A beautiful piece of historical fiction that makes you believe that you are there and that this is the way it all happened.

The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin is a wonderful read when it comes to historical fiction. The author writes a fictional depiction of Mary Pickford and her friend Frances Marion. Both women were part of the early days of Hollywood before "Talkies" were invented. Both women helped create memorable silent films. One as an actress the other as a "scenarist" which would probably be considered a script writer today in modern parlance.

Benjamin's story is a perfectly plausible one as she details the ups and downs of the women's relationships including their "falling out" and reconciliation.

The Girls in the Picture is a great read and gives a glimpse of how women helped create Hollywood and the movies.

Recommend.

Review written after downloading a galley from Net Galley.

This is an interesting account of the very early days of Hollywood and motion pictures. The story revolves around the lives of two Actress Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion. They were successful by determination and talent, but they were hampered by discrimination, husbands and the adoring fans. Their friendship suffered as did they.

Thanks Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine and netgalley for this ARC.

This is a epic novel that we've come to know Melanie Benjamin will turn out. YOu'll never think about Hollywood the same again. It's life-changing, moving, and I hope they make a movie of it.

Mary Pickford and Frances Marion took Hollywood by storm in the fledgling years of the movies and birth of the huge studios. Both took gambles and gave up much of their lives to become the best in the business although they were constantly inspected, measured and diminished because of their sex. Frances was able to rise above it but fame took much from Mary in the end. It was true then and is still true today - the public idolizes celebrities and doesn't want their image of them tarnished with real life events. You had to choose your friends and spouses carefully because someone was always waiting in the shadows looking for you to fall off that pedestal. Melanie Benjamin does what she does so well -showing us the real women not the myth, with all their frailties grit and spirit. Historical bio-fiction doesn't get any better. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for a review. Here is that review:

Before I picked up this book, I had never heard of Frances Marion - althoug I was familiar with many of the movies she wrote! Of course, everyone who is at all familiar with American movies has heard of Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and Pickfair. This is a fictional account of Mary Pickford and Frances Marion's friendship - beginning way back in the beginning of the silent film era and continuing to 1969. Mary was the darling of America, mainly because of the pictures written by Frances. She was bigger than life, but did not have a happy life, constantly worrying about "her public" and what they would think of her, how they would receive her next picture, any stories about her, or anything to do with her. Frances didn't want to be a movie actress, so the two got along without Mary being jealous of the other young woman.

This was a fun read. While I know much of it is imagined, the characters were well-drawn and I could hear the authenticity of their conversations.

I would rate this a 3.8. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. I really liked Melanie Benjamin's prior works, The Aviator's Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue. I enjoy historical fiction and this seems to be the focus of Ms. Benjamin's novels. I did enjoy the historical aspect of her latest novel, The Girls in the Picture, but found I often struggled to read this novel. For me, it was not a fast read and I do not think it was due to the subject matter. In fact, I found the subject matter very interesting as it dealt with the advent of movies in the early 1900s, with the primary focus on Mary Pickford and Frances Marion, the latter who I had never heard of before. Like her other other novels, Ms. Benjamin focused on women and their roles in history. The two women in this novel were extraordinary women who accomplished so much in a "man's" world. This is obviously a very well researched novel but the writing was not as engaging as her others.

Once again Melanie Benjamin gives us a look at history that is often considered a mere footnote. Fleshing out the characters and events so well that one is left wanting to learn more.

Many thanks to Random House for allowing me to read an advance copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read several other Melanie Benjamin books and have thoroughly enjoyed them. While this book was an interesting read, it was my least favorite of her books (that I've read) to date. The book started strong and was intriguing until somewhere around the halfway point. After that it seemed to drag and was almost hard to finish. On the plus side, I really enjoyed learning about the birth of the film industry and what it was like for females working in it. I also enjoyed the development of both of the main female characters, Mary and Frances, as well as their friendship. Seeing how their different choices and paths played out and that they were, in the end, able to better understand one another was worth persevering. I definitely think the book is a good read, but feel the second half could have been condensed without losing much.

This was an interesting book about friendship, They have triumphs and disappointments just like the rest of us. The women were far ahead of their time. Well written. Highly recommend.

