The Power of Blonde

THE BLONDE               By: Anna Godbersen               3 Stars

I picked up this book without knowing one thing about it. I have read other books by Anna Godbersen, which I loved. Those books consisted of The Luxe and Pretty Young Things young adult series. I liked those enough that when I saw another book by Anna I couldn’t wait to see what she had for us.  

As I got the book I noticed the cover had an out of focus face that reminded me of Marilyn Monroe. Then I opened the book and found that it was indeed about Miss Monroe. As I read the book description I became even more intrigued; Marilyn as a Soviet spy whose mission is to get close to President Kennedy. Interesting.

The author did a great job in researching history of Classic Hollywood and the connections of various pop culture icons. While I have heard a few conspiracy theories about the assassination of John F Kennedy, apparently there are a few things I haven’t heard. Godbersen puts most of these theories together into an intriguing storyline of how Marilyn could have been connected to the assassination.

In THE BLONDE we learn that Marilyn’s dumb blonde persona was all a ruse. In reality she was an intelligent person who was able to use her bombshell status to get the information she desired. By playing a person who seemed incapable of understanding certain issues, she was able to obtain information that appeared to be spoken in safety since wouldn’t really be able to comprehend the importance of those words anyway.

In my opinion, that portion of the story was believable. Based on her status, we do know Marilyn understood how to use her sexuality to get what she wanted. Using it for a dual purpose of also gaining sensitive information is not much of a stretch.

If you look at the history behind the story, Marilyn was connected to people who had communist sympathies, for lack of a better word. It wouldn’t necessarily be a stretch to see her being used by the KGB to get what they wanted while blackmailing her with information about who her real father was. The part that I found hard to swallow was the ending. In reality everything was put together perfectly to make this a great conspiracy theory involving Marilyn with JFK’s assassination. I will explain more of my reasoning below in the SPOILER ALERT section.

All in all I did love the idea of the book and I even love Anna as an author. Part of the reason I enjoy historical fiction is how it creates a desire for me to do my own research on what really happened. I wanted to know if the Kennedy, Frank Sinatra and Sam Giancana relationships actually existed and I wanted to know what the Oswald twin thing was. I found the book enjoyable in that regard.

Besides the minor difference in opinion based on the final outcome of the book as described in the SPOILER ALERT, I did have a few other details in the book I didn’t like. I know the reputation of Marilyn Monroe and JFK was based on their infidelity issues. Unfortunately, Godbersen could be quite crude in her language with the f-bomb and with short descriptions of their escapades.  I know they had affairs, but I didn’t really want to read about it. In fact, I found myself hating both of them at the beginning of the book based on these details.

First Lady Jackie, was also portrayed in an unfavorable way. I found it hard to personally really care about any of the characters and now I am working on going back to my original opinion of them, which is, I don’t agree with everything they did, but I had respect for them in their various icon statuses.

This book wasn’t executed as well as her other series. Luckily, I still love the ideas the author comes up with and anxiously await her next title.

 

 

SPOILER ALERT!!!

 

 

Instead of Marilyn faking her death I think she should have actually died as in real life. Her death still could have been suicide, accident, or murder depending on how the story continued. It could have been more daddy issues, distress over not being able to save Kennedy (or even get the chance to warn him), about her own traitor status to her nation and the man she loved, the KGB getting to her or any number of resolutions.

I found her fake death pushed the book from being a very real possibility back into a work of fiction, which was an abrupt switch in a book based on actual events and incredible ties. Everything was too abrupt. She dies, then the president dies all within a few pages and nothing momentous happens.  Then the story wraps up far too quickly to make sense.

On top of that, I didn’t really like the whole Oswald twin thing being brought up. I had to look into that further to figure out the twin referred to a look alike as Oswald didn’t actually have a twin. Again, that part of the story was unnecessary and didn’t go anywhere or aid the plot.

