Elizabeth and Marilyn
by Julie Owen Moylan
You must sign in to see if this title is available for request. Sign In or Register Now
Send NetGalley books directly to your Kindle or Kindle app
1
To read on a Kindle or Kindle app, please add kindle@netgalley.com as an approved email address to receive files in your Amazon account. Click here for step-by-step instructions.
2
Also find your Kindle email address within your Amazon account, and enter it here.
Pub Date 2 Apr 2026 | Archive Date Not set
Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House | Michael Joseph
Talking about this book? Use #ElizabethandMarilyn #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!
Description
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.
Advance Praise
‘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
'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
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9780241651568 |
| PRICE | £18.99 (GBP) |
| PAGES | 368 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 5 members
Featured Reviews
Book Trade Professional 1864534
I wanted to read Elizabeth and Marilyn from the moment I heard about it. I was excited to see how the author would connect these two contrasting figures, and I thought how the author tied their stories together was very heartfelt and believable. Overall, I really enjoyed reading this, although my favourite was definitely Marilyn's, as you could see the pressure she was under trying to live up to her bombshell image, while also trying to retain her sense of self.
Librarian 1081599
I love books like this! How exciting to have a detailed story of two absolute legends and their imagined interactions in one of the most incredible times in the world. I always was a huge fan of both and I highly enjoyed reading what that experience would have been like. The writing was dl detailed and vivid I felt as if I was there.
Hayley R, Educator
There was much to love in this tale of two icons and I felt the author managed to channel both women admirably. Having watched The Crown and read The Little Princesses, there wasn’t much of Elizabeth’s story that I didn’t already know so I was more drawn to the Marilyn chapters. The author crafts a quiet sense of foreboding as Marilyn becomes gradually more and more addicted to the pills that we know will eventually lead to her death. Knowing how it ends for Marilyn makes her desperate struggle to belong all the more tragic for the reader.
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.
Readers who liked this book also liked:
Sarah Harman
General Fiction (Adult), Mystery & Thrillers, Women's Fiction