Synopses & Reviews
Its early spring 1959, and the word desire is synonymous with Americas most famous blonde: Marilyn Monroe. Shes at the height of her fame, the object of a whole worlds worth of want and projection. Being desired is her drug, her kryptonite, the very definition of who she is. Its so much a part of her identity that her own wants and needs have become fleeting at best, as if shes seen herself through others eyes so often that shes forgotten what she looks like through her own. But the deepest needs always surface, and there is one thing Marilyn wishes for beyond all elseto meet her real father.
Thats the part you already know, the legendbut heres the part thats never been told.
Ten years earlier a man named Alexei Lazarey met Marilyn before she was Marilyn, starving and alone at Schwabs in Los Angeles. Before the day was out, he got her signed to the William Morris Agency and eventually transformed her from a poor, failed actress to Americas most famous sex symbol.
Now that Marilyn has reached her pinnacle, Alexei comes back for his repayment. When she hesitates, he plays his trump card: pulling out a photo of her estranged father with a promise to reunite them. The next day, Marilyns on a plane to Chicago with Alexeis instructions ringing in her ear: John F. Kennedy is the favorite for next years Democratic presidential nomination. Find out something about him that no one else knows.
At first, Marilyn is almost bored by the thought of yet again using a mans attraction to get what she needs. But once she meets the magnetic Jack Kennedy for the first time, she has a feeling that this isnt going to be a simple gamefor her or Alexei. As she gets herself in deeper and deeper Marilyn discovers that theres something much more sinister at play. What started as the simple desire to meet her father now has grave consequences for her, for the bright young Kennedy, and for the entire nation.
Part biography, part spy thriller, and part love story, THE BLONDE is a whip-smart reimagining of history that reads like a chillingly true account. With a voice that explodes off the page, this novel is a massive ice cream sundae of American celebrity, sex, love, violence, power, and paranoia.
Review
ALA Booklist Characters are vividly sketched, and the suspenseful story is propelled by interwoven scandals and wellsupported plot twists. A compulsively readable romance about young women who strain against societal conventions.”
Kirkus Reviews
Readers will clamor for this sharp, smart drama of friends, lovers, lies and betrayal.”
Cecily von Ziegesar, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Gossip Girl series
Mystery, romance, jealousy, betrayal, humor, and gorgeous, historically accurate details. I couldnt put The Luxe down!”
Review
Praise for The Blonde:
Some like it hot, but The Blonde by Anna Godbersen is platinum-hot. From the wicked first chapter to the final outrageous twist, this extraordinarily vivid and totally unforgettable novel is on fire. Or
is it a novel? I was spellbound.”Douglas Preston, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Monster of Florence
Anna Godbersen has dared to reinvent the history of Marilyn Monroe, breaking all literary rules. The tale she spins is astonishingly seductive. I could not stop turning the pages and contemplating, 'Could any of this be true?' Was the Norma Jean-to-Marilyn my father knew so well a fictitious character leading a double life?”Susan Bernard, author of Marilyn: Intimate Exposures
"Daringly inventive and sumptuously sexy and thrilling, The Blonde gets the readers inside Marilyn Monroes head a fascinating, dark, inviting and complex place. Only Anna Godbersen is this wildly imaginative and richly descriptive; her natural knack for capturing the mood of a historical moment is nothing less than uncanny.” Emily Gould, author of Friendship
Praise for Anna Godbersens The Luxe:
A big, sumptuous tale of catty girls, dark secrets and windswept romance unfurls in this compulsively readable novel of late-19th-century New York City socialites.”Kirkus Reviews
Mystery, romance, jealousy, betrayal, humor, and gorgeous, historically accurate details. I couldnt put The Luxe down!”Cecily von Ziegesar, author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Gossip Girl series
Dishy fun.”Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Part biography, part spy thriller, and part love story, THE BLONDE is a whip-smart re-imagining of the relationship between Marilyn Monroe and John F. Kennedy that draws on historical events to create a dark tale of American celebrity, sex, love, violence, power, and paranoia.
Synopsis
From the
New York Times bestselling author Anna Godbersen and Alloy Entertainment, a chilling reimagining of the life of Marilyn Monroe that is part biography, part love story, and part thriller.
Marilyn Monroe is at the height of her fame, the object of the worlds desire. Attention is her drug, the very definition of who she is. Her own wants and needs have become fleeting at best, as if she sees herself only through others eyes. But there is one thing Marilyn still wishes for beyond all elseto meet her real father. Thats the part you already know, the legendbut heres the part thats never been told.
In Anna Godbersens imaginative novel, set at the height of the Cold War, a young, unknown Norma Jean meets a man in Los Angelesa Soviet agent? A Russian spy?who transforms her into Marilyn the star. And when she reaches the pinnacle of success, he comes back for his repayment. He shows her a photo of her estranged father and promises to reunite them in exchange for information: Find out something about presidential candidate John F. Kennedy that no one else knows. At first, Marilyn is bored by the prospect of, once again, using a mans attraction to get what she needs. But when she meets the magnetic Jack Kennedy, she realizes that this isnt going to be a simple game. What started with the earnest desire to meet her father has grave consequences for her, for the bright young Kennedy, and for the entire nation. The Blonde is a vivid tableau of American celebrity, sex, love, violence, power, and paranoia.
Synopsis
At the height of the Cold War, Marilyn Monroe was the most infamous woman in the world. But what if she was also a secret Soviet spy?In 1947, a young, unknown Norma Jeane Baker meets a mysterious man in Los Angeles who transforms her into Marilyn Monroe, the star. Twelve years later he comes back for his repayment, and Marilyn is given her first assignment from the KGB: uncover something about JFK that no one else knows.
But a simple job turns complicated when Marilyn falls in love with the bright young President, and learns of plans to assassinate Kennedy. More than anything, Marilyn wants to escape her Soviet handlers and save her loveand herself. Desperate, ruthless and brilliant, what she does next will leave readers reeling.
From New York Times bestselling author Anna Godbersen comes a whip-smart re-imagining of the life of Marilyn Monroe, set in a world of silver screen glamour and political intrigue. At once a crackling portrayal of Old Hollywood, an intimate portrait of the larger-than-life star, and a cat-and-mouse thriller, The Blonde is history rewritten as it could haveand might have been.
Synopsis
At the height of the Cold War, Marilyn Monroe was the most infamous woman in the world. But what if she was also a secret Soviet spy?
About the Author
Anna Godbersen is the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe (Harper, 2008), which was called compulsively readable” by Kirkus Reviews. Her sophomore series, Bright Young Things (Harper, 2011), is currently in development at ABC and will be produced by John Wells (ER, The West Wing, Shameless) and Alloy Entertainment (Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, Gossip Girl). Anna grew up in Berkley, California, graduated from Barnard College, and currently lives and writes in Brooklyn, New York. The Blonde (Weinstein Books, 2014) is her debut adult novel.