There was another minor issue that bothered me. Marilyn is involved in drugs and alcohol previous to her death, yet in her reborn self she doesn’t find it appealing. This scene was about 30 years after her death, but I still found it hard to believe based on the simplicity of the statement. No struggle to overcome and no desire for the former addiction. Hmm.

One of the biggest disappointments was not tying Robert Kennedy’s assassination five years later into the story. Right when the story starts going somewhere, nothing happens and it ends. If the whole KGB thing was brought up, I thought it would have been a nice touch to add Bobby in there since there is a conspiracy that both Kennedy’s were taken out because of problems surrounding the Bay of Pigs and other political issues. Even if Marilyn didn’t get along with Bobby, it would have given her more purpose in what she fake died for.

For the Love of Food

THE GIRLS’ GUIDE TO LOVE AND SUPPER CLUBS           By: Dana Bate        2.7 Stars

Chick lit is hit and miss for me. The Confessions of a Shopaholic series is a personal favorite of mine, but most of the other ones turn out just ok. I can’t totally pinpoint why I prefer some and not others, so I do feel bad when I criticize the authors who don’t quite catch my attention. Sorry Dana Bate, but I have to add you to my just alright chick lit list.

As a general overview, we have Hannah. She is a girl in her mid-twenties who has a horrible boyfriend, a horrible job, basically horrible everything. I started reading this book when I was not having one of my finer moments, so I was actually glad that everything went wrong for Hannah. However, that soon changed and I could barely stand her or any of the characters by the end.

Eventually Hannah and her boyfriend part ways and Hannah moves into a basement of a town house owned by someone who works with congress (the book is set in Washington D.C.). Hannah’s parents and ex-boyfriend never understood her love of cooking, so this new starts means she can finally hold the underground supper clubs she has been so enamored with.

Tragedy soon ensues when Hannah’s apartment floods and she has nowhere to hold her club, except her landlord’s place, who is conveniently out of town and left her his house keys. Hannah doesn’t feel too bad about trespassing since her supper club isn’t exactly legal either. She doesn’t have a license from her health department to charge people for food among other problems, like her landlord is running for a community political office and his platform is none other than these possibly illegal underground supper clubs.

Of course disaster after disaster happens to build up drama for the book. My biggest problem with this drama is it doesn’t feel like bad luck or an addiction or impulse that is hard to avoid, it is because the protagonist just dives in without thinking anything through. She has another option to hold the supper club, but after one failed try to use it, she just gives up and continues with trespassing. On top of that, she complains that her parents treat her like a child, but in fact she does spend most of the book acting like a child who doesn’t have a backbone and will take whatever is given her without any thought of how those actions might have consequences. She needed some serious lessons on how to take control of her life and make a plan (legal) to work toward her goals.

After her break up she meets her landlord and another guy through the supper club. None of the guys are really that intriguing. In fact, like Hannah, whose last name is Sugarman, her landlord’s last name is Fischer. As if it wasn’t enough to have a cook/baker with that last name, her landlord is constantly talking about ships, and the sea, and seafood and uses phrases for anything that will fit into that area. The characters (and the language) just seem too forced into the stereotypes.  

I think I might be done with what I didn’t like about the book. What I did like was the food. I loved the themes and the menus that went along with them. The recipes in the back are always a nice touch, but I was disappointed that Hannah’s famous cinnamon rolls and carrot cake recipes were missing.

All in all, not one of my most favorite, but if I were lying on a beach somewhere and just looking for a mindless read with a little entertainment, then the book would have been much better. So perhaps if you are a foodie, or even a want-to-be-foodie, and just desire to have a little fun, this might be the perfect book for you.

Sweet Revenge

REVENGE OF THE GIRL WITH THE GREAT PERSONALITY                  4 Stars

By: Elizabeth Eulberg

When I saw this book title I couldn’t resist checking it out. I knew it would be a classic high school book that everyone should read. I was right.

