Marilyn Monroe is one of the most enigmatic figures of the golden age of Hollywood. She's been the subject of scorn and adoration, an actress who lit up each and every scene she was in, and a woman so nervous that she couldn't bring herself to leave her trailer for hours on end. When We Were Brilliant looks into the partnership between Marilyn Monroe and Eve Arnold, a photographer who finds the truth of her subjects.

What started as a symbiotic relationship blossomed into a friendship, one that saw Eve and Norma Jeane/Marilyn through the highs and lows of their careers, and the vulnerabilities they tried to protect. This novel was unflinching and made no attempt to airbrush the women portrayed in its pages-it allowed them to be human, to be lost and feral and imperfect.

My heart broke a little when I got to the end, because I'd wanted to stay in this decade with them. But it helped me gain a deeper respect and appreciation for Norma Jeane/Marilyn and Eve, two women who carved out places for themselves in fields dominated by men.

I loved everything about this book, but especially the complex relationship shared by Marilyn and her photographer of choice.

The complexity, and determination, of both women created an interesting dynamic and a hard-to-put-down novel. The insight into Monroe’s marriages fascinated me….. accepting that this is fiction, I still was drawn to try to understand the appeal and unraveling of her relationships with Joe DiMaggio and Henry Miller. I really loved this book; it was just a “ slice” of Marilyn Monroe, not the whole cake, but her friend Eve provided a compelling glimpse of this enigmatic woman.