cover image
LATEST ISSUE OF
Kirkus Reviews
Check out our interview with Rick Yancey, author of the wildly entertaining YA thriller The 5th Wave.
Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit

BROWSE BOOK REVIEWS



Marilyn Monroe

Cover art for MARILYN
NONFICTION
Released: July 17, 2012
MARILYN: THE PASSION AND PARADOX OF MARILYN MONROE
by Lois Banner
"Surely not the last word, but a complete and honest effort and a good starting place."
Fifty years after her death and hundreds of books later, are we any closer to understanding Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962)? Probably not, but this new biography brings the known facts up to date and offers a fresh, modern take on the tragic star's life and choices. Read full book review >
Cover art for BYE BYE, BABY
FICTION
Released: Aug. 16, 2011
BYE BYE, BABY
by Max Allan Collins
"Nothing new or very interesting in this rehashing of rumors surrounding Monroe's death, even for those who were around when she died."
Collins resurrects hard-boiled private eye Nathan Heller in this celebrity-studded take on Marilyn Monroe's death in August 1962. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF MAF THE DOG, AND OF HIS FRIEND MARILYN MONROE
FICTION
Released: Dec. 6, 2010
Kirkus Star THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF MAF THE DOG, AND OF HIS FRIEND MARILYN MONROE
by Andrew O'Hagan
"An unusual, quirky and fun read."
Maf (short for Mafia Honey), a Maltese Bichon born in Scotland, gives us insights into his privileged life--and discourses on everything from politics to psychiatry to contemporary art--as he passes as a gift from Frank Sinatra to Marilyn Monroe. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE GENIUS AND THE GODDESS
NONFICTION
Released: March 1, 2010
THE GENIUS AND THE GODDESS: ARTHUR MILLER AND MARILYN MONROE
by Jeffrey Meyers
"Not much new in this rehearsal of one of celebrity's saddest stories."
A thoroughly researched but ill-balanced retelling of the brief love affair, marriage, creative collaboration, estrangement and divorce of Hollywood's sexiest star and Broadway's leading playwright. Read full book review >
Cover art for THE MANY LIVES OF MARILYN MONROE
NONFICTION
Released: Jan. 10, 2005
THE MANY LIVES OF MARILYN MONROE
by Sarah Churchwell
"Pumps a lot of bilge overboard. (13 b&w illustrations) "
Astute scrutiny of "the perilous and fascinating lines between fact and fiction, between desire and contempt, between knowledge and doubt," as demonstrated in critical and biographical treatments of the iconic sex goddess. Read full book review >
Cover art for MARILYN’S LAST WORDS
NONFICTION
Released: Aug. 1, 2004
MARILYN’S LAST WORDS: HER SECRET TAPES AND MYSTERIOUS DEATH
by Matthew Smith
"Enough already."
Slapdash account that adds a few grains of new information to the Monroe file with transcripts of tapes the actress made for her psychiatrist. Read full book review >