Once again Melanie Benjamin’s detailed historical research has brought a lesser known story to life. I love the way her female protagonists are portrayed, strong but still vulnerable. The cameos from so many famous people from the early days of the silver screen were fun and I really enjoyed the LA setting.

Historical fiction, yes. But reading about and getting inside the lives of Mary Pickford and Frances Marion was a wild experience. The Old Holly wood world building was nothing shy of Gatsby-glamour and nineteen-twenties gold. I loved the honest and realistic friendship between Mary and Frances, too. Not always rosy or easy. And even for major starlets, Hollywood was and is a tough place. Yes, it was fiction, but everything felt so real.
The story felt a little long and drawn out. There was a lot of drama and angst that maybe went a little too far? Overall a very enjoyable story- just a little lengthy.

I really enjoyed this historical fiction novel during the reign of silent films. Even more so, I liked the details of the the two main characters' friendship as they both encounter obstacles in a male-dominated industry and society. There's quite a lot of glitz and glamour in this old Hollywood story, but I enjoyed the deeper discussions of sexism and ageism depicted in this book.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This work of historical fiction provides a realistic look into the lives of the rich and famous in the early 20th Century. Specifically, it follows the relationship between Mary Pickford, “America’s Sweetheart” and Frances Marion, an Oscar-winning screenwriter. The book takes us through the history of the movie industry from the silent “one-reelers” which were looked down upon by “real” performers, to the mega-industry we know today.

The roles of women are seen from the “casting couch” ingénues to one of the founders of United Artists and the head of a major production company. The story includes the parts played by the early stars in raising money to support World War I and the contributions of women to the war effort in Europe.

I learned a lot about the early days of the movie industry and its development, as well as the stories of the early stars of film.

Let’s compare this book with some of my favorite (book) things:
Historical fiction✅
Strong female protagonists ✅
Set in Hollywood ✅
An author whose books I’ve read before and enjoyed ✅
So… this book checks all the boxes! It was, admittedly, a little slow in points, but I loved reading the story about the relationship between Mary Pickford and Frances Marion. I’m not sure if it would hold much interest for most of my teenaged students, but it’s certainly a book I’d keep on my bookshelf and suggest to the right student for an independent read option.
Besides the surface story and glitz and glamour, the underlying themes of agism, sexism, and female friendships are what really make this novel stand out.

This historical fiction tells about the lives of Mary Pickford and Frances Marion. Mary Pickford was her family’s breadwinner since she was a child, moving from stage shows to Broadway and then catapulting to stardom in the early days of movies. She was the first real movie star, she was the very first “America’s Sweetheart,” her marriage to Douglas Fairbanks made them Hollywood’s first it couple. Frances Marion was similarly a trailblazer. She started off as a scenarist in Mary’s movies and became one of America’s greatest screenwriters of all time, a great success for a woman in an industry dominated by men. This story follows their lives as they help pioneer the movie industry and their relationship with each other as they become best friends and then life gradually pulls them apart.

This was a good book. It was very cool to read about movies going from dinky little shows projected on a sheet to an art form that captivated the world. It was interesting to read about another time when Hollywood was just beginning to grow and there were bridle paths down the middle of the street because so many people still rode on horseback. Both women had many highs and lows, and of course seeing the friendship we’d been following the whole book begin to disintegrate was sad. But overall, it was a good read. Some language, some very strong during the WWI chapters. I’d give it 3 1/2 stars but I’ll round down to a 3. I didn’t dislike it, but I also didn’t love it. Thanks to NetGalley for the free ebook.

Thank you Melanie Benjamin for creating a wonderful story. I enjoyed this story of the friendship between Frances Marion and Mary Pickford. The story covers the hardships women faced in the movie business. If you like movie history you will like this book. It read very much like a memoir and most of the events actually happened, Happy Reading!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn't sure this was a book for me when I started it. While I am always interested in women at the forefront of their industries, the book opens with a contentious meeting, late in life, between Mary Pickford (famous actress of Old Hollywood Silent Films) and Frances Marion. I had no idea who Frances Marion was but wasn't very interested in a rivalry story of famous, privileged women. But I am glad I stayed with the book because while Mary was the hook, Frances and her storyline was the core of the story.

