Frank & Marilyn: The Lives, the Loves, and the Fascinating Relationship of Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe

A relationship between Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe has long been speculated among biographers, and the general consensus implies a symbiotic friendship that was occasionally sexual. The problem with Epstein’s take on their connection is that he focuses too strongly on sex, crafting a book that feels like tawdry speculation presented as fact. Epstein (Audrey & Bill) begins in 1953, when Monroe gave breakout performances in Niagara and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and Sinatra began a career resurgence with his Oscar-winning performance in From Here to Eternity. The next few years brought well-known personal and professional successes and failures to both, culminating with their pivotal connections with John and Robert Kennedy, and Monroe’s untimely death in 1962. Most of this material has appeared in other major biographies. An excessive use of exclamation marks, hyperbole, and cliffhanger style paragraphs gives the book a tabloid tone. The anecdotes are mostly relevant, but the book’s focus is predominantly on romantic sparks or angry words.