On the night she should have died, Marilyn Monroe has a visitor who changes her life. The Virgin Mary appears in her kitchen with a message. Inspired, Marilyn abandons her home, her life, her fame, and disappears into the night…
Fifty-four years later, in a Hull kitchen, Flora Baker finds Mary, bathed in light. She has a similar message for the working class woman on the poverty line. Flora makes changes that impact not only her life but the lives of those around her…
Do Marilyn and Flora have more in common than Mary’s visit? Are they linked across time? And is Mary’s message for all the women of the world? Wonderful is about the way women are portrayed in both history and the world of celebrity, about women not being quiet, and about women united by the shared stories that shape them.
On what would have been Marilyn Monroe's 100th birthday, I'm delighted to be sharing my publication day review of Wonderful by Louise Beech. Many thanks to Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and to Louise Beech for my advance copy of the novel.
Despite dying aged just 36 in 1962, Marilyn Monroe remains a worldwide cultural icon. Her face and body adorns countless items of memorabilia and there have been scores of articles, books and documentaries about her life and death. In Wonderful, however, Louise Beech imagines that rather than passing away from a barbiturate overdose on 4th August 1962, one of the most recognisable women in the world chose to disappear. This isn't just a book about Marilyn Monroe though – it also follows Flora Baker, a 36 year old woman living in Hull. It would seem that their lives couldn't be more different but their transformative visits from the Virgin Mary reveal the poignant similarities between them. Wonderful tells a fantastical story but in typical Louise Beech style, it is grounded in humanity which makes the incredible touchingly believable.
The narrative switches between Marilyn's life in the mid-1960s, leading up to that fateful night the world lost one of the biggest stars ever, and Flora's struggles in 2016 as she attempts to balance her work fending off lecherous men in a local comedy club with caring for her fragile, mentally ill sister, Bella. Both move into their new homes but although the contrast between Marilyn's beautiful Mexican-style Colonial Revival house and Flora's latest dingy flat is stark, they ultimately share more than a visit from Mary.
Although the appearance of the Virgin Mary and the effect she has on both women is profound, Wonderful is not a book about religion, nor does it require readers to have any sort of faith themselves. Instead, it explores the quiet strength of women, whether alone or as part of a sisterhood. There are some emotive themes examined here; as Norma Jeane, Marilyn was neglected and sexually abused as a child before later being controlled and manipulated in her relationships, and by the exploitative Hollywood studio system. Meanwhile, Flora is also weighed down by secrets and shame after her own harrowing past. The storyline is never gratuitous but it lays bare the long-lasting toll of abuse and societal demands, and the cruel misogynistic hypocrisy which for too long has placed the blame on women and girls.
However, Wonderful is actually a book which is filled with hope. Marilyn and Flora are both inspired to change their lives and although the choices Marilyn makes are arguably more momentous, Flora's quiet courage as she finally opens up to others is equally as moving. With her warm, witty dialogue, Louise Beech brings her characters beautifully to life; it's impossible not to be touched by their stories and the relationships between their families and friends, as well as the astonishing connections which link the two women and are gradually revealed before the emotional conclusion.
The authenticity of Louise Beech's compassion for her characters and for what they represent on a wider scale is evident throughout this captivating, thought-provoking book, which just like its title, is indeed, Wonderful.
Wonderful is published by Pick Lock Publishing and can be purchased here.
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About the Author
Her debut, How to be Brave, was a Guardian Readers’ Pick; The Lion Tamer Who Lost shortlisted for the Romantic Novel Awards 2019 and longlisted for the Polari Prize that same year; Call Me Star Girl was Best magazine’s Book of the Year; This Is How We Are Human was a Clare Mackintosh Book Club pick; and audiobook Daffodils shortlisted for the Audies23.
Wonderful, which imagines if Marilyn Monroe had lived, is released on Marilyn's 100th birthday, 1st June 2026. Louise's dystopian thrillers, End of Story and Lights Out, are written as Louise Swanson.
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