BLONDE

Oates here turns her less than cheerful pen to the psyche of Marilyn Monroe, in a new unctuous novel based on the sex symbol's brief--and, according to the author, tragic--life. Narrator Atkinson sounds a bit like Kathleen Turner. Her pleasant, sensuous voice is limited in its expressiveness, and her characterizations are, at times, fatuous. The tape concludes with an extended interview with the writer. Y.R. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/JUL 00]