The premise of this new work of fiction is that the diaries that Marilyn Monroe were rumored to have kept in the last years of her life have been found and are being published for the first time - so we are reading her life story as if told in her own words. It is a fascinating tale of triumph and pain, beauty and tragedy, told against a backdrop of a golden age in Hollywood history, the 50s and 60s. It has a cast of characters that includes John and Jackie Kennedy, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter and Pat Lawford, Robert Kennedy, Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty and many others. The difference between this book and other recent works of fiction about the blonde actress is that in this novel Marilyn Monroe comes across as a living, breathing human being - not a cardboard caricature based on characters from her films. This is, however, a book for adults. It is not a Disney cartoon version of a blonde Snow White with cartoon birds chirping over her head. It is the exploration of a complex woman of complicated, unresolved contrasts - a doomed siren that, even beyond the grave, never lost her power to seduce.
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Review
"The 'diaries' will surprise you. Mr. Casillo interweaves incidents we know happened, things we know she said, with speculations over things maybe said, maybe happened. The result has an unexpected passion and intensity. This Marilyn will make you ache inside just like the real one did." -- Ernest Cunningham: The Ultimate Marilyn
Fascinating and compelling. Charles Casillo proves himself to be a master of characterization. I sometimes had to put the diaries down, stunned at his insight and compassion in capturing the emotions and thoughts of a historical figure who has often been portrayed as one-dimensional. If this is n ot Marilyn as she was in real life, it's the way you want her to have been. -- Randy Taraborrelli: Jackie Ethel Joan Women of Camelot
I enjoyed Charles Casillo's book immensely! He has written a clever and fascinating look into what Marilyn might have thought. -- Mamie Van Doren
I found Casillo's dazzling recreation of Marilyn's life almost painful to read--it brought my friend back to me so vividly. -- Shelley Winters
Provocatively intimate! -- Bert Stern: The Last Sitting
Fascinating and compelling. Charles Casillo proves himself to be a master of characterization. I sometimes had to put the diaries down, stunned at his insight and compassion in capturing the emotions and thoughts of a historical figure who has often been portrayed as one-dimensional. If this is n ot Marilyn as she was in real life, it's the way you want her to have been. -- Randy Taraborrelli: Jackie Ethel Joan Women of Camelot
I enjoyed Charles Casillo's book immensely! He has written a clever and fascinating look into what Marilyn might have thought. -- Mamie Van Doren
I found Casillo's dazzling recreation of Marilyn's life almost painful to read--it brought my friend back to me so vividly. -- Shelley Winters
Provocatively intimate! -- Bert Stern: The Last Sitting
About the Author
Charles Casillo is an entertainment writer whose articles, stories, poems and essays have appeared in many national publications including The New York Times Arts & Leisure. He is currently working on a major literary biography.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Marilyn Diaries VS. Blonde,
By Connie (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Marilyn Diaries (Paperback)
This boy has real talent. "The Marilyn Diaries," is more than just a harrowing journey into the mind of Marilyn Monroe. Even if you have no interest in Monroe, the novel has a lot to say about loneliness, fear of aging, broken dreams, burning ambition and so much more. Anyone with an ounce of sensitivity, anyone who knows the pain of a broken heart, anyone who has experienced insecurity can't help but be touched by these pages. The painful wounds in this novel will correspond with every vulnerability you secretly hide within your own heart. I thought it was a masterful work.A previous reviewer mentioned that she couldn't understand why Joyce Carol Oates book (with a similar theme)"Blonde" has gotten so much publicity, while Charles Casillo's "The Marilyn Diaries" has not gotten much media attention. I really think that a lot of the public feels that a recognizable name means quality;like they need to be told that something is good before they invest their time in it. That is a shame because "Blonde" is a much, much inferior work, and when Charles Casillo becomes more well known I feel confident that people will be jumping on his bandwagon. Take my word for it, read "The Marilyn Diaries," it will awaken emotions in you rarely brought out from reading a work of fiction
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fact or Fiction?,
By
This review is from: The Marilyn Diaries (Paperback)
I recently read the Marilyn Diaries by Charles Casillo and I must say that I was completely swept away. It was impossible to believe that these were not actually Marilyn's word. I had to keep reminding myself that this is a work of fiction. Reading it I felt like I stumbled upon Marilyn's actual diary and I felt "naughty" reading it. Yet you can't put it down. Mr. Casillo obviously has a great love and passion for Miss Monroe, and he has obviously spent a tremendous amount of time researching her life. Reading this book you will actually feel like you are there. You won't be able to put it down. I LOVED IT!
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Marilyn Diaries,
By Aimee (Ohio, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Marilyn Diaries (Paperback)
This is truely a magnificant work. Charles Casillo has managed to capture every fiber of Marilyn Monroe's being. This is a book that is a must for every Marilyn fan. The Marilyn Diaries is a fictional work depicting the missing diary Monroe kept throughout the last years of her life. It is truely remarkable how Charles Casillo has captured what might have been her every thought and feeling. I had to put the book down at times to catch my breath. The Marilyn Diaries personifies Marilyn Monroe. She is seen too much as just a character, and not someone who actually was a living, breathing being. Mr. Casillo has certainly written the finest work of fiction ever about Marilyn Monroe. You can not put this book down once you start reading it!
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