This book allowed me to cover most emotions known to man within the few short pages. It is a quick read that will make you sad, angry, pensive, disgusted, giggly and more. I loved it!

Lexi is a teenager who opens the book by telling us her Saturday is spent applying butt glue on her 7-year old sister. You might wonder why in the world Lexi would be applying butt glue to her sister; well her sister is a child beauty pageant girl. Imagine Toddlers and Tiaras and you will correctly guess how Lexi’s family is.

Lexi’s parents are divorced and her mom’s coping skills involved eating horribly and spending thousands of dollars (money she doesn’t have) on pageants for Mackenzie. As a result Lexi is placed in a position where she is the runner girl for anything and everything Mac needs.

As Mackenzie gets more beautiful, Lexi feels uglier. Lexi’s two best friends, Benny and Cam are the only ones that seem to know her true beauty over the fact that others only think she has a great personality.

After Benny and Cam discover that Mac called Lexi “ugly” they talk her into fixing herself up. Lexi is actually a fashion wiz and seamstress, yet she hides in baggy clothing and no makeup. Benny makes a deal with Lexi to dress up for a week in order to help her self-esteem.

While Project Lexi 2.0 is underway you see many similarities between high school and beauty pageants. Pick up the book and see how Lexi handles it all in this funny page turner.

REVENGE WEARS PRADA: The Devil Returns             3.5 Stars

By: Lauren Weisberger
 
It has been a few years since I read The Devil Wears Prada, but I remember enjoying it as much as I enjoyed the movie. Actually, I didn’t read the book at all. I listened to it, which could have been part of the reason I loved it. I don’t remember who the reader was (it looks like a few different versions are available) but I do remember being highly entertained by the parts when the assistants are required to perform a little song before being allowed into the building. In fact, I should listen to it again; I could always use a laugh.

When I heard that Weisberger had released a sequel I immediately placed a hold at my library. I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. It has been a decade since Andy’s famous Paris scene where she told Miranda Priestly exactly what she thought. For about two thirds of the book we are just catching up on her life, which starts with Andy’s wedding to another man, yes I was disappointed to find out it wasn’t Alex.

In additional to her wedding, Andy has teamed up with Emily. That’s right; it is the same Emily who Andy worked with while at Runway. Andy and Emily have started a new bridal magazine, The Plunge. It is doing rather well and Miranda has taken notice. Soon Miranda is setting up meetings in order to discuss purchasing the magazine.

While the first portion of the book is interesting, it didn’t quite live up to the hype I was expecting. Suspiciously Miranda is quite controlled and we don’t see the devil until later in the book. Fortunately, the last third of the book shows the Weisberger drama we have come to love and expect. Even though the excitement is kept to the finale, it is still worth picking up if you are a fan of The Devil Wears Prada.

THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME                 4 Stars

By: Jennifer Larue Huget & Red Nose Studio

What better form of revenge exists than running away from home? It doesn’t matter that you are running away from home because you don’t think anyone cares; you are going to show them the ultimate form of revenge by denying them of your presence. That should teach them!

As a child I used to write many notes detailing my plans to run away. I kept them in a drawer in order to save time for when I actually decided to really run away. I just knew when that moment happened my family would know to look in my drawer and see all my run away notes and realize what they had done to deserve such revenge. Turns out I was a little delusional.

Nobody did it better than one of my sisters, who put her run-away note on my parent’s bedroom door in plain sight. However, she was unable to find tape so a little ingenuity was required. This came in the form of toilet paper or a paper towel. When wet it would stick to the surface, which magically held the note so it could be discovered. I remember my dad not even being worried about her when he saw the note. He just chuckled and mentioned what a smart little girl he had. He knew he didn’t raise a dummy, even if she thought she could run away.

