Channeling Marilyn
A teenager steps out of her comfort zone to achieve onstage success in the warm novel Channeling Marilyn, which doubles as a touching tribute to screen icon Marilyn Monroe.
A self-conscious teenager meets the spirit of Marilyn Monroe in Mima Tipper’s entertaining novel Channeling Marilyn, about theater, crushes, and refreshing relationships.
When Lexa is cast as the star in her high school production of Bus Stop, she’s terrified: She can’t shake the bombshell mystique surrounding Marilyn, who made the film version of the lead character, Cherie, famous. Even though others assure Lexa that she’ll be able to find her own way into the role, she considers quitting. And Lexa’s costar, Brian, is a popular classmate with a prickly girlfriend, Hilary.
The book’s opening is slowed by Lexa’s concerns about disappointing others, and by flashbacks to how she ended up in Mr. B’s theater class. Her conversations with her best friend, Em, and her inner musings reveal her insecurities further. It is not until Marilyn is pulled from the afterlife, straight into Lexa’s head, that the story picks up. It morphs into a screwball comedy in which Lexa doesn’t know if she’s dreaming or crazy. Still, she accepts Marilyn’s offer to help, and humor arises as she tries to keep Marilyn’s presence a secret.
Nostalgic cinema details abound, with particular focus placed on Marilyn’s movies and fashion. There are also considerations of what made her endearing to audiences—qualities that come to fruition in spirit-Marilyn, who speaks in the lingo of her era and relishes simple pleasures like smelling Chanel No. 5. She’s sweet yet firm about her boundaries: The circumstances of her death, for instance, are not a topic for discussion.
Marilyn takes Lexa’s story over, delivering makeover advice and pithy observations. Lexa grows as a result of Marilyn’s prodding and because of their mutual disclosures and shared feelings. But Marilyn’s presence also limits Lexa’s agency somewhat, taking over some of her actions and prompting the revelation of truths.
Beginning during a Vermont winter and moving at a natural speed toward the spring performance, with secondary characters present to contribute to this common goal, the book includes romantic subplots too. Brian and Hilary’s relationship is strained, and Lexa wavers between curiosity about Brian and more intense interest in another cast member. But a fleeting quandary concerning why Marilyn arrived, and what she might desire for herself, proves distracting, and Hilary’s eventual change of heart is underexplained.
A charming novel, Channeling Marilyn follows a high school student’s momentous senior year achievements—garnered with a bit of supernatural help.
Reviewed by
Karen Rigby
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
