Blonde
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Blonde
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Narrated by:
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Jayne Atkinson
About this listen
In her most ambitious work to date, Joyce Carol Oates, one of America's most distinguished writers, reimagines the inner, poetic, and spiritual life of Norma Jeane Baker, the child, the woman, the fated celebrity, and tells the story in Norma Jeane's own voice: startling, rich, and shattering.
Drawing on biographical and historical sources, Joyce Carol Oates evokes the distinct consciousness of the woman and the unsparing reflection of the myth, writing as she has never written before, ecstatic, completely absorbed, inhabited as if by the spirit of her extraordinary subject. Rich with psychological insight and disturbing irony, this mesmerizing narrative illumines Norma Jeane's lonely childhood, wrenching adolescence, and the creation of Marilyn Monroe.
With fresh insights into the heart of a celebrity culture hypnotized by its own myths, Blonde is a sweeping novel about the elusive magic of a woman, the lasting legacy of a star, and the heartbreak behind the creation of the most evocative icon of the 20th century.
©2001 Joyce Carol Oates (P)2001 HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
What listeners say about Blonde
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
- Ms. Nicola J. Booth
- 04-02-13
Liked it
Extremely well told, the husky voice of the narrator really added character and back bone to the book and opened my eyes. Wasn't sure at first about the book in the first 30 minutes but glad i stuck with it.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nelson
- 11-09-22
Absolutely riveting
A truly affecting and intelligent story based around Norma Jeane / Marilyn, sensitively told. At times it made me recoil in it’s brutality though it’s never sensational. Moreover, it’s a poetic, empathetic and thoughtful study of a woman who seems to have such little self-esteem and who falls into relationship after relationship with abusive and coercive men.
An unsettling, insightful magnetic listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-05-18
Sensational novel
Great listen. Joyce Carol Oates never fails to please I was hooked from first page!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miranda J Murphy
- 31-12-20
Searingly beautiful and sad swan song to a legend
I have been both touched, traumatised and overwhelmed by this book which overturned my v hazy knowledge and, I now see, lazy assumptions of this iconic woman. This book is a masterclass in voice and narrative and it will linger with me forever. A person too beautiful for this world, who deserves a public apology and a book so moving and tenderly felt, a complete masterpiece. Jayne Atkinson is a terrific narrator and it’s a great production. Bravo!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- LibraryLady
- 12-03-23
Jayne Atkinson's performance is incredible!
Given the time slips, changes in narrator, multitude of characters and the very different personas of Norma Jean and Marilyn- this audiobook should have been hard to follow but Jayne Atkinson's talented performance makes this complex novel an audio 'page turner' of which I enjoyed every minute.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 10-08-22
Totally absorbing
The more you know about Marilyn the more fascinating she becomes. I knew a lot of the information in this novel but Joyce Carol Oates has created an absorbing, disturbing and compelling piece of work. It is beautifully narrated too.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Borbála
- 19-01-24
Beautiful writing. Perfect Narration
Two things to highlight about this book:
ABRIDGED
FICTION
This book is so good, it was a crime to chop it.
The writing is practically perfect, so is the narration.
I have never read Joyce Carol Oates but now I have another one lined up from her, which is unfortunately not on Audible. Not a problem, I will need to read Blonde as well anyway, because now that I have been so inattentive and bought the ABRIDGED version and heard the beautiful narration, I can't make myself to return it but I want the whole story.
The book wants to capture the essence of Marilyn the girl and the woman, but it is important to realise that although a lot of the characters really existed and knew her, while some are inspired by people she knew, this is FICTION.
To me, the performer's breathless, husky voice to represent Marilyn is perfection. She doesn’t overdo her characters, doesn't do "voices" and doesn’t embellish. She is just perfect.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 26-09-22
Abridged version
Sadly this is an abridged version which is not noted in the description.
The narrator and content are excellent, but I returned it as I wish to read the full text.
Audible should make it clear upon purchase if a text is abridged.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- elfsmum
- 09-06-22
Loved it
Spellbound throughout. Good interview with author at the end. Excellent story telling with good narrator.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Jenny Leask
- 11-08-22
Abridged
Enjoyed this very much (though there was some peculiar phrasing by the narrator at times) but was disappointed to find it was an abridged version, given that this isn't mentioned anywhere that I can see on the Audible app (a scene was mentioned in the author interview at the end which hadn't been in the audio book, and that got me googling).
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4 people found this helpful