorced. Years later, she went on to marry two celebrities, baseball superstar Joe DiMaggio and author Arthur Miller. Summers describes her in essence as the kind of woman that many wanted to possess, but few understood, even when there was love involved. He writes in detail about her sexual and emotional life, and her affairs with a series of different men, including both President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert, whom he ties to her death, controversially.

Although 'Goddess' is well written and informative, some may recoil from its more salacious gossip. Others may deem the grave accusations against the Kennedy brothers irresponsible. It's impossible for me to judge whether Summers' theories are true or false, but I understand from articles that I've read that his allegations were taken seriously when the book was published. I wouldn't be too surprised if they were accurate. Perhaps it's all speculation. All in all, this audiobook allowed me to get a better sense of who Marilyn Monroe was as a person. I do think that Summers' attitude towards her is ultimately sympathetic, despite the sensationalist elements of his work.

Donna Postel is a skilled narrator, who can imitate Monroe well. Her tone of voice has a touch of tabloid flavor that matches certain aspects of the content, but doesn't necessarily elevate it. She's really great, but I do wonder whether a more sober reading may have worked better.