3 out of 4 stars
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The opportunity to review MY FRIEND Marilyn by Christopher Lentz grabbed my attention as I’ve always been fascinated by the life of Marilyn Monroe. I’m too young to have been aware of her entire story, to have fixated on it like many others, or even to have seen any of her movies. Nonetheless, hers is a compelling and mysterious tale that still draws many of us in.
I loved this book from the first few words of the author’s dedication - to his mother, to Melissa McCarthy, to people (but especially women) of all shapes and sizes, and to the pursuit of love and happiness. The way in which he then sets the stage for the story he’s about to tell is unique and fascinating, and I knew instantly that I would probably read this book in one sitting! How clever of Christopher Lentz to drop the image of Melissa McCarthy into your head in the first few lines. The moment he does this (and if you’re a Melissa McCarthy fan) the main character, Penny Parker, springs to life.
MY FRIEND Marilyn is set in the location and year of the filming of Marilyn Monroe’s movie, Some Like it Hot. This book is part of what the author calls The Great American Destination Series. This one focuses on the Hotel del Coronado near San Diego, where part of the movie was filmed. His idea is that readers can visit the areas, resorts and hotels that feature in his novels and get a personal feeling for the various locations.
Penny Parker is a cashier in a dime store, who is larger than life in more ways than one. She knows that she is a plus-size woman who will never be anything else and seems comfortable with that fact. She has even learned to tolerate the bullying and taunting that goes along with it. It's easy to believe her facade with the self-deprecating remarks that she tosses around. That is until you realize that she spends every moment of her spare time hidden away in a dark movie house. And that all she wants is a "normal" life, with a home, a husband, a family, and a best, best, best girlfriend. That’s asking the impossible for someone like her. Or is it?
The cast of characters is rich and well developed. They include her lifelong friend, Frankie, who was her “husband” for a school project. Trudy is her work colleague and surrogate mother, who owns the boarding house where Penny lives. She fusses around her “chickens” like they’re her own children. Tilly is the former Hollywood starlet who now owns the local movie house where Penny loves to spend her free time. The mysterious Marilyn Monroe is portrayed in a very different light from her on-screen character and becomes someone that the ordinary person can really identify with. Penny’s parents complete the list of influencers: her borderline alcoholic mother and seemingly cold, ex-military father.
When Penny wins a competition to be Marilyn’s assistant for the eight days of shooting on location in Coronado, she is shocked and confused. She hasn’t entered any competitions. She then discovers that her close friend and colleague, Trudy, has submitted Penny's name on her behalf.
On the first day of shooting, Penny is invited into Marilyn’s bedroom and meets the star for the first time. Her ordinary life is turned upside down in the blink of an eye and the two women who could not be more different, form an instant, unbreakable bond.
The book has an interesting format as if you’re reading a script for a movie. It can best be described with a quote from the first page:
"In an instant, the script of my life went into “rewrites.” My black-and-white world turned Technicolor with a dizzying sequence of FADE INs and FADE OUTs.
And it went something like this."
This seems to fit very well with the author’s belief that “a great book should read like a movie.” This it does with absolute certainty. Few authors have enchanted me from the first words they’ve written. Christopher Lentz has just been added to that very short list. His writing is compelling and mesmerising and draws you deep into the lives of his characters so that you feel as if you’re living every moment with them. His prose is rich and descriptive, peppered with lovely touches of subtle, dry humour.
Some examples of my favourite lines from the book will demonstrate what I mean:
“My words exploded like popcorn tap dancing in hot oil.”
“Her skin was as soft as a grandmother’s kiss.”
“...words spoken as if they were floating on pillows…”
“Or a beck-and-call girl.” Bootsie added, “A call girl, for short.”
“I’m in shape, you know. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong one.”
“If anyone could have heard it, my rolling eyes sounded like marbles swaying in an empty soup can.”
The book was well edited but not exceptionally so, and by the end I had found quite a few errors. This is the only reason that I’m not giving this novel the perfect score that it deserves. The writing and the story are so good that for once, the minor errors here and there didn't bother me in the least! However, in order to follow our guidelines strictly I will have to give MY FRIEND Marilyn a rating of 3 out of 4 stars.
Anyone fascinated with the golden era movie stars, or who simply enjoys a good story will love this book. There are no censorship warnings as it is beautifully written with no unnecessarily bad language or overly erotic scenes. I cannot think of a single reason why anyone would not enjoy this story immensely.
******
MY FRIEND Marilyn
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