Before I talk about the content of The Beginner’s Guide to Running Away from Home, I want to talk about the illustrations. It is different from most picture books we are used to. Imagine a small doll house world. Items are made out of wood, paper, plastic, and various other materials. Imagine people made out of clay or wood and a map detailed in chalk. When this world is put together it is photographed in various scenes to depict the story. Since it is photographed we get light, shadow and silhouette. Imagine bright paint and color and details that are intricately placed.

Once you have an idea of this world, add even more. Add more well-known background illustrations in what could be paint, chalk, or possibly even pencils. Don’t forget that the materials mentioned above are also used. Then add random graphite sketches to enhance a few of the scenes. All of this was a lot to take in, and took some getting used to, but once you do, you will realize how brilliant it all is.

Going back to the content of the book we discover indispensable tips on the proper etiquette of running away. For example, the unnamed boy tells you to forget the hobo idea of a bandana on a stick. A wagon is way more acceptable to carry all the supplies you will need. Taking an animal is also a good idea, but make sure it is one that won’t eat your snacks. You can eat said snacks once you can no longer see your house, but don’t take too long in case a search party is sent out after you.

This book is full of adventure and fun. Pick up the book to see what other tips you missed or your child might miss while planning their great escape.

Need a Beach Read?

AFTERWIFE                  By: Polly Williams                   4 Stars

If the only British literature you have ever read is Harry Potter then it is time you try another one. A chick-lit version is a good way to go. The humor is a dryer, yet it can still be a refreshing change.

Since it is based in England, if you have never been there you might learn a few new things. They speak English, but some things still need translating. For example, Wellingtons, or Wellies, are rubber boots. It must rain there a lot, because it seems like you can make a good fashion statement by having at least one pair. 

While I am partial to the Shopaholic series (Confessions of a Shopaholic is the first book by Sophie Kinsella), and maybe one or two other books by the same author, I found Afterwife by Polly Williams a nice change.

Sophie Brady is the main character and as the book opens she is already lying in the street dead after being hit by a bus. NOTE: Don’t get drunk and then run in front of a bus. Sophie’s views on being hit:

“I am wearing my worst knickers. Huge banana-yellow knickers…(my) skirt (is) hitched up around my waist like one of those binge drinkers you see on the news…you could have seen those knickers from space.”

Sophie is a devoted wife to Ollie and mother to young Freddie. She was a list maker in life as well as after death. Her main lists in the book include “a few random things I wish I’d realized before the bus hit”. Your husbands would all like to know that one of those items was to have more sex because you can’t have it when you’re dead. Another list is about HER, the future person who will marry Ollie and ultimately raise Freddie. “She can’t be skinnier than me. Or have better boobs. She can’t be the kind of woman who won’t eat cake.”

Then another list was one that Sophie made before she died, which Ollie ended up finding. This list is for things to be done including setting up dentist appointments, thanking a friend for a “playdate thingy” and most mysterious “speak to Jenny about it” with a frown face.

Jenny is Sophie’s motherless best friend, who has been engaged to a man named Sam for around a year, with no wedding date in sight. Jenny has carefully been kept separate from Sophie’s neighborhood mommy friends. This all changes when the neighborhood mommies decide to form a Save Ollie group to make sure that every need of his and Freddie’s is covered after Sophie dies. It doesn’t hurt that Ollie is completely gorgeous so even the married neighbors are all vying for his attention once he becomes the most eligible bachelor.

This was an entertaining book about relationships, actually mostly friendships. We eventually find out what it is and to be honest it was less dramatic then I originally thought (since the dust jacket description talks about secrets, love and loyalty), but I liked how things happened in the book better.

With some books there is a caution. This is one. While it is funny and entertaining, you need to watch out for a few words and sentences that you might not come across in more conservative conversations. I have learned since I read this book that the British are freer with intimate details and the F-bomb is common word with less meaning than Americans place on it. With that being said you are likely to run across these in your British literature pursuits. Other than that this was an entertaining vacation or beach read.

            Williams, P. (2013). Afterwife. New York, NY: Berkley Books.