MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

At the age of 23, the author served as a gofer on the set of the movie THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL, filmed in London in 1956 and starring the much-lauded Laurence Olivier and the highly medicated Marilyn Monroe. Clear, crisp, and British-born, Simon Prebble provides a sincere and authoritative tone and also offers an occasional offhand breathy vocal characterization of Monroe. This is soon to be a motion picture with high-profile leading actors; the story, built from the late Clark’s diaries, seems more than a bit inflated and bombastic, seemingly recalling memories in a highly creative way. Nonetheless, there are insights into the private moments of Monroe and her marriage to writer Arthur Miller. This is a sympathetic story—but hardly enlightening. Without any explanation, the audiobook contains two works written by Clark: THE PRINCE, THE SHOWGIRL, AND ME as well as MY WEEK WITH MARILYN. The combination makes matters confusing and in parts repetitive. Superb narration elevates an otherwise routine effort. W.A.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2011]