Elizabeth and Marilyn
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Penguin Books Ltd
Publishing:2nd Apr '26
£18.99
This title is due to be published on 2nd April, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Available to pre-order now, the new novel from Julie Owen Moylan. It's 1956, and the two most famous women in the world are about to meet for the first and only time . . .
‘Bold, original and captivating. I loved it!’ Daisy Buchanan
‘Julie is a writer you can ALWAYS trust in the way she portrays women … they are believable, flawed, complex and fascinating' Georgina Moore
'Gorgeous, glamorous and moving' Anna Mazzola
'A vibrant imagining of the inner lives of two iconic women’ Charmaine Wilkerson
***
October 1956. A glittering array of stars turn out in London for a Royal Film Premiere, where they will be presented to the Queen. Elizabeth II: an elegant young mother and wife, gracious and self-sacrificing who has embraced her patriotic duty despite never expecting to take the throne.
Cameras flash and a limousine pulls up. Out steps a vision in dazzling gold. Marilyn Monroe. A global sensation and money-making machine for Hollywood, with curves that drive men wild and a smile that lets women know she’s in on the joke.
Finally, the two most famous women in the world will come face to face in public for the first time. And the world is watching.
But behind the scenes they are Lilibet and Norma Jeane. Two women from very different backgrounds, who on the surface have little in common. Yet beneath the glamorous costumes and jewels, both women are fighting to keep the men they love, while trying to do their work in a man’s world. And they have spent the summer of 1956 as neighbours, battling secret demons that their adoring public could only guess at.
Until now...
Perfect for fans of American Wife, The Christie Affair and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this stunning novel imagines the secret lives of two of the 20th century’s most famous women – set during a momentous summer that brought them face to face, and publishing 100 years after their births.
Bold, original and captivating storytelling - this book takes two iconic characters and allows us to become intimate with them. I loved it! -- Daisy Buchanan
Wonderful, I loved this. Julie is a writer you can ALWAYS trust in the way she portrays women, they are believable, flawed, complex and fascinating. Their motivations, loves, the way they grapple with meaning and their callings is all sensitively done and I love the way she shows the parallels between the two women -- Georgina Moore
A vibrant imagining of the inner lives of two iconic women in the year of their storied encounter . . . Thoroughly enjoyable -- Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
Exploring the inner lives of two of the most famous people of the 20th century with tenderness and compassion, Elizabeth and Marilynbrilliantly illuminates the women behind the myths -- Carole Hailey
An immersive and emotionally complex portrait of two brilliant women under unimaginable pressure. I loved the way the stories interwove to explore how the world’s adulation for Marilyn was so crushing for the vulnerable Norma Jeane, and how the power Elizabeth had was so reductive for the woman Lilibet wanted to be. Brava! -- Caroline Lea
We think we know these iconic women but Julie reveals them in a whole new way. Atmospheric, glamorous and fun. A hugely enjoyable read -- Jodie Chapman
A unique premise, perfectly executed, and utterly addictive -- Louise Beech
What a clever concept, executed to perfection. Elizabeth and Marilyn skilfully captures the strengths, the vulnerabilities, the heartaches of two twentieth century icons. So utterly believable and compelling that I didn’t want the story to end! -- Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of The Midnight Carousel
Owen Moylan draws out the parallels between the two women so beautifully and their internal dialogue is sensitively wrought and rings true. Glamorous, captivating and thought-provoking -- Kit Conway, author of Cat Fight
Two women struggle with the pressures of fame, work and marital problems while living close to each other during one eventful summer. This is a brilliant concept, and Julie Owen Moylan has pulled it off perfectly, capturing the voices, vulnerabilities and inner lives of two icons of the twentieth century. I couldn't put it down. -- Gill Paul
ISBN: 9780241651568
Dimensions: 222mm x 138mm x 40mm
Weight: 500g
368 pages