Review: Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe

Last month I read Blonde by Joyce Carol Oates, reviewed here, and since then I have been looking forward to reading a biography of Marilyn Monroe. To that end, I just finished Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe by Anthony Summers. It cleared up a lot of questions I had following Blonde, but (of course) left many mysteries unanswered.

Marilyn Monroe is a tragic, almost heart breaking figure in a lot of ways - this is definitely not a feel good, heart warming biography. It will also leave you frustrated at the number of ways things might have happened differently. However, it is a really fascinating look at not only Marilyn's life, but also bits of history about the people who knew her. I want to read a biography of Frank Sinatra now, for instance.

I wish there had been more about Marilyn's childhood in the book, but the details of her adult life are quit thorough, and his analysis of what happened that fateful night is well done and thoroughly explained.

Overall my biggest comment - a positive one - on this book is that Summers did it "right" in my estimation. He made it very clear what we know and what we don't know, and he managed to compile evidence into a compelling argument for what he thinks happened that night, without (for the most part) giving into scandal-mongering or sensationalism. And he makes it very clear what evidence he has and what he doesn't have; he doesn't given in to the temptation to claim he has all the answers.

In addition to that, I think he managed to capture the real tragedy of Monroe and to really humanize her to the reader and make her feel like a real person. Overall, I was quite satisfied with this biography of Monroe - I think Summers answered the questions as much as anyone can; I doubt we'll ever really have all the answers.

Review: Dead Man's Walk

I have read some of the Lonesome Dove books by Larry McMurtry, although my memory is a tad fuzzy on which ones, and I've seen the Lonesome Dove mini-series several times (and highly recommend!). I decided to embark on a re-read/read for the first time of the series, and this time I decided to go in chronological order rather than publication order.

If you are not familiar with the series, traditional/publication order is:

• Lonesome Dove
• Streets of Laredo
• Dead Man's Walk
• Comanche Moon

Chronological order is:

• Dead Man's Walk
• Comanche Moon
• Lonesome Dove
• Streets of Laredo

If you're only going to read one, Lonesome Dove is THE read. Dead Man's Walk and Comanche Moon tell you the back story of the main characters of Lonesome Dove, Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae. Streets of Laredo is (roughly) a sequel to Lonesome Dove. 

This was my first read of Dead Man's Walk, and I will say that for me it does not live up to Lonesome Dove. (Which, I suppose, argues for reading it in publication order if you're not sure where to start). The principle charm of the book, for me, required already knowing Gus and Call - recognizing their personalities in a younger version of them was fun, and seeing the set up for some their later adventures was also fun. Call, I think, got the best character development as you can see the seeds of him growing to the boss he later will be. I do not think they are nearly as memorable if you do not already know them. This is perhaps not surprising, as those two characters in Lonesome Dove are hard to live up to. 

McMurtry has a reputation as being one of THE readers to read if you enjoy westerns, and he certainly brings out that rough and tumble Western style that most readers are looking for. You can tell it is a bit older; the portrayal of the Native Americans (called Indians by the soldiers, of course), is not as nuanced as one might wish today. 

Overall, it's not as good as Lonesome Dove, but it is a good set up to the later story. And, if you've already read Lonesome Dove, it's a fun look at some of their earlier adventures. It's also a quick read, so if it doesn't live up to expectations it isn't a huge time sink. Overall, for McMurtry fans or Lonesome Dove fans, I think it's worth the read. 

Review: Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy

My interest in Genghis Khan and his world started when I read Tiger Queens by Stephanie Thornton, and only increased after reading Conn Iggulden's Conqueror series. I have had a few non-fiction books about Genghis on my Kindle for a while, and decided to kick off with Frank McLynn's biography of Genghis, Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy.

I think this was a good place to start with a non-fiction exploration of Genghis, as it was largely a stick-to-the-facts biography. However, I will warn potential readers that it is fairly dry in places. While parts of it were (at least to me) very interesting, other sections were long lists and explanations of battles that got difficult to wade through at times, although this is sort of to be expected in a biography of Genghis.

I will say it got better as it went; the first section, which talks about the unification of the tribes, was the hardest going for me as there were a lot of tribe names and players to keep track of. Later in the book, where the Mongols are conquering specific areas (even if multiple cities), it was easier to keep track of what was going on.

And it is not all war all the time; there were some interesting discussions of family dynamics, politics and culture that I really enjoyed.

Overall, I got enough out of this book to make it worth the read, and I am looking forward to continuing my exploration of Genghi's life with Jack Weatherford's books.