I was unfamiliar with Marion Davies until reading this historical novel. I knew who William Randolph Hearst was but had not a clue about his personal life. The Blue Butterfly is an engaging read. Davies was a passionate spitfire who fell into an illicit relationships with a newspaper czar. She railed against convention and learned to make a life that worked for her, within the confines of the parameters carved out.
Nada evokes the golden era of Hollywood as the setting for Davies life and work. She captures the essence of each of the characters so that readers can glimpse an intimate look.
The Blue Butterfly is a fascinating read.

I found The Blue Butterfly, by Leslie Johansen Nack, to be fascinating. I was unaware of Marian Davis and her place in history and was pulled into the story from the beginning. It took me a bit to finish as I found myself researching parts because of my desire to know more. I'm so glad the cover and the title drew me to this one. Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher, for providing me with an ARC ebook of this historical fiction novel, in exchange for my honest review.

Book received for free through NetGalley

Took a bit to get into this book but I’m glad I read it. A realistic and probable glimpse at the past.

The story of the actress Marion Davies and the publishing baron William Randolph Hearst, comes to life in this fascinating look at one of the legendary romances of the last century. Marion came from a family of four sisters with varying degrees of beauty and talent. Her mother’s goal was to have all her daughters marry into wealth and security, and she believed that the New York stage was the best vehicle for success. Marion and Hearst’s deep and passionate relationship lasted for thirty-four years, but they never married because his wife would not grant him a divorce.

Born in Brooklyn, Marion takes to the stage as a chorus girl, eventually landing a job in the Ziegfeld Follies. There she catches the eye of the wealthy and much older Hearst. He pursues her with gifts and flowers. Even though she is warned against him by her fellow dancers; Marion and Hearst are soon involved in an ardent affair. Hearst takes charge of Marion’s career eventually forming his own movie production company so that Marion can become a film star. Despite Hearst never flagging love for Marion, the two can not marry because Hearst’s wife will not grant him a divorce. Eventually he moves Marion and her family to Hollywood so that Marion’s career can truly take off. Despite her love for Hearst, Marion begins an affair with Charlie Chaplin which continues on and off for years. In the end Marion remains with Hearst until his death, their love and devotion to each other never dying away despite all of the obstacles thrown in their path.

From the bright lights of Broadway, trips to European capitals, yachting to South America, and living in the sumptuous San Simeon, this novel teems with images of wealth, opulence and the famous. Their Hollywood circle of friends include L.B. Mayer, Mary Pickford, Greta Garbo and Clark Gable to name but a few. Wild parties, affairs and gossip are all apart of Marion’s lifestyle. The novel teems with delightful descriptions of exquisite clothes, gleaming jewels, grand mansions, and sumptuous feasts. The Blue Butterfly will transport the reader to another time, as well as a world most of us will experience.
Many of us only know Marion’s story from the vapid portrayal of her in Orson Welles’ movie Citizen Kane. This book paints the picture of a women whose talent, intelligence and drive created a rich life for herself and her family despite the many obstacles thrown in her way. Though her life was not without tragedy, the love between Marion and Hearst was always there sustaining her.

Pulling from far ranging sources such as newspaper and magazine articles; IMBD; the Hearst Castle website; various biographies of Hearst; as well as a posthumously published autobiography of Marion that used her own recorded thoughts; Ms. Nack has brought to the pages of this novel a moving story of Marion Davies and the multi-faceted life she led.

I give 4.5 (rounded up to 5) stars to this well-written, compulsively-readable book for its comprehensive look into the decades-long love affair between actress Marion Davies and publisher William Randolph Hearst. Told from Marion’s perspective, the book gives readers an in-depth understanding of why a teenaged vaudeville performer was able to capture and retain Hearst’s love and attention from the beginning of their affair until Hearst’s death decades later. The book is well-researched and offers an in-depth examination of the relationship between two flawed, fascinating, larger-than-life individuals, as well as an insiders look into the machinations of Old Hollywood.

