The Memoir of Marilyn Monroe

By Sandi Gelles-Cole

"My so-called death scene is always described the same: My housekeeper, Eunice Murray, finds my wasted, naked body tangled in a sheet, wet from secretions better left unexplained. I am face down with one hand hanging over the telephone. This detail is discussed often; am I answering a call or making one and if I am calling, then whom?
"But it did not happen that way. I cheated death . . ."

Advance Praise for
THE MEMOIR OF MARILYN MONROE
"In her new memoir, Marilyn Monroe, and her 'editor,' Sandi Gelles-Cole, sweep away the ruthlessly exploited icon that haS, it turns out been living among us all these years. She leads us through her post-'death' life:how she survived a murder attempt, who was behind it, the struggle for sanity, relief from multiple addictions, and the reawakening of her need to love and be loved. Ultimately, Marilyn teaches us what it means to live a life that is beautiful precisely because it is 'ordinary.'”
--Ron Nyswaner
Author of original screenplay PHILADELPHIA
and the memoir BLUE DAYS, BLACK NIGHTS
"The book casts a spell. I was sorry it was over. It puts me in a certain mood and that mood survives the book. The way Sandi Gelles-Cole evokes the hollowness and terror of recovery I haven't quite seen before. And the incredible irony that Marilyn was hollow and terrified, yet she created something more real than any of us!"
--Lucia Nevai
Author of the novels SERIOUSLY, SALVATION
"Sandi Gelles-Cole not only gives us Marilyn Monroe alive and well today, she also gives us Monroe as she might have been without the booze and the pills. With equal parts wit and gravitas, Gelles-Cole breathes life into a fully-fledged Monroe."
--Susan Richards
New York Times bestselling author of CHOSEN BY A HORSE

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gelles-Cole Literary Enterprises
• Release date: Apr 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458121943

Book preview

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Reviews for The Memoir of Marilyn Monroe

[madmoosemama · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The Memoir of Marilyn Monroe is a fictional account on what could have happened if Marilyn had survived her death on August 5, 1962.Marilyn Monroe didn't die that night, she was whisked away by Joe DiMaggio's son, Joey, to a safe place, in order to detoxify herself and get her life back on track.Stepping out of the limelight, she allows the world to believe she is dead. Marilyn goes incognito, reinventing herself for whatever situation she is currently involved with. She slips off the wagon and for two years she demoralizes herself with booze, drugs and seedy men. Swimming in a world of chemical induced blindness, she becomes awakened the day JFK is shot. Her life takes a different spin and she cleans up her life and frees it from the demons that reside just beneath the surface of her skin. Sometimes she is Norma Jean, sometimes Cherie from Bus Stop or maybe Sugar Kane Kowalczyk or Lorelei Lee from Gentleman Prefer Blondes, whatever or whoever the situation calls for, Marilyn calls on them to get her out of stressful situations. I am not sure what to make of this "memoir", the slant towards Marilyn's alcohol and substance abuse almost makes Marilyn appear in a bad light, when I feel she was just misunderstood by the jealous people who surrounded around her. There were several editorial issues with the books, things like paragraphs starting in mid-sentence, doubling of words or the lack of words, it disrupted the flow of the story and only helped to hinder the already weak plot.The print was overly large and one is able to read the book in two hours, other than a few tidbits of nostalgia, I wasn't really impressed with this work, I truly couldn't see the point, other than to offer a different alternative to the ending of the movie that became Marilyn Monroe. If you are a fan of Marilyn Monroe, then I cannot see you enjoying this read too much, however, if your just looking for a bit of fluff to pass a couple of hours with, then this piece would allow you to read a book and not cloud your brain with too much thinking. Its light, juvenile writing style would be an easy read for those who don't require too much substance in their plots or their characters. This "memoir" could have been so much more if the author had envisioned it differently, but the choppy, inconsistent flow of the work will only lead to disappointment for most who believe they are going to read something intelligent and interesting about Marilyn Monroe.