Historical fiction about Mary Pickford and Frances Marion.
We are introduced to each character at the beginning of the career that makes each famous. Mary was an actress, the first major movie star. When she started, the movie industry didn't even put the actresses names in the film because they didn't want them to be famous themselves, they were just faces. Mary made a name for herself though and in large part due to Frances.

Frances wandered along a movie filming one day shortly after moving to California and became fascinated. She struck up a friendship with Mary and was soon writing dialogue for characters in the background in silent films.

The women became best friends, as close as sisters. As Frances' talent grew, she started writing movies for Mary to star in. She wrote Mary as a child, to make up for the fact that Mary had no actual fun childhood herself. The public loved "Little Mary". So, that's what she continued to give them. For better or worse, Mary became known for playing a child on screen.

Frances and Mary became very successful women in their fields. They can be credited for major innovations in the movie business.
Sometimes this "golden age" put a strain on their friendship and their relationship with others.

I can't imagine how much time the author devoted to researching these two women before writing this book, it must have been a lot. I didn't know anything about either one before reading this book, I was interested in the book entirely because of how much I loved her book The Swans of Fifth Avenue.
But the end of this story, I felt like I'd really followed these two through decades of their lives and careers.

Very interesting, very informative, occasionally a bit dry, sometimes a bit sad, but overall I came away feeling like I'd heard a story about two really innovative women who changed the face of the movie industry.

I got to read an early e book edition through NetGalley.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story and even learned a few points about the early times of movie making. The alternating stories of Frances and Mary were well written.

This beautiful, epic novel details the relationship between Mary Pickford and Frances Marion. Melanie Benjamin writes and weaves the story making you believe you were actually there. I hadn't heard of Frances Marion prior to reading this, but apparently I have seen several of her films! Reading about the creation of the movies and the turn from silent to 'talkies' was fascinating. Highly recommend.

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!