Book description
The National Book Award finalist and national bestseller exploring the life and legend of Marilyn Monroe
Now a Netflix Film starring Ana de Armas, Adrien Brody, Bobby Cannavale and Julianne Nicholson
In one of her most ambitious works, Joyce Carol Oates boldly reimagines the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Blonde as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Blonde is a fictional biography of Marilyn Monroe. I tend not to read thick books – and this is over 600 pages – and I only had a passing interest in Monroe before beginning it, but the book was highly recommended so I gave it a go. I’m glad that I did.
This is a colossus of a book – in size, in scope, in adaptation, in emotion. The mood is tragedy – tragedy on so many levels it hurts to think about them. Oates pitches the 'Monroe' character perfectly. And for me, the book's strength comes from the fact…
From Andrew's list on The best fictional books featuring real life people.
I have never had much interest in Marilyn Monroe, but as an author of biofiction, I was curious about the narrative techniques Oates used to recount her life. To my surprise, I found myself profoundly moved by Monroe’s story. Oates depicts the young Norma Jean Baker as an intelligent but innocent girl propelled into the limelight by her looks. Abandoned by her father and abused by her mother, she craves affection, clinging to those who appear to love her but only want to use her. Studio magnates transform her into Marilyn Monroe, a thoroughly artificial creation. By switching strategically from…
From Bárbara's list on The best novels about female stars who made a difference.
If you love Blonde...
Astral Travel
Jo Jackson believes she has put behind her difficult childhood with a charismatic but sometimes violent father. One day, however, out of the blue, she is moved to write about him. Immediately she comes unstuck, face to face with things that don't add up, and a growing sense of mystery…
Want books like Blonde?
Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 19 books like Blonde.
Share your top 3 reads of 2026!
And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.
165
readers submitted
so far, will you?
📚 If you like Blonde, you might also like...
Memory's Eyes: A New York Oedipus Novel
Memory's Eyes is a contemporary New York Oedipus novel. It is written for readers who enjoy playing with concepts and storylines, here namely the classical Oedipus myth, Sophocles' three Theban plays, the psychoanalytic concept of the Oedipus complex, and its pop-cultural adaptations in movies, cartoons, and jokes.
Tragic and funny,…
Memento
Sine, a professor of creative writing, accompanies Sam, a neuroscientist, on a conference trip to a Hotel Castle. Sam wants to present a new device, the "monitor." Sine hopes to recover from tending to her mother who just passed away.
When they arrive, Sine is in a dream-like state. Real…
