Marilyn in Manhattan

“A glittering, poignant tribute to one of America’s most stylish icons as well as its most stylish city.” —Kate Betts, New York Times–bestselling author of My Paris Dream and Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama and the Power of Style

In November of 1954 a young woman dressed plainly in a white oxford, dark sunglasses and a black pageboy wig boards a midnight flight from Los Angeles to New York. As the plane’s engines rev she breathes a sigh of relief, lights a cigarette and slips off her wig revealing a tangle of fluffy blonde curls. Marilyn Monroe was leaving Hollywood behind, and along with it a failed marriage and a frustrating career. She needed a break from the scrutiny and insanity of LA. She needed Manhattan.

In Manhattan, the most famous woman in the world can wander the streets unbothered, spend hours at the Met getting lost in art, and afternoons buried in the stacks of the Strand. Marilyn begins to live a life of the mind in New York; she dates Arthur Miller, dances with Truman Capote and drinks with Carson McCullers. Even though she had never lived there before, in New York, Marilyn is home.

“In this thrilling, evocative book, Elizabeth Winder shows us . . . a Marilyn we’ve seldom seen before—independent, introspective, curious, and seductive. It’s a knockout.” —Luke Barr, New York Times–bestselling author of Provence, 1970: MFK Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard and the Reinvention of American Taste

“Captivating . . . Winder is a gifted writer and Monroe a fascinating, complex subject; this book will prove nearly impossible to put down for the actress’s many fans.” —Publishers Weekly

“Illuminating . . . touching, textured, and compellingly written.” —Kirkus Reviews