I found this historical story quite fascinating about Marion Davies. I had heard her name but knew little about her life or career.

This was an enjoyable read, told in a nice straightforward way.

I would recommend this interesting book. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

4.5 Stars
Prior to reading this historical novel, my knowledge of Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst was gleaned from the film Citizen Kane, a caustic portrayal that Orson Welles apologized for in hindsight. This author takes many factual elements of their lives and artfully weaves imaginative scenes and dialogue to reveal a love story between two flawed, but devoted human beings.

The story is told in first person narrative from Marion’s perspective beginning in 1915 with the start of her career as a show girl at the tender age of eighteen. Encouraged by her mother to marry a rich man to elevate her status, Marion meets and falls in love with the wealthy and powerful newspaper magnate. Hearst, in his early 50s, is married with five sons and a wife who refuses to grant him a divorce. Consequently Marion is relegated to the role of his mistress despite their abiding love over the next three plus decades.

While the core of the novel is their deep, passionate relationship, the trajectory of Marion’s career, Hearst’s business enterprises and the film industry culture provide interesting highlights. There is a great deal of name-dropping, but given the social circles these two traveled in, it was reasonable.

The lavish lifestyle came at a great price for Marion. Given the time period when women’s rights were almost nonexistent, her career and life choices were determined by the well-intending, but domineering, Hearst and his recalcitrant wife. The opulent lifestyle was stunning, but it did not buffer them from loss, grief and scandal.

I thoroughly enjoyed the character development as well as detailed descriptions of the “castle” at San Simeon. Overall, the prose was evocative, the pacing was consistent and I was totally engaged from the first page to the last.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

"The Blue Butterfly" by Leslie Johansen Nack is one of the most enjoyable historical fiction novels I've ever read. I must confess that I already knew a little bit about Marion Davies prior to reading this book: that she was part of the early Hollywood movies era and she was mistress to W.R. Hearst. What I did not know is how young she was when they began their relationship or her own family background. This book provides that information as well as an interesting portrayal of her relationship with Hearst. Their relationship can be summed up in one word: rollercoaster. Marion seems to have genuinely loved Hearst, yet she often resented having to come in third place in his life. That resentment to me seemed foolish, as she was fully aware she was dealing with a married man. Hearst may have loved her, but it was clear he also saw her as his personal property, like his newspapers and homes and art collection. The same rollercoaster dynamic can be seen in Marion's family, particularly with her sister Rosemary, who was clearly jealous of Marion and allowed said jealousy to color many of her poor decisions. In some ways, Marion's story is a bit depressing. Being the other woman and having a career that was so controlled by Hearst were difficult things to live with. Yet, seeing how Hollywood's movie industry developed serves as the foil to this. Overall, this was an excellent book...I finished it in just 3 days!! I look forward to reading more of the author's work!!

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I will be posting this review on Goodreads now and on Amazon on May 4, 2022.

I didn't really know who Marion Davies was, but I love reading books about Old Hollywood celebrities, so I thought I'd give this a try. This was such an enjoyable book. I love the writing, it was engaging and kept you interested. The characters were intriguing as well. Had a hard time putting this down and will definitely read more from the author.

Wow, a downer. My hopes started high, but it read like an overly long diary entry of debauchery and bad choices. Everyone is so self-indulgent, it’s no wonder their lives were in tatters. Is this really a story that needs to be told? I’m thinking…no. Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for this advanced copy.

“The Blue Butterfly,” by Leslie Johansen Hack is an historical fiction novel detailing the life of actress Marion Davies, first as a young theater actress and dancer with the Ziegfeld Follies in the early years of the Twentieth Century and then as an actress during the early years of Hollywood. It also delves into her sometimes tumultuous long term relationship with William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper tycoon.

The author brings to life the historical atmosphere in which Marion Davies and Hearst lived with her deft descriptions of private car train travel, yachts, ocean voyages and the many luxurious properties which Marion and Hearst inhabited, as well as the early days of Hollywood. It also included many interactions with famous actors of the time, including Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Lillian Gish and Harpo Marx, among others.

In addition, she fleshes out the dichotomy of Marion Davies’ personality, depicting her as sometimes brash, daring and fearless, but at times vulnerable and insecure in both her acting abilities and her standing with Hearst, who remained married to his wife throughout his relationship with Marion. I recommend this book to anyone who loves historical fiction featuring strong female figures from the past.

Thank you to NetGalley and She Writes Press for providing me an ARC of this book for my review.

I was first captivated by the beautiful cover on this novel and later by the story itself.

Beginning in 1915 in New York, until 1951 in California, this story details the lengthy love affair between the multimedia billionaire, William Randolph Hearst, and a much younger dancer, actress, and later a silent film star, Marion Davies. Her long time dedication to Hearst was fueled by love and all the things that he and his money could buy for her; clothes, jewelry, limos, trips, penthouse apartments, homes for her family, acting and directing jobs and a movie studio. However, their happiness was contrasted by the sadness within their lives and their relationship.

The author, Ms. Nack, does a beautiful job of portraying the life of Marion Davies with WRH as one of complete love and devotion, even during the times of betrayal. Their lives were filled with glamorous parties with A-list movie stars, directors, scientists and politicians. And, even during the most trying times, Marion stood by him.

