The Blue Butterfly: A Novel of Marion Davies by Johansen Nack, Leslie

2023 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards Gold Medal, Fiction: Historical

"The book reads as if it really is Davies' autobiography . . . . a timely reminder of what women would have been up against in Hollywood."
--Historical Novel Society

"The Blue Butterfly is a vibrant period novel that reimagines the controversial love story of a classic film star."

--Foreword Reviews

New York 1915, Marion Davies is a shy eighteen-year-old beauty dancing on the Broadway stage when she meets William Randolph Hearst and finds herself captivated by his riches, passion and desire to make her a movie star. Following a whirlwind courtship, she learns through trial and error to live as Hearst's mistress when a divorce from his wife proves impossible. A baby girl is born in secret in 1919 and they agree to never acknowledge her publicly as their own. In a burgeoning Hollywood scene, she works hard making movies while living a lavish partying life that includes a secret love affair with Charlie Chaplin. In late 1937, at the height of the depression, Hearst wrestles with his debtors and failing health, when Marion loans him $1M when nobody else will. Together, they must confront the movie that threatens to invalidate all of Marion's successes in the movie industry: Citizen Kane

Author: Leslie Johansen Nack
Publisher: She Writes Press
Published: 05/03/2022
Pages: 352
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.40h x 5.50w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9781647423476
Award: Benjamin Franklin Award - Gold Medal Winner
Award: Benjamin Franklin Award - Silver Medal Winner

Review Citation(s):
Foreword 10/14/2021