Frances comes to LA with her husband, a young woman on her second marriage, despite the fact that she is barely in her early twenties. She is intrigued by all the animosity in the city for the movie folks, but being a creative person herself she is soon enraptured by the silent film productions she sees being shot around town. Soon she meets people, including the first husband of Mary Pickford who introduces the two and unwittingly creates history. Frances soon pairs up with Mary to write some of her best films and a famous partnership forms between them.

The backstory of how Mary and Frances fought their way to directing, writing, acting, and even owning a Hollywood studio was wonderful. There is so much that I never knew about their work and how much power they held in the industry before the advent of the "talkies".

So, come for the glamour and scandal of Old Hollywood, but stay for the do-it-yourself gumption of these trailblazing women.

Thank you, Netgalley, for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to read this one but it did not interest me enough to go past the first chapter. One of those did not finish books for me.

Interesting historical fiction revolving around the days of Old Hollywood. While the descriptions were a little long at times, I enjoyed living in those days for a while. Great for fans of old movies and the actors life.

The rise and fall of the friendship between Mary Pickford and Francis Marion. Two of the most influential women in the early days of Hollywood. Sounds great right? Nope. It was fiction that read more like nonfiction trying to read like fiction. (If that makes any sense). It also dragged on and on. I did learn a few things about “the old days” but overall this book was just kind of blah.

But thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Melanie Benjamin is becoming one of my favorite authors. She writes amazing stories of strong women. I am completely enamored with Mary Pickford and Frances Marion after reading this novel. I have inter library loaned several of their movies as I read in order to watch the movies discussed in the story. Having never watched a silent film, it will be a fun experience. My first one will be Sparrows starring Mary Pickford. I really liked both characters. Each woman is independent but they have a strong friendship that they rely on as well. The history behind the beginning of the motion picture was fascinating to see through the eyes of women who actually experienced it when women were barely working outside the home.

The Girls in the Picture
By Melanie Benjamin


This is the third book I have read by M. Benjamin. The first two being
The Aviators Wife and The Swans of Fifth Avenue. I must admit that this selection did not hold my attention as much as the first two.
It is a well written historical fiction account of the beginnings of moving
pictures and the friendship between two women, Mary Pickford and Frances Marion.
I felt the story was repetitive in the description of this relationship and very drawn out.
I am very disappointed in the story overall.
I received an Advanced Readers Copy for Netgalley in exchange for a fair opinion.
.

Melanie Benjamin never disappoints and this book is no exception. She knows how to capture the sights and sounds of the era's that she writes about and also creates characters that you can almost touch. What the author also does is give a voice to characters that are pulled from history in such a manner that we can believe what we read. In this instance we have 2 women struggling to find their independence and live a life that fulfills them. One of those women is none other than Mary Pickford, and although we think we know her, the author makes us feel we are learning all the intimate details of a new found girlfriend. If you love this era, old Hollywood, you will enjoy this book.

Amazing historical fiction that I couldn't put down! I'm recommending this one to all of my friends. I really loved how the author painted the setting of old Hollywood.

I was so lucky to receive this book from NetGalley to read for an honest review. I loved it.

Stories about women friends are the best, especially those who stood strong and were able to fight the male machine. The early days of motion pictures either sex could do the job. Both were needed to reflect the real world while inventing a new one. Sadly after the two World Wars women were sent back to the kitchen. Such an unfair state of affairs.

I loved how these two, actress and screenwriter supported each other while they could. I was sorry that, as they predicted, once they had a male counterpart that friendship had to take a backseat. And as the reality seems to hold, the male world still stifles that of the female. It is sad that only now many decades later we are just now seeing that the fight for equality may be within sight, again.

Everyone needs to read books like this. History/HERstory is possibly more palatable in fiction. There is enough truth that a person can Google (as I did) and see these early movie marvels. Meanwhile, there are gems of wisdom for us all to carry into the rest of our lives.

This book covers the lives and careers of Marion and Pickford from about 1914 to 1969. If you’re into historical fiction set in ‘Old Hollywood’, then this is the book for you.


The story follows two determined women as they branch into film – a new world for everyone involved – and set the bar high for those who follow in their footsteps. It even touches on the birth of ‘talkies’ and how that affected silent film stars and the studios that produced their movies. I’d heard of Pickford prior to reading the book, but really knew nothing about her life. It feels like Benjamin did a fair amount of research into the period and these women’s lives.

After coming out of the bizarre journey that was the Southern Reach trilogy, I was craving something a little more grounded. I was engrossed almost immediately; not really a surprise though, as I’ve loved every book Benjamin has written.

The journeys these women went on, both in their personal lives and their careers had me hooked. As usual, Benjamin paints her characters realistically and flawed, which helps make her work so readable. I loved Frances and was ‘rooting’ for her the whole time – I wanted her to succeed in Hollywood and break ground as a female scenarist (screenwriter.) Mary, while less relatable, and at times less likeable, was no less interesting. Her career and her passion and devotion to it ruled her life. Even though I didn’t always like the choices she made or the way she treated Frances, I could understand why she did what she did.

I had no idea how much these two women (among others of their time) paved the way for future film stars, writers and directors. They had to fight every step of the way to carve out their place in Hollywood and then keep it. It made me want to watch some silent films and some of the earlier talkies. It was so interesting to read about the beginning of films and think about how much it has changed.

I found a surprising amount of relatable quotes and I think there are quite a few scenes that echo the struggles women in the workforce (and Hollywood, I assume) still face today. I’m just going to bombard you with them.

“He was just another small man afraid of an intelligent woman – the world was full of such fools. Yet my future was held in this particular fool’s overmanicured hands.”

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m less of a woman because I love my work so much, because it’s all I want to talk about, think about. We’re not supposed to do that, are we? We women. We’re not supposed to love something more than we’re capable of loving a man.”

“Complicated. Isn’t it? Men can be in love and it doesn’t affect anything else they do; it gives them even more cachet. It adds something to them. But for women, love doesn’t add, it subtracts. Why do I feel as if falling in love means I have to give something up?”

“I was now sitting up straight, my hands balled into fists, all fired up with anger; anger at all the unrealistic expectations, assigned roles imposed upon us; roles and expectations we had no part in choosing.” (Not just applicable to females, but to basically everyone today.)

“I don’t want that – to be full of regret when I’m older. I think that’s the thing I’m most afraid of, actually – to look back with regret, to think of all the things I didn’t do.” (HARD SAME.)

“…funny, how we think it’s up to others to say yes or no when really, we’re our own gatekeepers…”

“We remembered these identical experiences differently – but that didn’t make them any less truthful. Two people could look at something – like this photograph – and see two different stories.”

The ending was both bittersweet and hopeful and, as always, I’m looking forward to more from Benjamin (lucky for me I have an ARC waiting in the wings.) She’s definitely my favorite ‘modern historical fiction writer,’ which is a term I’m pretty sure I just made up. But anyway, her work is fabulous and I love it!

This books just isn't for me. Though it sounds interesting I've lost interest in finishing the book and therefore won't be giving it a proper review and will give it a neutral 3 stars.

Charming description of early Hollywood and extraordinary glimpse into women's early power in male dominated industry. Easy to like engaging characters.

This historical novel is about the lives, careers, and friendship, between two women who were major figures in the early days of motion pictures and the founding of Hollywood - actress Mary Pickford, and screenwriter and director Frances Marion. I had vaguely heard of Mary Pickford, but never of Frances Marion, and found this a really interesting book. Melanie Benjamin's specialty is writing historical fiction about real people, and her books are always super-interesting, but one weakness they sometimes have is characters who are a little remote or hard to get to know. But in this book, I didn't feel that way about the characters, which makes this perhaps her strongest novel. Even though it was a long book, I did feel like the end came a little abruptly by skipping 30+ years of the characters lives. Still, a good read.