The Blonde is Anna Godbersen's first adult novel. And boy oh boy did she start off with a bang! (ha ha) The Blonde is the fictionalized historical telling of Marilyn Monroe. Going off the premise...what is Marilyn Monroe was a spy. Does that sound cool? Well it really was. There is tons of classic Marilyn woven into these pages. Lot's of sexy, flirty Marilyn, and under it all- a very lonely woman. The story starts with a flashback to her childhood and from then on it flashes forward to the height of her fame. The chapters are each labeled with the location, month and year. It was a nice progression for the story. Sometimes there were multiple chapters per month and sometimes only a few. 
 The actual story line was wonderfully imaginative and addictive. I had so much fun reading about the actual historical events wrapped up in Godbersen's intriguing re-telling of it all. And the most impressive part was that she captured the spirit of Marilyn so well. I felt like I was reading some of Marilyn's lost diaries. Anna Godbersen introduces us to a russian man called Alexie who was the one that jump started Marilyn's career, simply saying that he would be calling in a "favor" later with her. And so started her secret career as a spy. 
 The espionage and spy thirller aspect of the story was the coolest melding of history and fictions. I just ate it all up. Anna Godbersen's writing is magic. That is the only way I know how to describe it. She casts this spell with her words as she weaves them into a story that even though you know is fiction, seems both too fantastical and yet somehow plausible. It is crazy. I had so much fun living in this re imagined view of history. I loved picturing Marilyn as this reluctant bombshell spy. It was a cool twist on her relationship with the President. The Blonde is so unlike other stories. It was so well thought out and expertly created. I loved The Blonde and I think you will too.