The Girls in the Picture is an interesting story of early Hollywood and follows the friendship of film star Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion. An inside look at women in the film industry and the early film industry itself...it wasn't as glamorous as it appeared to be!

This historical fiction novel describes Hollywood's earliest days through the two main characters, Mary Pickford (silent film star; founder of United Artists) and Frances Marion (silent film scenarist-turned-screenwriter; winner of two Academy Awards). At a time when women had little power, these two were pioneers in a fledgling industry, and this novel does much to trumpet their accomplishments when faced with numerous challenges.

But this is also a story of friendship and how "perfect" lives are flawed, just like everyone else. Sometimes the characters were hardly likable, but the alternate perspectives helps the reader through.

The title is unfortunate; although a scene at the end helps give more context, for most of the novel I was reminded of how my grandfather called movies "pictures" (as in, let's go to the pictures) and I really wanted the picture to be plural!

I always enjoy Melanie Benjamin's books and this one one was no evception. Frances Marion and Mary Pickford were pioneers at the start on the movie industry and their stories are told in alternating chapters. Love, friendship, loyalty and outright hostility it is a fascinating look at two intelligent, talented and powerful women.

This book was not for me. This is a fictional novel about Frances Marion and Mary Pickford and the early days of Hollywood and the movies. Since it is a novel the author has created a lot of fictional conversations and situations. I have read a lot of the nonfiction books about both of these ladies and I enjoyed those a lot more than this novel. Many of the best parts of both of their lives was left out and I did not like the way she portrayed both women. I had a hard time finishing the book. If you are not familiar with either women you might enjoy this book. The author lists many of the nonfiction books about them and many of them are very good. After reading this I would recommend reading one of those.

Despite the fact that I am very interested in the history of the American cinema, I found this book exceedingly superficial and the writing rather stilted and simplistic. Melanie Benjamin has done wonderful jobs in her prior books so this was all the more disappointing.

The girls are Mary Pickford and Francis Marion, among the first women who influenced film and helped create United Artists. Lots of people play cameos in the story, but in essence, the reader sees the graph of their friendship, the rise and the precipitous fall.

So, this was not up to the standards that I expected from Benjamin., rather a hodgepodge of curated episodes in the lives of these women.

Melanie Benjamin, how do you do it? You had me from the first sentence, and I was spellbound until the last page. I had never given much thought to Mary Pickford, or Douglas Fairbanks. (Just not my generation)...I did know that they were incredibly famous for their work in silent films, but this was a vision into their life and their world. Hollywood! and how they help create it. I was enraptured! A great story..I even loved reading your acknowledgements! This is a story that I will always think about. I have read many of your books, and they have all left incredible and indelible impressions. I still think about Mrs. Tom Thumb...! Thank you, and Thanks to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for the perusal for an honest review. I loved this book. I can't wait till Ms. Benjamain's next novel. WONDERFUL!! and WONDER FILLED!

(Thank you Netgalley for an early reader copy)

The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin is an engrossing story about two women who played a historical role in the development of Hollywood: Mary Pickford and Frances Marion. Everyone has heard about America's Sweetheart, Mary Pickford, but I had never heard of Frances Marion. Mary was a founding and managing member of United Artists, and Frances a renowned screenwriter. The two meet in 1914, when Mary is struggling to support her family as an actress, and Frances is trying to figure out what to do with her life after two divorces. Mary becomes a star in the silent movies, and then have to make the jump to "talkie's, a jump that devoured many silent actresses. Frances becomes her "senarist" (basically her screenwriter) and writes one hit movie after another. The two become deep and devoted friends, but eventually they take different directions in their careers and lives, with Mary taking control of her pictures, and Frances creating hit scripts for others. They both meet and marry men who take them even farther apart; Mary falls in love with Douglas Fairbanks, an actor and Frances meets Fred Thompson, a soldier and athlete, who she eventually manages to convince to work in movies. The two men can best be described as "frenemies"; they share much in common but Fairbanks' fragile ego causes him to be extremely competitive with Fred, and Fred isn't much impressed with .

