TLC Book Tour: Marlene

It seems impossible to believe that Christmas is over already and we are in the last week of 2016.  My family had a busy weekend of family get-togethers which featured more food than I needed to eat as well as some games and good conversation.  

Although I knew I had this review of Marlene scheduled, it did sneak up on me a bit. It's a good thing I love a fictionalized biography and don't mind spending an afternoon and evening curled up with a good book.

Marlene Dietrich isn't someone I knew anything about. I had heard her name and knew she was an actress and that's it.  This book covers a portion of her childhood, rise to fame and time she spent in Hollywood.  Dietrich, who was German, managed to leave the country before World War II started, yet I found the way her life unfolded as various major historical events took place around the world to be absolutely fascinating. 

Dietrich was an interesting person.  She liked to live life on the edge, her morals, or lack thereof, not seeming to guide her in the decisions she made.  As she found fame, I appreciated subtle changes that seemed to occur in her, although throughout her life, she seemed focused always on herself first. 

Gortner includes the names of other people that crossed paths with Dietrich including Anna May Wong, Clark Gable and by book's end Greta Garbo. I enjoyed hearing of these other famous people and their connection to Dietrich.

Marlene is a great read for anyone who enjoys fictional biographies, for movie buffs, and anyone who enjoys stories set during the 1920s-1940s.  As generally happens when I read a fictionalized biography, I am now curious and wanting to know more.  Dietrich did write her own memoirs, but there are other books about her as well that I may need to check out.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of this book for my review. All opinions expressed are, as always, my own.

Visit the Harper Collins website to find more about Marene.