A Hollywood idol. The Virgin Mary. An everyday girl from Hull.
Three women, three eras, surprising things in common...
On 4th August 1962, the night she should have died, Marilyn Monroe – the biggest star in the world – receives a visitor who changes the course of her destiny. The Virgin Mary appears in her kitchen with a curious 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 who is on the poverty line and dreaming of a better life. Flora begins to make changes that impact not only her life but the lives of those around her…
Do Marilyn and Flora have more in common than just Mary’s visit? Are they somehow 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.
What did I think?
I do love turning the first page of a Louise Beech book as you just never know what you're going to get and Wonderful is certainly unusual with characters including Marilyn Monroe and The Virgin Mary. It sounds crazy but it really works and I absolutely loved it.
Louise Beech writes with such warmth, wit and passion as she brings Marilyn Monroe back to life on what would have been the star's centenary year. I think it's the first time that I have read about Marilyn and not felt such devastation at her early demise as this alternative history is a much better story.
The way the characters link together is nothing short of magnificent as the threads of the story weave a magical 'what if' tale that entertained and delighted me. Marilyn Monroe is iconic (as is The Virgin Mary, of course) and it was so refreshing to see the side of her that was often hidden from the cameras.
Incredibly powerful and thought-provoking, Wonderful is an unforgettable and unmissable novel. Louise Beech scoops all the stars again; an easy five stars for this very highly recommended read.
I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
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