Now here's a quality Marilyn Monroe biography! *cheers* I just read Goddess by Anthony Summers, and I forgot what a quality biography looked like. J. Randy Taraborrelli, unlike Summers, doesn't focus on the sex, scandals, and conspiracies surrounding Marilyn Monroe. Instead, he focused on the person, the girl who'd never had a stable family, who just wanted someone to love her. Here is Monroe at her best and worst, smartest and dumbest, and everything else in between.

Taraborrelli, whose writing and research are always impeccable, packs a real punch with this biography. He carefully unfolds all of Monroe's family drama and her relationships without sensationalizing anything. It's easy to read and follow, and more importantly enjoyable. It shows Monroe as a normal person. I especially like the perspective offered on her relationship with DiMaggio. I've always held the opinion she truly did love him, but the relationship just couldn't work. They just wanted different things. Nothing wrong with that, of course. DiMaggio was someone she could count on or call when things got tough. And of course, the fact he had roses delivered to her grave once a week just like she had wanted is so freaking romantic! *swoons*

Ultimately, this biography is eye-opening and kind of sad. Marilyn Monroe died too young, and it's a shame we never got to see more for her. It's a shame she couldn't see more for herself. May her soul rest peacefully in heaven. I'd totally recommend this as the ultimate Monroe biography!