I have always been a big fan of Old Hollywood fiction books and I look for books in that genre often. I just had to read this one when I saw it was also about Marion Davies. I have always been a fan of hers. She was a funny comedienne and lived a lavish life. This book shows you what might have happened in the private life of Marion and the wealthiest man, William Randolph Hurst. They were together as a couple for a long time, he shaped her Hollywood career, and they had magnificent parties and loved each other for a very long time.

This was a fun little look at the old Hollywood glamour and I recommend it to all Hollywood fans.

This book isn't for me. I've desperately tried to finish it but I'm at 60% and I am not enjoying it. There isn't a single character I like or admire. I'm intrigued by the historical details but the story is plodding along with the same types of behaviours over and over. It's not compelling me to finish. The cover is beyond gorgeous, though! And I'm glad to see that others are enjoying this.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

I really, really enjoyed this book! It was extremely compelling and I fell in love with the main character! It was a compelling story and I found it hard to put down.

While I loved learning a little more about Marion Davies as well as Hollywood at the time. I have to say after reading this William Randolph Heart was the worst. He was a horrible human being.

Many years ago, I visited Hearst Castle, San Simeon, and was intrigued by the excess of wealth and astronomical cost of building and furnishing a home. Having heard tales of the goings-on and visitors to the estate, it was with open arms that I read The Blue Butterfly. It is a good read, well written and an interesting chronicle of what happened to Marion Davies during her love affair with William Hearst. Whether you agree with the lifestyle or find Marion not to your liking, the book is undoubtedly an accurate description of her life and times whilst with the publishing magnate. I enjoyed it immensely and thank the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC copy.

I seem to be the only nay-sayer here, but I couldn’t stand reading all the whining about the fact that Hearst would not divorce his wife (and mother of his 5 sons) to marry his mistress. He gave her everything money could buy – and also provided for her family: her parents and her 4 siblings. He gave her the stardom that she sought.

Obviously this is a great hit for those who like memoirs – even fictional ones. And of course, that makes me wonder how much of the book is true. Maybe there’s an afterward that tells that, but 50% was more than enough for me.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, She Writes Press, in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of the life of movie star, Marion Davies. I felt like I was reading her diary. It was written in first person narrative. Most of her life was lived in an affair with William Randolph Hearst with a side affair with Charlie Chaplin. She lived an opulent lifestyle. It was interesting to read about the extravagances. While I enjoy reading how people lived in a different time than me, I found a lot of the book to be depressing. I received an advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really did not know much about William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies before I read Blue Butterfly by Leslie Johansen Nack. I found the book to be full of interesting facts about both their lives as well as the movie world as it was in the 1020’s, including the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Louella Parsons. Hearst took very good care of Miss Davies and showered both her and her family with riches otherwise unavailable to them. However, the relationship between these two left me feeling bad for both. While they did have moments of happiness, there never seems to be any real commitment. While Hearst did open experiences for Davies, these appeared to be only to control her not to advance her aspirations. The book was a good read and did give the reader a glimpse of a different world, but I did not really enjoy the manipulations of both Hearst and Davies.

The Blue Butterfly reimagines the life and career of Marion Davies, who fell in love with the publishing industry giant, William Randolph Hearst, when she was a teenage show girl. After moving to Hollywood, Marion’s career accelerated and she starred in more than 40 films between 1917 and 1937. Although a successful actress, with the public’s interest in on-screen sexual buzz, she was hampered by Hearst’s refusal to allow even the most innocent of on-screen kissing, and he refused to encourage her to spread her wings with regards to comedic roles, which is where her real talent lay. Hearst’s wife, Millicent, with whom he had five sons, was a thorn in Marion’s side, stubbornly refusing, until many years later, to accept that Marion was the love of Hearst’s life. Perhaps Marion’s downfall was that she was genuinely in love, but was never able to fulfill the role of wife.
The novel is filled with opulence and decadence and glamour, elaborate homes, expensive yachts, rich and powerful friends, with cameo appearances by noteworthy names. Marion’s frustration at always being second best to Millicent made for a rocky relationship at times and she chafed against Hearst’s control of her life. The novel lacks narrative tension (perhaps more showing rather than telling would help) and a chunk of the book feels like a filmography, but it goes a long way toward explaining why Marion allowed herself to be dominated and caged by Hearst with whom she remained steadfast up until his death. This will be enjoyed by anyone interested in the growth of Hollywood from ‘silents’ to ‘talkies’, and the lives of the rich and famous.