I highly recommend this book to readers who love stories of old Hollywood and the lives of the rich and famous. I found myself doing further research on these characters as well as Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Greta Garbo.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, She Writes Press, for giving me the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publication date: May 3, 2022.

I have always been fascinated with Old Hollywood and loved The Blue Butterfly. This book tells the story of Marion Davies, an actress in many silent films and talkies and also the long time mistress of William Randolph Hearst. I highly recommend this book!

I had a great time reading this book, it was what I was looking for in a historical novel. The characters were amazing and I enjoyed the storyline going through this book. I enjoyed learning about Marion Davies after and enjoyed my journey through this book.

This is a book that covers one of the most fascinating times in the 20th century. If you love early Hollywood mixed with actual people who lived and loved this is the book for you. Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst had a legendary romance. I was so interested in their story I did some research on them. That is how good this book is !! It’s a non stop read. Enjoy !!

I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for this opportunity to read and review this book.

Marion Davies was 19 when she met the married newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst. Needless to say, she stayed by his side as his mistress and partner until his death in 1951. While theirs was an unconventional and salacious love affair at the time, Marion remained at his side through thick and thin. She herself was magnanimous, making over 48 movies during her time as a Hollywood starlet, and becoming a top earner. While I was familiar with the characters (historical fiction buff here), I was excited to learn more and loved the minor details, writing, and storytelling ability of the author.

A very interesting book based on the real lives of famous people. I did enjoy it and wanted to know what was going to happen. There was plenty of drama and excitement. I do recommend it .

The historical research, as well as the supposition of how Davies and Hurst's child was born, was handled with a deft and capable touch. However, the main problem of this novel is that Davies is insufferable as a person. It's hard to root for her or to be on her side about a lot of what happened to her. I wanted to see her as an underdog, but as presented here, she chose every wrong avenue and I just wanted to smack her instead of connect with her.

This was a wonderful book. I read it so fast (actually inhaled it) I will have to read it again. I was fascinated by their love story, fascinated by the era they lived in, all this while learning about the two of them.. It really was an addictive type of book. Kudos to the author who has given us a well written and well executed story. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

"The Blue Butterfly" is, as the title promises, a historical fiction take on the life of Marion Davies. Davies, an early silent film star, known also as William Randolph Hearst's life-long mistress, without a doubt is a fascinating subject--the times in which she lived, the settings, even the mystery surrounding some members of her family.

What's good: The story is interesting. I didn't know much of Davies or this particular social set, so it was all new to me. Marion's voice sounds viable for the period and her feelings toward WR are credible, even if, more than once, I was silently urging her to just cut him off.

What's iffier: There were moments in the book when it felt like the author decided to shift into Wikipedia mode and just do fact dumps before hopping forward in time. The author at times focuses heavily on what's happening, moving the story forward, vs. taking a moment to pause, to tell us Marion's feelings about those events. (I'd have loved to hear more about the movie-making process, for example.)

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is historical fiction based on the lifelong affair between Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst.
She was his mistress (and so much more) for over 40 years. She was 19 and he was in his 40s when they met.

This covers a really interesting period in time - the Follies, the transition from silent movies to talking movies, the big stars of the day. Marion makes movies, has a secret baby, has an affair with Charlie Chaplan, and sticks by Hearst through thick and thin.

I was totally sucked into this story. And this made me put down the book, and do some research - I had to know - how much was true and how much was fiction. Thats the sign of good historical fiction to me - when it makes you want to learn more.

I read this in a little over a day - I just kept turning the pages wanting to know what happened next. I felt like I was making movies with marion. I felt like I was at their lavish parties. I wanted to yell at the sexist, misogynistic men in that time. I was just sucked in.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and #netgalley for providing an ARC which did not impact my review. And thank you for the opportunity to escape into another world and another time.

I grew up knowing the names of Greta Garbo, Ingrid Bergman, Joan Crawford, and many other female actresses that my grandmother and parents grew up watching. Marion Davies was not among these names. Even after knowing about the movies Citizen Kane and Mank, I still knew nothing about Marion Davies. Hollywood doesn’t give Marion Davies enough credit for her many accomplishments. The Blue Butterfly has taught me so much about Marion and more. It brought attention to the questionable nature of many prominent male actors of the time (yes Charlie Chaplin is a creep) and the blatant sexism that women endured. Marion Davies is more than just the mistress of WR Hearst. She fought to put herself first and devoted herself to protecting her family and loved ones. The author did a wonderful job telling Marion’s story. At times I felt like I was a guest at one of Marion’s lavish parties because the imagery is unreal. If you love historical fiction with juicy Hollywood secrets, this book is a must.

Marion Davies becomes william Randolph Hearst's mistress. very interesting story I enjoyed reading this story, will look for more books by this author.

Thank you to Net Galley and She Writes Press for the chance to read and review this book. The opinions expressed are my own.
This is the story of silent film star Marion Davies and her 40-year affair with William Randolph Hearst. Even though this is mostly what she is known for, I liked that the author included so many other details about her and her life. It was interesting to read about her sisters and some other well-known Hollywood stars of that time. Overall, a good book about a complex relationship and Hollywood history.

This is a historical fiction novel about the silent film star, Marion Davies. The story centers around her 40-year affair with William Randolph Hearst, her career and the absolute extravagance of their lives. It was an interesting view into that time period of stage and movies. Overall, an enjoyable read. 3.5 stars