The book alternates between Fran and Mary's point of view. It's written in the voice reminiscent of actresses of the time - high energy, sometimes self centered, sometimes judgemental, other times terrified - you can almost hear their voices speaking to you as they navigate the politics, sexism and changes that keep on coming. Mary deals with the issues of keeping her public happy, as she literally grows up and needs to find new roles in an industry where she's played a little girl until well into womanhood. Fran goes to war, becoming a journalist, documenting women's roles during WW II. It's a wonderful story of two very different women who are both instrumental in creating a new industry, and recreating themselves many times in the process. It made me want to know more about both of them. This book is historical fiction at it's best; it's well researched, with plenty of facts, and very realistic. You can totally believe what the characters say and do. Take this engaging trip through history with Mary and Fran!

Frances Owens de Lappe Pike was a twice divorced young woman when she met Gladys Louise Smith in Los Angles in 1914. Frances had come to Los Angeles in hopes of using her talent as an artist in the fledging talking movie industry. Gladys, now known as Mary Pickford, was the rising star of silent movies.

The two became fast friends and Mary even encouraged Frances to become a screen writer. So Frances changed her last name to Marion and started writing in earnest. Frances became well known in the movie industry and soon was writing scripts for the actress. Mary was the breadwinner in her family who supported her mother and two siblings with her acting. By the 1910s and 1920s, she had become the most famous movie actress in the world. Mary was dubbed "America's Sweetheart". Frances kept busy writing screenplays and was very highly paid to do so.

The friendship blossomed even after Mary married Douglas Fairbanks and they became the premier Hollywood couple. Their home, Pickfair, was a large dwelling that was the place for grand Hollywood parties attended by famous people from all over the world. Frances married Fred Thompson, a former minister Mary had introduced Frances to around the time the US entered World War I. The two couples even honeymooned together in Europe after the War ended.

However the marriage of Douglas to Mary forced a wedge between the two women and their friendship suffered. Frances and Douglas did not like each other but Fred and Douglas were friendly.

Then talking movies became the rage and it was soon discovered that Mary did not have the voice or talent to continue making the movies that had become popular. She had built a career on playing young girls but could not continue doing so in her late 30s. By then the relationship between Mary and Douglas had cooled and Mary began to drink. Fred was encouraged to become a movie actor and had a moderate success in cowboy movies. He and Frances had a son and adopted a second boy a year later. Then Fred stepped on a nail, developed tetanus and died. Mary refused to attend the funeral.

Mary divorced Douglas after his affair with an Englishwoman became public. Although she owned a studio with Douglas and his friend Charlie Chaplin, Mary's acting career was over at age 38. She remarried a younger man but became a heavy drinker and recluse.

Frances continued writing for the movies as she had 2 sons to support. She went on to win 2 Academy Awards (the first woman to do so) and become very wealthy screenwriter.

However the women two were no longer friends and did not speak until 1969 - a few years before Frances' death. Frances visited Mary, saw what a miserable existence Mary was living and decided that Mary needed a good friend more than ever.

This historical fiction book is based loosely on the lives of the two women. It is told with alternate chapters from each woman's point of view. Some things, like the existence of two children that Mary and Douglas adopted, were left out. I enjoyed two of Benjamin's earlier works, The Aviator's Wife and the Swans of New York, more than I did this book. I found the dialogue a bit silly for two intelligent women working as pioneers in Hollywood.

Dark Haired Frances and golden haired Mary found each other and became fast friends. Frances becomes one of the top scenerists in Hollywood. Mary, well Mary is Mary Pickford, first actress of the silverscreen. Promises made are promises kept, no man will ever come between them. Marriage, fame, and richness made each one go their own way. Somehow they are able to stay connected through loyalty, forgiveness and love. These two women are able to cross barriers that in other times, places and people may never have been crossed. This is a truly great story of the inner working of Hollywood. The actors, actresses, scandals, marriages, divorces and death. However, the true story is in the friendship of two remarkable women. I loved reading this book. I couldn't put it down. The flow of the story and characters, makes you be there as a silent watcher, seeing, hearing and feeling the emotions of these characters. Definitely a must read.
5 Stars!

I loved this book. It will definitely become a best seller. Historical fiction mixed with Hollywood. It's a winneer!