Marilyn and Me

Historical fiction, based on true events, about two women who seem the most unlikely to ever meet Alice, a Korean war survivor and translator for the American forces in Seoul, and Marilyn Monroe, who is visiting Korea on a four day USO tour.February 1954 Although the Korean War armistice was signed a year ago, most citizens of Seoul still battle to return to some semblance of normalcy Conditions are dismal Children beg for food, and orphanages are teeming Alice J Kim, a Korean translator and typist for the American forces still sanctioned in the city, yearns for the life she used to live before her country was torn apart.Then Alice s boss makes an announcement the American movie star Marilyn Monroe will be visiting Korea on a four day USO tour, and Alice has been chosen as her translator Though intrigued, Alice has few expectations of the job what could she and a beautiful actress at the peak of her fame possibly have to talk about Yet the Marilyn she meets, while just as dazzling and sensual as Alice expected, is also surprisingly approachable.As Marilyn s visit unfolds, Alice is forced into a reckoning with her own painful past The Starlet and the Spy is a portrayal of unexpected kinship between two very different women, and of the connections that can change, or even save, a life. New Read Marilyn and Me [ By ] Ji-min Lee [ Kindle ePUB or eBook ] – kino-fada.fr I thought the Marilyn part was a bit forced and felt rather superfluous, the story of a young woman during the Korean war would have been powerful enough on its own. February 12, 1954 I go to work thinking of death.I avoid the eyes of the begging orphans wearing discarded military uniforms they ve shortened themselves The abject hunger in their bright eyes makes my gut clench. s has been translated by Chi Young Kim best known for s Kyung Sook Shin Please Look After Mom as well as books by Young Ha Kim as Marilyn and Me.That s a direct translation of the original title, but in the US the book is being published as The Starlet and February 12, 1954 I go to work thinking of death.I avoid the eyes of the begging orphans wearing discarded military uniforms they ve shortened themselves The abject hunger in their bright eyes makes my gut clench. s has been translated by Chi Young Kim best known for s Kyung Sook Shin Please Look After Mom as well as books by Young Ha Kim as Marilyn and Me.That s a direct translation of the original title, but in the US the book is being published as The Starlet and the Spy, which gives the book a rather misleading flavour.The novel opens in South Korea in February 1954, just 6.5 months after the 27 July...It s 1954 in Seoul and Alice J Kim, a Korean translator for the Americans, is barely surviving emotionally We slowly find out about a love triangle, and the Korean War through flashbacks and letters Alice is still suffering from guilt and despair.Alice is assigned to be the translator when Marilyn Monroe visits Korea on a USO tour to entertain the troops Although Marilyn plays a minor role in this book, there is a connection between t...An emotional read about survival in the face of trauma set in 1954 just after the Korean war and with flashbacks to events in the run up to, and during, the war itself The surprising element is the presence of Marilyn Monroe on a brief tour of American bases, entertaining the troops and, unknowingly, giving Alice a glimpse of joy and life Mostly the writing is clear and involving but there are way too many stretched similes which give a fake, try hard edge to the prose they fall off towards An emotional read about survival in the face of trauma set in 1954 just after the Korean war and with flashbacks to events in the run up to, and during, the war itself The surprising element is the presence of Marilyn Monroe on a brief tour of American bases, entertaining the troops and, unknowingly, giving...This is an important contribution to fictional war stories, based on real events Americans have not been exposed to many stories about the Korean War, especially from the pov of a Korean survivor Chi Young Kim translates this brief, powerful novel and does it justice.This is mainly about the after effects of the war on women Lee writes Girls with tragic fates are merely a small segment of the people who make up the city The light they emit in order to hide their shame turns the city even This is an important contribution to fictional war stories, based on real events Americans have not been exposed to many stories about the Korean War, especially from the pov of a Korean survivor Chi Young Kim translates this brief, powerful novel and does it justice.This is mainly about the after effects of the war on women Lee writes Girls with tragic fates are merely a small segment of the people who make up the city The light they emit in order to hide their shame turns the city evendazzling at night Alice, her main character, says this of her mother When I learned that she died my heart shattered, but later I decided it was better that way at least she didn t have to live through the war I cried and buried her in my heart I loved thi...This story had so much potential but unfortunately fell flat for this reader Alice J Kim Monroe s assigned interpreter is the narrator of this story which isabout the impacts of war on Kim herself than her relationship with Marilyn Through a series of flashbacks to earlier in the war we learn Alice s story while she interprets for Monroe in the present day of the novel But the so called relationship with Monroe is underdeveloped and provides a flimsy link to the past Overwritten This story had so much potential but unfortunately fell flat for this reader Alice J Kim Monroe s assigned interpreter is the narrator of this story which isabout the impacts of war on Kim herself than her relationship with Marilyn Through a series of flashbacks to earlier in the...DNF at 1 hour, 15 mins into the audiobook Credit to the app BookBeat UK for providing a copy to download from their collection I thought this would be full of content involving the famous actress Marilyn Monroe Instead, I found the story line to be lacking in mentions, even actions of her meeting the main character There were some elements that I did find triggering such as discussions of suicide and miscarriage I m always looking for new fiction to read, sadly this is one that didn t sit DNF at 1 hour, 15 mins into the audiobook Credit to the app BookBeat UK for providing a copy to download from their collection I thought this would be full of content involving the famous actress Marilyn Monroe Instead, I found the story line to be lacking in me...It is February 1954 and Marilyn Monroe is about to interrupt her honeymoon to make a brief trip to Korea to entertain the US troops stationed there.This is not just the starting point for this book, but is also a historical event There are pictures here a Korean woman with a troubled past is selected to be a translator for Monroe and to accompany her during the whirlwind tour This woman is our narrator Alice J Kim which is a name she has It is February 1954 and Marilyn Monroe is about to interrupt her honeymoon to make a brief trip to Korea to entertain the US troops stationed there.This is not just the starting point for this book, but is also a historical event There are pictures here a Korean woman with a troubled past is selected to be a translator for Monroe and to accompany her during the whirlwind tour This woman is our narrator Alice J Kim which is a name she has adopted in preference to her Korean name Kim Ae sun This is one of the hints we get that there is trouble in the past Very few know my real name, or why I discarded Kim Ae sun to become Alice.So begins a story that track two threads gradually bringing them together In the novel s present day, the narrator spends time with Monroe and we watch as Monroe struggles to hold it all together but,importantly for the book, Alice s...Marilyn and Me is the story of a woman traumatised by the Korean War who ends up as the translator for Marilyn Monroe during her visit to Korea performing for US soldiers Alice works as a typist on an American military base in Korea, where she colours her hair with beer and is haunted by the horrors of the war An unlikely chance to translate for Marilyn Monroe gives her a chance to compare her life to the star s, but it isn t long before men from her past are catching up with her and the truth Marilyn and Me is the story of a woman traumatised by the Korean War who ends up as the translator for Marilyn Monroe during her visit to Korea performing for US soldiers Alice works as a typist on an American military base in Korea, where she colours her hair with beer and is haunted by the horrors of the war An unlikely chance to translate for Marilyn Monroe gives her a chance to compare her life to the sta...Thanks to Goodreads author for sending me this book for an honest review Overall the story is somewhat interesting However, the story becomes uninteresting in many areas, especially in the beginning It is a short read, under 200 pages.

• English
• 19 December 2019
Ji-min Lee
• Hardcover
• 176 pages
• 0008322317
• Ji-min Lee
• Marilyn and Me