The only reason that I have given this book a 3-star rating is because of my impression that the author was rather condescending toward a woman who is one of my heroes.

Monroe? A hero?

A beautiful, brilliant actor who showed all the signs of Bipolar disorder, who struggled every day of her too-short life to be THE WOMAN, only to lose what little of herself that was under her control.

Today, Monroe would have been put into talk therapy when she signed her first contract (not psychoanalysis). She would have discovered that the things that happened to her as a child (including, I believe, sexual abuse as a very young girl) were not her fault. She might have been able to live a long time.

However, she would not have been a better actor. Monroe was consistently underappreciated by the Hollywood community. Her comedic timing was amazing, but so, too, was her dramatic acumen.

Clark's book gives us a tiny glimpse of who Monroe really was. And when I finished reading it, I wished there had been a lot more. ( )

Read from Feb 5-Jul 27, 2012

I started this in February. I finished the first part -- the "My Week with Marilyn" portion -- in a matter of days. It was definitely interesting and I understand why the started of with that one. The second half -- "The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me" part and the first book published -- was far more painful to get through.

The second half was interesting. I learned a lot about film making that I never knew about or hadn't thought about at all. It just didn't have enough Marilyn.

However after reading the second half, I have SERIOUS doubts about the truthfulness of that first half. I mean, you're a young man working on a film set and suddenly the MOST FAMOUS and MOST BEAUTIFUL woman on the PLANET gives you attention and you don't yell it from the rooftops? I mean, there wasn't an INKLING in the second part about his time with Marilyn. It's suspect, I think.

A good story though and if it is true, then that's cool and good for him. But...I don't know.

An interesting read -- the first half is definitely fun for Marilyn fans. The second half is far more for fans of film...just not enough MM. ( )

I was expecting this to be a lightweight story of romance between a nobody (who happened to have a job on a movie set due to lots of hard work and a bit of luck) and Marilyn Monroe, which would be mildly entertaining for me. It ended up being two completely different things. One was the story of an entitled cad who got only got the job working on the movie because his family was BFFs with "Larry" (Sir Laurence Olivier) and Vivien (Leigh), and because he had nothing better to do than sit outside a movie producer's office 9 hours a day for weeks and wait to be handed a job. This story did not amuse me in the least.

However, there's another story here. The book takes place towards the end of Marilyn Monroe's career, and life. By this point she has just gotten married for the third time, she's addicted to pills, and she's surrounded by enablers who don't think she's anything more than money and a pretty face. Her American entourage exploit her, while keeping her self-esteem low so that she will continue to think she needs them. The British cast and crew of the movie (and her husband, Arthur Miller) have no respect for her and think she's an airhead, and make sure she knows how they feel. It's no wonder she fumbled her lines and couldn't sleep.

This short story is a really insightful glimpse of Marilyn Monroe's life, but not a great story.

The audiobook I listened to also included The Prince, the Showgirl, and Me, which is the transcribed diary written by Colin Clark before and during the filming of "The Prince and the Showgirl" (the movie he worked on which starred Sir Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe). This was so. long. and. boring. I skimmed through most of it as much as I could. I did not care at all about the minutiae of producing a movie in the 1950s (and I do mean MINUTIAE), nor the gossip of the cast and crew. The diary reveals Colin to be a womanizer and an ass. In an effort to protect Marilyn and himself (mostly just himself), he did not write in his diary at all about the week that he spent with Marilyn. (Despite the fact that they did not do anything interesting.)

Throughout the whole filming of the movie, the British cast and crew treat the American cast and crew like total dirt. They exclude and belittle the Americans at every opportunity. And then, at the end of his diary, Colin Clark is astonished to realize that the Americans think the Brits are a bunch of cold, stuck-up assholes, and absolutely despise them! Serves you right, jerk.

In short: read the short story (it is short! you can't go wrong!) but the diaries should definitely be skipped, unless you're really really into that kind of thing. ( )

I purchased this book after seeing Michelle Williams magical performance as Marilyn Monroe in the film My Week With Marilyn. It was interesting to read the diary entries for the week the film was based on but much more interesting to read the entire diary which was also contained in the book. It really provides a good view of how a film set works and the frustrations in dealing with the always late Monroe. However, at the same time, the author, despite his inexperience in the film industry at the time, was able to see the brilliance Monroe displayed on the camera and the stiffness conveyed by the experienced actor Laurence Olivier. Additionally, for Vivien Leigh fans, the author provides a bit of insight into her personality and felt that Leigh was actually more beautiful than Monroe although older. I found the book to be a great view of the making of a film that today, is only remembered, because of Marilyn Monroe's presence in it. ( )