The Blue Butterfly is a vibrant period novel that reimagines the controversial love story of a classic film star! I loved the characters and the way I had to keep asking myself if I was right in how I thought the plot was turning out.

A fictionalized account of Marion Davies, silent film star, and her longtime lover, William Randolph Hearst. While I did not like either character through much of the book, it is a fascinating look at the lives of the rich and famous as the film industry took off. Highly recommend.

I found this historical story quite fascinating about Marion Davies. I had heard her name but knew little about her life or career.

This was an enjoyable read, told in a nice straightforward way.

I would recommend this interesting book. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

4.5 Stars
Prior to reading this historical novel, my knowledge of Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst was gleaned from the film Citizen Kane, a caustic portrayal that Orson Welles apologized for in hindsight. This author takes many factual elements of their lives and artfully weaves imaginative scenes and dialogue to reveal a love story between two flawed, but devoted human beings.

The story is told in first person narrative from Marion’s perspective beginning in 1915 with the start of her career as a show girl at the tender age of eighteen. Encouraged by her mother to marry a rich man to elevate her status, Marion meets and falls in love with the wealthy and powerful newspaper magnate. Hearst, in his early 50s, is married with five sons and a wife who refuses to grant him a divorce. Consequently Marion is relegated to the role of his mistress despite their abiding love over the next three plus decades.

While the core of the novel is their deep, passionate relationship, the trajectory of Marion’s career, Hearst’s business enterprises and the film industry culture provide interesting highlights. There is a great deal of name-dropping, but given the social circles these two traveled in, it was reasonable.

The lavish lifestyle came at a great price for Marion. Given the time period when women’s rights were almost nonexistent, her career and life choices were determined by the well-intending, but domineering, Hearst and his recalcitrant wife. The opulent lifestyle was stunning, but it did not buffer them from loss, grief and scandal.

I thoroughly enjoyed the character development as well as detailed descriptions of the “castle” at San Simeon. Overall, the prose was evocative, the pacing was consistent and I was totally engaged from the first page to the last.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

"The Blue Butterfly" by Leslie Johansen Nack is one of the most enjoyable historical fiction novels I've ever read. I must confess that I already knew a little bit about Marion Davies prior to reading this book: that she was part of the early Hollywood movies era and she was mistress to W.R. Hearst. What I did not know is how young she was when they began their relationship or her own family background. This book provides that information as well as an interesting portrayal of her relationship with Hearst. Their relationship can be summed up in one word: rollercoaster. Marion seems to have genuinely loved Hearst, yet she often resented having to come in third place in his life. That resentment to me seemed foolish, as she was fully aware she was dealing with a married man. Hearst may have loved her, but it was clear he also saw her as his personal property, like his newspapers and homes and art collection. The same rollercoaster dynamic can be seen in Marion's family, particularly with her sister Rosemary, who was clearly jealous of Marion and allowed said jealousy to color many of her poor decisions. In some ways, Marion's story is a bit depressing. Being the other woman and having a career that was so controlled by Hearst were difficult things to live with. Yet, seeing how Hollywood's movie industry developed serves as the foil to this. Overall, this was an excellent book...I finished it in just 3 days!! I look forward to reading more of the author's work!!

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I will be posting this review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on May 4, 2022.

I didn't really know who Marion Davies was, but I love reading books about Old Hollywood celebrities, so I thought I'd give this a try. This was such an enjoyable book. I love the writing, it was engaging and kept you interested. The characters were intriguing as well. Had a hard time putting this down and will definitely read more from the author.