The Girls in the Picture

The Girls in the Picture

Melanie Benjamin

Delecorte Press (PRH)

Publication Date: January 16, 2018

Mary Pickford, America’s Sweetheart and Screenwriter Frances Marion were two of the biggest names in the early age of Hollywood. Queens of the Silent Film Era and Best friends. The Girls in the Picture is a Historical Fiction book about Mary and Fran’s friendship. As with all friendships there are ebbs and flows, people fall in love, grow apart; life goes on and scandals occur. This book is their story.

Author Melanie Benjamin creates a world that exudes early Hollywood, when it was Hollywoodland and the scandal you created by becoming a “Flicker Film” star was as looked down upon in those days as if you were a dirty poor person or Jewish. Film was a filthy matter; theater people just didn’t do it. “Little Mary” Pickford broke that view point. 

What we think of modern Hollywood and the lack of female respect resided back in the early days too. Men thought women should be home raising their families, didn’t listen to women’s opinions on their own ways of creating their characters portrayals, then along came Mary Pickford and Frances Marion and that started to change. This book shows the smarts of the two main characters, the progressive steps they were willing to take, although unflinching from their rights to be woman and not be sexual objects. Neither went to the “casting couch” so to say, they did things their way.

I appreciate the relationship that Mary and Frances had with each other and grew frustrated sometimes knowing that Mary would always envision Fran as someone who catered to her, the Queen of Hollywood. However, that is how friendships are, there is a give and take, an understanding that someone might always be the one that is “more” than the other and this book doesn’t shirk that reality. 

The Characters, as they are real breathing historical people are full of depth and Ms. Benjamin doesn’t destroy their characters as I have seen in some historical based fiction does. I applause Ms. Benjamin for “keeping it real.”

I could talk about this book for days, it was such a great read. Yet, I don’t want to ruin it for you so, I won’t divulge anymore “dets” about the story premise it self.

 I enjoyed getting to know Mary Pickford and Frances Marion, especially Frances Marion, whom I don’t feel we hear enough about, and her success as the first female and Academy Award winning Screenwriter. They are woman to talk about, look up to (film wise) and teach our own daughters about. Is their story tragic, absolutely, does that matter? Not at all. You want to cheer for these women ever rooting for them until the end, that to me, is what to me this story is about.

I would recommend this book to ALL readers as it is free of sex, swearing and innuendo unlike a lot of historical fiction that I have read of late. I am pleased that Ms. Benjamin didn’t take that route.

You can buy The Girls in the Picture from your local Indie bookstore, the way I get my books, or you can buy it on Amazon or Barnes and Noble.

I give this book 4 stars for character depth, perseverance and great writing.

I received The Girls in the Picture from Delacorte Press via Netgalley in lieu of my honest review. This is that review.