Review of MY FRIEND Marilyn
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Review of MY FRIEND Marilyn
[Following is a volunteer review of "MY FRIEND Marilyn" by Christopher Lentz.]
MY FRIEND Marilyn is written by Christopher Lentz. The story is set in 1958 in Coronado at the time of the shooting of the iconic film “Some Like It Hot”, starring Marilyn Monroe. It tells the story of a young girl called Penny Parker who works as a cashier in a local shop. Unbeknownst to her, Penny is entered in a competition where the winner gets the opportunity to work on the set of the filming of “Some like it hot”. To her surprise and delight, Penny wins the competition and she embarks on an exciting week where she will meet Marilyn Monroe and many other film stars. Penny’s role is to assist Marilyn for one week. She needs to fetch beach towels and cold drinks. However, her role will become much more during her few days spent on the set. Penny will share her anecdotes, secrets and experiences of a week that will change her life forever.
The main character in the story is Penny Parker. She is a young girl who leads a simple life in Coronado. Penny suffers from insecurities about her body but she does not take herself too seriously. She is a loyal friend and is a sensitive and intelligent girl. She is also extremely courageous and will not hesitate to come to the rescue of people in difficulty. Her passions in life are going to the movies and swimming. She does not come from a happy family background. Penny is spontaneous and is never frightened to speak the truth, even in front of Marilyn Monroe. It was very easy to warm to Penny as she is a likeable character. The second main character is Marilyn Monroe as she is at the heart of the story. She is a complex person who is insecure in life. Marilyn and Penny may become close because of their shared insecurities. Marilyn can also detect that Penny is not in search of notoriety but someone Marilyn can rely on. Marilyn and Penny end up supporting each other as they become friends in very little time. Another important character is Frankie who is Penny’s childhood friend. Penny and Frankie spend a lot of time together and they share some secrets.
The story is written in the first-person narrative by Penny. The style is simple and the story is easy to read. Each chapter ends like a film as it fades out at the end. The stories told by Penny are funny, intriguing and exciting. There is a really good mix of facts and fiction and this makes it an interesting story. The fiction includes a romantic love story with Penny and the reader is unsure how this will end. There is also a chilling story about the life in the hotel where the filming takes place. The facts include some anecdotes about Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Marilyn’s sensitivity and fragility are well described. There are also descriptions of the paparazzi who could make Marilyn’s life very difficult. There are some references to drug abuse but overall this book will appeal to any reader as it is entertaining and surprising. The ending was completely unexpected when the reader is transported fifty years in the future. A writer is in search of new materials to write a book about the shooting of the film “Some Like It Hot” and comes to Coronado. He is looking for people who were around at the time of the shooting. The reader gets updated about what happened to Penny and Frankie. I thought it was the perfect ending.
I enjoyed this book despite not really knowing what to expect. The story was well told and sounded true. I loved the anecdotes about so many iconic actors. It was easy to share Penny’s excitement in meeting such celebrities. It was original to mix facts and fiction in this story.
There is nothing I disliked about the book and I rate it four out of four stars.
******
MY FRIEND Marilyn
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
MY FRIEND Marilyn is written by Christopher Lentz. The story is set in 1958 in Coronado at the time of the shooting of the iconic film “Some Like It Hot”, starring Marilyn Monroe. It tells the story of a young girl called Penny Parker who works as a cashier in a local shop. Unbeknownst to her, Penny is entered in a competition where the winner gets the opportunity to work on the set of the filming of “Some like it hot”. To her surprise and delight, Penny wins the competition and she embarks on an exciting week where she will meet Marilyn Monroe and many other film stars. Penny’s role is to assist Marilyn for one week. She needs to fetch beach towels and cold drinks. However, her role will become much more during her few days spent on the set. Penny will share her anecdotes, secrets and experiences of a week that will change her life forever.
The main character in the story is Penny Parker. She is a young girl who leads a simple life in Coronado. Penny suffers from insecurities about her body but she does not take herself too seriously. She is a loyal friend and is a sensitive and intelligent girl. She is also extremely courageous and will not hesitate to come to the rescue of people in difficulty. Her passions in life are going to the movies and swimming. She does not come from a happy family background. Penny is spontaneous and is never frightened to speak the truth, even in front of Marilyn Monroe. It was very easy to warm to Penny as she is a likeable character. The second main character is Marilyn Monroe as she is at the heart of the story. She is a complex person who is insecure in life. Marilyn and Penny may become close because of their shared insecurities. Marilyn can also detect that Penny is not in search of notoriety but someone Marilyn can rely on. Marilyn and Penny end up supporting each other as they become friends in very little time. Another important character is Frankie who is Penny’s childhood friend. Penny and Frankie spend a lot of time together and they share some secrets.
The story is written in the first-person narrative by Penny. The style is simple and the story is easy to read. Each chapter ends like a film as it fades out at the end. The stories told by Penny are funny, intriguing and exciting. There is a really good mix of facts and fiction and this makes it an interesting story. The fiction includes a romantic love story with Penny and the reader is unsure how this will end. There is also a chilling story about the life in the hotel where the filming takes place. The facts include some anecdotes about Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon. Marilyn’s sensitivity and fragility are well described. There are also descriptions of the paparazzi who could make Marilyn’s life very difficult. There are some references to drug abuse but overall this book will appeal to any reader as it is entertaining and surprising. The ending was completely unexpected when the reader is transported fifty years in the future. A writer is in search of new materials to write a book about the shooting of the film “Some Like It Hot” and comes to Coronado. He is looking for people who were around at the time of the shooting. The reader gets updated about what happened to Penny and Frankie. I thought it was the perfect ending.
I enjoyed this book despite not really knowing what to expect. The story was well told and sounded true. I loved the anecdotes about so many iconic actors. It was easy to share Penny’s excitement in meeting such celebrities. It was original to mix facts and fiction in this story.
There is nothing I disliked about the book and I rate it four out of four stars.
******
MY FRIEND Marilyn
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon | on iTunes | on Smashwords
Latest Review: Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper
