Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and to come across this gem was like a gift. A few years back I watched a documentary about Mary Pickford and Frances Marion, their personal lives and their contributions to the motion picture industry. Even though this book is fiction, I feel like I learned a great deal. Like the fact that Mary was the first woman to own her own studio and Frances wss instrumental in starting the Screen Writer's Guild. Along with various tidbits from the glittering birth of Hollywood. This book was easy to read as well as very enjoyable. Highly recommend.

I received an ARC of "The Girls in the Picture" from NetGalley for an honest review. I wish to thank NetGalley, Delacorte Press, and Melanie Benjamin for the opportunity to read this book.

Honestly, I only knew that Mary Pickford was a silent-screen actress and I had NO clue who Frances Marion was. It was fascinating to read about the great artistry and technological developments during the early days of movies. Their friendships were so incredibly important, but there was a lot of intrigues, political innuendo, and jealousy, as well.

Unfortunately, I think that the book went on a little too long. The book probably should have ended in the 30's - going into the late 60's felt like an after-thought. The book would be so much better with some editing!!

I would recommend, but know that this is a LONG book!

This is such a good book! Gah!!!! The characters and the plot had me from beginning to end

This book really brought the film industry to life for me. I have never given a lot of thought to its humble beginnings before, and following the friendship of Frances Marion and Mary Pickford was the perfect way to tell the story.

Frances is working as a commercial artist, sketching things like catsup and face cream, in Los Angeles. One day she happens upon a movie set filming in the streets of Los Angeles and feels a kinship with them that she wasn’t able to shake. She quits her job and goes to work for a theater company as an artist, and loves it but cannot forget about the movie she saw being made and wants nothing more than to become a part of it.

Mary Pickford started as a stage performer at the age of eight. She was the main breadwinner in the family and was responsible for taking care of her brother, sister, and mother. She enjoyed theater, but she wanted more. Her mother encouraged her to try her hand at getting into the movies and that is when a star is born.

I love going to movies, so when I read the synopsis for this book I knew right away that I wanted to read it. Not only is this book a fascinating story of the friendship between Frances and Mary, it is also a fantastic history lesson on the birth of the movies. It is a great reminder of the humble beginning of the movie which was originally known as a flicker and thought to be just a fad, but quickly became elevated to an art form that no one thought possible.

I really enjoyed the story of Frances and Mary. Frances was determined and passionate, while Mary was an intuitive, savvy businesswoman. We learned of their loves and losses, amazing careers, and undying friendship. They were both in the movie industry, but one was in front of the camera and the other behind it. Their ambitions were different and that is what made their friendship work. They did not have to compete with each other, so a genuine friendship was born and lasted a lifetime. These two young women were pioneers at the time, forging their way in a male-dominated industry. They fought together, leaned on each other when times got tough, and continuously encouraged one another.

From time to time I felt bad for Frances, she often seemed to be in Mary’s shadow and I found myself wishing she would speak up and let her voice be heard. Mary had a very strong personality and Frances seemed to be content letting her be in the spotlight that she so desperately craved.

I found the transition of the silent movie to “talkies” quite interesting. I had never given much thought as to how huge a transition that must have been. Actors and actresses now had to speak on film. Many made the transition easily, but not everyone could. Those with a theater background were the most successful with the transition. Then there was the cost of wiring the studios for sound and the changes on set now that all background noise would be heard during filming.

I often found myself looking up many of the actors, actresses, directors, and so on in this book. I loved putting faces to the names of the characters I was reading about. I have a list of movies that I would like to see that has grown substantially longer after reading this book. I look forward to watching them with newfound insight into the actors and actresses in them.

I am a big fan of historical fiction and this book did not disappoint. I have heard of Mary Pickford, but knew nothing of this Francis Marion until reading The Girls in the Picture. It explores the early years of Hollywood and seems to have been released at an appropriate time with the "me too" movement that has been spurred by some of the inappropriate behaviors that have apparently gone on in Hollywood since the beginning. I am new to Melanie Benjamin's work, but after reading this, I must say I am a huge fan. I love learning about the past and the way she has written this book makes it a very easy lesson to learn.

THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE by Melanie Benjamin is historical fiction based on the friendship of Mary Pickford and Frances Marion, two women who were influential in the time of silent movies.  Going into the book, I was familiar with the name Mary Pickford although I  didn't know that much about her but Frances Marion was completely new to me.  Mary Pickford was a huge star and was also one of the founders of United Artist and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.  Frances Marion was one of the most famous and most highly paid screenwriters of the period.  The two worked together and formed a strong bond and friendship, even honeymooning together after their marriages.  

The story alternates between the two women - with Marion's in the first person narrative and Pickford's in the third.  It started out slow for me - the pace did pick up after a while but this was never a page turner.  I still enjoyed learning of these two pioneering women and was glad Benjamin explained what was true and what was not in the author's note at the end.  If you enjoy stories of old Hollywood, strong women, and/or female friendships, you'll want to give this a try.

This was a great story about Mary Pickford and Frances Marion…two women who made an impact on the early years of the film industry. Mary’s greatest fame was starring roles in the silent films, her marriage to Douglas Fairbanks, being one of the founding members of United Artists and creation of the Motion Picture Relief Fund. I hadn’t read anything previously about her and enjoyed this novel for bringing her to life for me. I also greatly admired Frances Marion and the work she did in the film industry as well. Certainly groundbreaking to have been, at one point, the highest paid screenwriter in the film industry, along with directing movies as well. Their story is presented mostly through their professional connection and the great friendship they enjoyed over the years. This book will give you insight into the era of silent films and onto the arrival of the “talkies”. Marion continued to enjoy a great career, with writing some very well known movies, while Mary was unable to transition into the new era of sound. Mary’s lack of transition seemed to be more a case of image…the public loved her playing a child, and with age, Mary could no longer play those roles. This book also explored the great loves of their lives…Douglas Fairbanks and Fred Thomson. I knew a little about Fairbanks, but hadn’t known anything about Thomson, even though he was a cowboy star in silent movie westerns. I love when a book makes me want to learn more and found myself exploring all four of their lives online. (I even read more about the lives of Owen Moore, Mickey Neilan and Buddy Rogers.) For those who enjoy historical/biographical novels…you will love reading this book. (I was fortunate to receive a copy of this book by NetGalley for my honest review.)

I wanted to read this book because I really liked "The Swans of Fifth Avenue". Unfortunately, I found that I didn't care about either Fran or Mary and abandoned this book after about 40%. I did enjoy the details about the early days of movies when roles were not so defined and everyone just sort of pitched in and did what needed to be done. What I didn't enjoy were the soap opera aspects of this book. Reading these women's musings about the men in their lives made me cringe. I admit that women's fiction is not a genre to which I am drawn. Maybe if the author had focused on the movie business and trimmed about 200 pages from this book I would have been able to make it through. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

When artist/writer, Frances Marion, is introduced to silent screen star, Mary Pickford, it is a meeting of souls. Two ambitious women working in a man’s world in 1914, dream of success and riches and the ability to call their own shots. Alone, neither may have had the courage to succeed, together as a team, they are unstoppable. And so begins a journey of both a great friendship and great success.

Author Melanie Benjamin captures the era and the larger-than-life characters perfectly in her new novel, The Girls in the Picture. Using both fact and fiction, we follow each woman through her successes and failures, and watch as they each obtain the careers and lives they dreamt about, only to find that one should be careful what they wish for. Benjamin writes wonderfully fleshed out characters in a well thought-out story, and intrigues the reader with the highs and lows these women experience. I highly recommend to star-struck readers who love stories of old Hollywood.

I found this book to be very interesting. It told the story of two women, Mary Pickford actress, and screen writer Frances Marion. It gives the history of the birth and growing pangs of the motion picture industy, first known as "flickers".

I found the book and the depiction of the friendship to be very real and a very interesting of the struggles of women in the 1910's and 1920's who not only chose to work, but also forged their own path in writing and directing movies and in producing and controlling their own production and distribution companies.

There were some themes that were only lightly touched upon, World War I, the Great Depression, the era of "talkies" which were probably more impactful than presented.

This story is about a town that would not rent rooms to actors or Jews and the building of an entire industry and way of life.

This book was well worth reading for anyone who has an interest in the movie industry.

It seems strange and very intriguing to me that silent movies and the beginnings of the film industry in Los Angeles happened more than 100 years ago. It doesn't seem possible that we are a century away from the old black and white "flickers.'' This book is about the friendship between Actress Mary Pickford, who was touted as America's Sweetheart back in the early days, and Frances Marion, an early screenwriter. Both women were incredibly famous in their day and paved the way for women in the film industry. Both won academy awards for their work. And both are largely forgotten. A century of time can erase all things......unless it's preserved on film.

As I read this book I took breaks and watched Mary Pickford films just to get the feel for what these women created. My favorite is Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, released in 1917. The Screenplay was adapted by Frances Marion from the classic novel and the film stars Mary Pickford and Eugene O'Brien. The film is grainy and silent. The title cards and credits jump and jerk around on the screen. The makeup gives the actors raccoon eyes and a melodramatic look. But.....it was one of the first films with a real plot and for me it's amazing that I can watch a performance that took place over 100 years ago. Long dead actors appearing as young, dedicated performers still, after all these years. Film magic!

I enjoyed this book. I know very little about Mary Pickford except that she was married to Douglas Fairbanks. And I had never heard of Frances Marion before this book. In 1972, Frances Marion wrote a book, "Off With Their Heads,'' about her experiences in Hollywood. She died soon after it was published. After reading The Girls in the Picture, I definitely want to read Marion's book!

Once I started reading I couldn't put this book down. It tells the story of how the movie industry got its start, and about the early lives of two powerful pioneering women in the industry. Mary Pickford was the highest paid actor back then, but paid a price for her fame. The story unfolds to include other notable classic early performers -- Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, and more. I learned so much about the early days of film and these two strong women. Great book!!

Anyone who loves old movies and Old Hollywood tales will love this book!!

Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm starring Mary Pickford can be seen on Youtube.com here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJXjy...

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Random House - Ballentine via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

I thoroughly enjoyed this book about the beginning of the film industry, and especially about the friendship between Mary Pickford and Frances Marion. Of course I knew about Mary and her time as the darling of early films, especially silent pictures, and I knew of her "fairy-tale" romance with Douglas Fairbanks, and their reign as the dream couple of Hollywood. My mother told me of seeing them at the movies and snippets about them. However I knew nothing of Frances Marion and her fame as a screen writer. (In the early days most of the writers WERE women, unlike subsequent years when the men came to dominate in all management phases of the industry.) But Melanie Benjamin really brought them to life in this book, from early struggles to fame and fortune to hard times again in different ways. I liked this even better than The Swans of Fifth Avenue, her previous book. It was a very interesting trip through the changing values of women in a man's world and quite pertinent today.

I love Melanie Benjamin’s writing, so I was excited to find this book on Net Galley. If you know me, you know I LOVE reading about the heyday of Hollywood. This novel is a fictionalized account based on the true story of the relationship between Frances Marion and Mary Pickford. I didn’t know any of this and found it both interesting, and a bit sad. If you like reading about old Hollywood, you’ll enjoy this one!

Mary Pickford and Frances Marion are two of the pioneers of the silent film era and best friends. Mary was an actress who had a following in the early "flickers" and gave Frances her start as a scenarist. As the ladies' friendship grows, so do their careers. Despite the start of the story taking place a century earlier than today, the complexities of female friendship are as true today as they were then.

I had absolutely zero knowledge of these women or silent films prior to this story but would stop to look up characters and movies while I read. I now have an interest in learning more about the early movies that captured the imaginations of so many. Melanie Benjamin does a wonderful job of not only recreating the excitement of the creation of the film industry, she also sheds light on what an important role women played. I loved this book and can't wait to learn more.

Such a good book. Well written, and compelling. A beautiful story of friendship. Perfect for lovers of vintage hollywood. Will be reviewing in March 2018 on my blog www.creatingherstory.wordpress.com

This story began more slowly than Benjamin's other novels; I put it down and almost didn't pick it back up. I did find the plot began to thicken and I thoroughly enjoyed the middle of the book. Then, the end felt rushed and incomplete. I liked learning the technical aspects of making films, and it was not surprising that many of the men acted like louses -

5 fantastical stars

I am in awe and quite sleepless as well over this book. In a word it was awesome. Ms Benjamin has created for us a world that was early Hollywood. It was a world where silent movies were becoming the rage and where woman were taking the reins or at least trying to in a society dominated and controlled by males.

We are introduced to two powerful women of the past, Mary Pickford and Frances Marion, who become great friends and travel the road to fame and stardom. The year is 1914, and Frances Marion, a writer, is desperately seeking a place in Hollywood. She meets Mary Pickford, a young beautiful girl who is fast becoming "America's Sweetheart" and these two woman take on Hollywood.

As the author takes us on this journey into these women, their lives, their loves, their hardships, and their glamour, we get a moving picture into the Hollywood of yesteryear. We are there to witness Mary and Frances's struggles to overcome the chauvinism, to be the center in a world moving quickly around them, to find that fame so needed by them to feel their worth. Yes, they do succeed, but in the long run they lose a lot of what they really needed the love of a man they adored. In Mary's case, that man was Douglas Fairbanks and in Frances's world, it was Fred Thompson. Mary becomes the face of Hollywood with her curls, diminutive stature, and her ability to always maintain that little girl look. Frances becomes a screenwriter extraordinaire, wining during her career two Academy Awards. They had it all or so it seemed to those who followed them through the tabloids of the time. But, as we are shown, the life these women led was often sad, often tumultuous, and often one in which they lost so much.

By becoming who they wished, ambitious, centered women in a man's world, they fought courageously to overcome all the many barriers placed in their path. They were the women who broke through some many layers of male dominance and succeeded and created a world that America had never seen the likes of.

I recommend this book most highly, not only for the portrayal of these movie pioneers, but also for the exquisite writing that Ms Benjamim put onto the pages of this book. If you are at all interested in early Hollywood and how this town and industry came about this book will supply some answers. Mary and Frances, a friendship formed at such an early age, traveled a road no one really had before and in this they gained so much but also suffered losses that filled their hearts with sorrow and grief. As Bette Davis once said, "A sure way to lose happiness, I found, is to want it all at the expanse of everything else." Frances and Mary wanted it all, they gained it all, but in so many ways they did lose that happiness we all seek as a fulfilling thread of our lives.

Thank you to Melanie Benjamim, Random House, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this wonderful novel.

I loved reading about these two trailblazing women in the filming industry: Mary Pickford, "America's Sweetheart", and Frances Marion, a renowned female screenwriter, known as a scenarist in the early days, and the first to win two Academy Awards. The early days of Hollywood and the transition from silent films, the "flickers", to "talkies" was riveting reading. What these two women accomplished over a century ago in a male-dominated world was nothing short of amazing. The historical details of how movies were made in the early days of Hollywood and the formation of the major studios was interesting reading.

The book is narrated by Frances, with the reader learning about Mary Pickford through Frances's eyes. Even though Mary's story suffers a little from it being told in the third person, the character development was excellent and the enormous amount of research the author did on these two women was impressive. I thoroughly enjoyed this part of the book and found it fascinating. They were two determined, accomplished women who forged a friendship and alliance, and we follow them through the heady early days into old age.

The book lost a star from me because it got bogged down in melodrama and angst, with some flowery melodramatic dialogue, and at close to 450 pages, it was a bit overly long. The strengths outweigh the negatives, and it is still a very worthwhile book that I highly recommend. I appreciated the epilogue where the author explains her research and where she took literary license.

*thank you to Netgalley, Random House publishing, and the author for an e-galley of the book in exchange for an honest review.

THE GIRLS IN THE PICTURE BY MELANIE BENJAMIN BOOK REVIEW

Talk about picking the right book at the right time! We are fresh off the Golden Globes where Natalie Portman pointed out “the all-male nominees” for the Best Director category. Recall that night the vast majority of women wore all black that night to protest Hollywood’s culture of sexual harassment. Now, over 300 females working in Hollywood created the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund to create “unified call for change from women in entertainment for women everywhere.” Women are working together to create effective change. I think Frances & Mary would be so proud.

WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD
Imagine going back in time to the creation of film movies. Before this book, I hadn’t really thought about it. Sure, movies get made, it’s a form of art & you need a team of talented individuals to pull it off. Melanie takes readers to the very beginning. Her writing is so descriptive I could see the film reels, the director’s chair & the landscapes. The Hollywood pioneers, Mary Pickford & Frances Marion were certainly in this group, changed the world. From short silent films to 2-hour “talkies” women were at the forefront of creating Hollywood & it is about time we heard their story.

MARY PICKFORD
I know Mary Pickford as a silent film actress & a co-star alongside Charlie Chaplin. I did not realize she created the film distribution company, United Artists & changed the game for filmmakers. Mary also helped form the original Academy for Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Although she was known for her beautiful face & tender ringlets, she was not messing around. Mary worked the scenes, worked the camera & was involved in every aspect of creating films.

FRANCES MARION
I tell you what, Frances Marion is a bad ass. First off, she is the first person to win 2 screenwriting Academy Awards. She is a total fashionista & clothes horse. Frances traveled the world as a combat journalist in World War I. Can you imagine leaving the comforts of Hollywood to travel to a war zone? Like I said, she is a total bad ass.

FRANCES & MARY
Perhaps my favorite part of The Girls in the Picture is the relationship between Frances & Mary. Although Mary was a well-known actress by the time Frances made it to Hollywood, Mary recognized her talent brought her into her inner circle. Oh, I loved when they lived next door to one another. I can imagine that was such a special time for the two of them. Sitting on the porc, eating, talking & planning. That’s how you know you are truly friends, right? Melanie, as always, marries the historical facts within her meaningful storyline. I lived in this book while I was reading it & I loved every minute.

THE VERDICT
I am Really Into This book! Jessica & I love movies, love Hollywood & learning about these two powerful & talented women was so incredibly inspiring. I want to read more about them.

Special thanks to Melanie Benjamin, Delacorte Press & NetGalley for providing my copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I received this book from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

I loved this book! I read it in a day staying up way too late to finish it. I am a fan of historical fiction and this was right up my alley.

The two main characters are based on real women who were pioneers in the movie industry. I had heard of Mary Pickford in passing but never of Frances Marion. It was so interesting to read about the beginnings of the movie industry as well as the relationship between the two women. Interspersed were other famous real life movie stars which was so fun to read about. The book was so well written I felt like I was there (well, wished I was there with the characters!).

This was a super fun, great book to read and I would recommend it!