In 1952, Norma Jeane Baker follows documentary photographer Eve Arnold into a powder room on the night they first meet. She has a proposition for her. Norma Jeane created Marilyn Monroe to be photographed, and she wants Eve to do it. Eve is better than anyone she’s seen at capturing a person’s inner truth. Together they can help each other. Together, she says, they can make something brilliant.
Skeptical of this cipher of a young woman, Eve demurs. She’s looking for more serious subjects than this ambitious starlet. But she keeps getting drawn back into Marilyn’s orbit, and the women come to recognize something in each other—something fundamental. Nothing will get in the way of what they want, and when Marilyn’s star takes off to teetering heights, neither will ever be the same.
A lavish and transporting novel, When We Were Brilliant captures the halcyon days of an icon and the grit of women determining their own futures as it explores the exceptional and complicated friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold. (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads.)
You know a story is good when you feel compelled to do some research after you’ve read it. I didn’t know about Eve Arnold, nor the relationship she had with Marilyn. That alone is fascinating. Yet combining that aspect with an historical fiction nod really elevated and brought both Norma Jean and Eve to life.
One of the biggest draws is how unlikely their friendship had been. And how true-to-life Marilyn presented herself when she was around Eve. I felt the author really captured the essence of Marilyn, particularly with her public persona and who she was behind closed doors. Marilyn was the intelligent blond bombshell who really was ahead of her time; she was smarter than she let on, bending and twisting her way through the twists and turns of society, in order to try to succeed and be successful. Unfortunately, no one could see the split between Marilyn and Norma Jean, and that she ultimately was a human being, not an object that belonged to the people.
The author captured that “butterfly in a jar” imagery perfectly. Eve’s background and story provided a nice leveling to that, but really, there is common ground between the two characters. Both are women trying to do their best in their respective careers, while fighting against the patriarchy. At the time, Eve was the only woman working for Magnum Photos, and Marilyn was consistently given commands in order to dictate the path of her career, whether they were good options for her or not. Eve has to try to navigate juggling her career and family, something Marilyn yearns for. Marilyn just wants someone who loves her for her, and Eve is ultimately looking for the same thing.
When We Were Brilliant was a riveting experience. The background of that mid-century modern glow, the epic icons that are identifiable of that era, along with the struggles that both women face which would only later help to pave the way for the women who have come after them, really made this book a must-read experience. It was five-stars for me!
Thanks to Berkley for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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