When we were brilliant

Cullen, a master of shedding fictional light on underappreciated women of history (as she did with Dr. Dorothy Horstmann in The Woman with the Cure, 2023), turns her pen to documentary photographer Eve Arnold, who was the only woman to ever photograph Marilyn Monroe and developed a longstanding bond with the star. From Marilyn's early career through her highs and lows, Eve narrates the story directly to Marilyn, posthumously, in a bittersweet imagining of the friendship between two very different women with something to prove to the world. She asks, "Were you acting, or were you being you? I wanted to keep shooting, to see." Readers will recognize the highlights of their friendship in the mentioned photographs, and the narrative often feels like a who's who of Old Hollywood and New York as everyone from Jayne Mansfield to Gordon Parks makes an appearance. A must-read for fans of Monroe who want an empathetic imagining of her life, and further reading and watching lists will surely develop as the novel mentions a cavalcade of films, plays, and books enjoyed and produced by the two women.

Cullen's latest (after The Woman with the Cure) follows two young women building careers in the 1950s: photographer Eve Arnold and actor Norma Jeane Baker, also known by her stage name, Marilyn Monroe. Eve and Norma Jeane meet and form a friendship that is more deeply cemented when Norma Jeane asks Eve to photograph her from the point of view of an intelligent woman, not as the sex kitten figure that she's been depicted as when photographed by men. Later, Norma Jeane travels across the United States, building fame and cultivating her Marilyn image, while Eve lives in New York City with her young son and feckless husband. When Marilyn Monroe becomes a household name, she invites Eve (whose photojournalism career is also taking off) to photograph her at publicity events and on movie sets. Their collaboration will ultimately change both women's lives. In this novel where both protagonists feel societal pressure--Eve to be the perfect mother and wife; Norma Jeane as the starlet who wants love and a child of her own--Cullen offers a glimpse into the challenges and tensions women faced and still face, in the 1950s and now, as they build their careers and families. VERDICT This historical novel that dishes on both Hollywood and political drama is perfect for book clubs seeking fiction about larger-than-life figures and for students of photography.--Joyce Sparrow