I recently read two historical novels about women who achieved great fame during the mid-twentieth century. Both books are based on research but are essentially fictional retellings of the historical personages’ life.
The first was Maria by Michelle Moran, a novel about Maria Von Trapp. Moran attempts to debunk some of the misconceptions about the characters of Maria and the captain and also to reveal a more accurate story about the family and their escape from Austria. The story is framed by Maria’s attempt to have inaccuracies in the musical The Sound of Music changed before its premiere, but anyone who knows show business will know that she’s waited too long. Opening is just a couple of weeks away. To appease her, Oscar Hammerstein sends his assistant Frances (a fictional character) to listen to Maria’s concerns and take notes—notes that almost everyone but Maria realizes will never be used.
Moran knows how to tell a well-paced story with engaging characters. I enjoyed learning about what was true and untrue in the beloved musical, as well as finding out more about what happened to the Trapp family afterward. Another unexpected subplot concerned the decline of Hammerstein’s health: The Sound of Music was his last show; he died very shortly afterward. I recommend the book to anyone who’s loved the musical and wants to know more.
The second novel was Can’t We Be Friends? by a team of authors: Denny S. Bryce and Eliza Knight. Also based on research, it’s an imagined account of the extraordinary friendship between jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald and actor Marilyn Monroe. The novel alternates between the perspectives of the two main characters.
I was surprised to learn how much the two women had in common and how very supportive of each other they were during their separate struggles with an entertainment industry that wants to control women as commodities. As anyone who’s paid attention to Taylor Swift knows, this is an ongoing struggle today.
Because Fitzgerald and Monroe’s friendship was largely private, I think these authors had to invent more of the novel’s events than did Moran in Maria. For example, they had to decide how to portray Monroe’s marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, both of which have been subjects of vastly differing interpretations. Having it told by two authors made each character’s voice distinct, and the novel engaged me and gave me a deeper understanding of both women. I particularly found it an extremely emotional experience to read about Monroe’s tragic downward spiral in the last years of her life. I recommend this novel to people interested in the back story of famous icons of pop culture, especially women who tried to fight the patriarchal system.
Ruth Hull Chatlien 