THE STARLET AND THE SPY

In 1954, Marilyn Monroe embarked on a USO tour of Seoul. Janet Song narrates this story of the fictional Korean woman designated to be Marilyn's translator. Song delivers a delicate but not subservient manner for Alice, who begrudgingly agrees to accompany the starlet, despite the crisis in her personal life. Song's tone begins to warm as Alice discovers shared heartaches with Marilyn, who basks in the soldiers' adoration but struggles with her own demons. Marilyn has only minor appearances in this story, but Song narrates her parts with a well-tempered imitation of her famously wispy voice. Song's feminine style is not particularly suited to male characters, but these are few, and she delivers their limited dialogue with heartiness. N.M.C. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2019]