Marilyn Monroe

The Biography

By: Donald Spoto

Narrated by: Anna Fields

Fifty years after her death, Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe still beguiles the world, her image enthralling millions. Many books have attempted to explain her allure and tell her story, but none has succeeded as well as this work by acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto.

Spoto’s exhaustive research uncovers a conspiracy of silence, allowing him to present the facts, free from often-repeated myths and speculation. Granted access to more than thirty-five thousand pages of formerly sealed files containing letters, diaries, appointment books, and other intimate papers, he also interviewed nearly two hundred people who had never before spoken on record. From the papers of Marilyn’s psychiatrist and her medical files to recently declassified government documents, the truth emerges and provides a moving, often shocking picture of the real Marilyn Monroe - including her connection to the Kennedys and the bizarre, horrifying truth about how she really died.

©1993 Donald Spoto (P)2000 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This is a book that wound up teaching me a great deal about Hollywood, the social history of California, the movie business, the trials of female actors in American show business, and the life of a woman who has been so mythologized that often the real woman is obscured from actual view." (Erica Jong for Washington Post Book World)

"Spoto has given Monroe the treatment she deserves. At last she emerges not as a goddess but as a human being in this extraordinary volume." ( Daily Telegraph)

"Provocative!" ( Entertainment Weekly)

This is the definitive bio you’re looking for

Thorough and engaging. Impressed with the level of detail and implementation of sources. A must listen.

One the best written on her

They put a lot of research into this one. I think the house keeper did it after reading this one

Anna Fields is Greatly Missed

Great Narrator!!! So sorry she is gone. She was a great reader, wonderful voice. The book itself was good too.

A heart-wrenching tale about needing to be loved

This biography is nothing short of utterly tragic. It's the classic ideal that someone receives them self is never good enough when if that was true then we wouldn't be talking about her for so long. Although sad and short life was, it's obvious people did love her and still do.

great bio on this icon

Would you consider the audio edition of Marilyn Monroe to be better than the print version?

I do not have the print version so I cannot compare.

What did you like best about this story?

The author did a lot of research and it shows. Also I liked that he spoke about well known rumors and told which ones had no fact behind them and put them to rest. I am glad I chose this as my first Monroe listen.

What does Anna Fields bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Emotion.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes.

A must read!

Learned so much about Marilyn Monroe's sad and tragic life and death...really a must read for any true fan.

Documented and Detailed

One of the most documented and detailed accounts Marilyn's life I hVe read. Very long read, but well worth it.

After listening, I now feel like I know the truth

Where does Marilyn Monroe rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A very balanced and in depth biography without the myths and sensationalism.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Marilyn Monroe?

There were many points of Ms. Monroe's life that I learned about that made this book important to me as it dispelled the rumours and tabloidism surrounding this icon who justsimply wanted to be a woman who was loved for herself and her God given talent.

Which character – as performed by Anna Fields – was your favorite?

Ms. Fields voice was the least favorite part of the book for me. I didn't expect characterizations or anything of that sort. I just didn't care for the sound.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

This book is 22+ hours, so no, I wouldn't want to listen to it all at once. There is a lot to digest as far as factual info, i.e. addresses, side bars, etc., but it is all relevant, and builds to make the listener really feel what made Norma Jean into Marilyn Monroe.

Any additional comments?

I had never read a bio on Ms. Monroe, but am watching SMASH on TV and wanted to know more about the facts of her life. She was a determined, smart, kind, generous soul who was not cared for by herself or those she trusted. I will watch her movies again with a deeper appreciation. God Bless you Norma Jean.

Refreshingly sweet biography

I very much liked "getting to know" Norma Jean. I wonder if the author had more sympathy toward her than other reporters and authors, or if this was the true picture of a tragic life. Either way, it was a refreshing change from the tabloid Marilyn Monroe the media paints and the girl in the book is someone with whom I found myself relating very much in some ways - just a woman trying to make the world a brighter place and perhaps starting about it using the only thing she felt she had going for her; but wanting to be taken more seriously.

After the first few chapters, because I found the narration dull and somewhat monotone, I researched the narrator, I realized she has narrated dozens upon dozens of audiobooks literally up until her tragic demise (drowned in her home basement recording studio during a massive flash flood in Seattle) and had more respect and made it through. That in itself made me appreciate the narrator, but I truly did not enjoy it, compared to other books I've heard by other narrators.
All in all I would recommend this book to anyone wanting a refreshing sweet and positive, though obviously tragic, biography of Marilyn "Norma Jean" Monroe.

Very good a stating true facts compared to other bios on Marilyn

Very good at starting the facts/info and where the information came from for this book. Did not go out of the way to tell lies like other books do on Marilyn and did not tell lies to make Marilyn look bad like some other bios have done this book is not a dramatic gossip bio either. I enjoy reading it and listening to it too! :)