Title: The Girls in the PictureAuthor: Melanie Benjamin
Edition: Delacorte Press, 2018
Setting: Hollywood
Genre: Historical Fiction
The blurb for this novel reads: "An intimate portrait of the close friendship and powerful creative partnership between two of Hollywood’s earliest female superstars: Frances Marion and Mary Pickford. An enchanting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator’s Wife."
It doesn't do it justice. It's more than that description, which sounds like a dusty piece of historical non-fiction. Instead, this is a vibrant portrait, not only of two women (rare enough!), but of the beginning of an industry - Hollywood. And by beginning, I mean starting in pre-WWI America, with "America's Sweetheart" Mary Pickford moving from theatre to being "the Biograph girl" to filming by the seat of the pants in very early Hollywood. And who is Frances Marion, you ask? Friend to Mary Pickford, screenwriter, director, author, and one of the most influential women in Hollywood in the days when women had a lot of influence in Hollywood.
And this power and influence is one of the themes of this novel, as Mary and Frances take advantage of the fact that movies are a new industry, one without rules and customs that would keep them from having power and influence. And how they use it! Both become among the highest paid in their professions, Frances wins two Oscars, Mary is the driving force and one of the owners of United Artists Studio. Beyond their professional lives, the book is also the story of their friendship and an honest depiction of both the power struggles within that friendship and the strong bonds that helped them make their way through life.
Finally, it's the story of an industry alive with new ideas and innovations: "These are the golden years, we assured each other, sometimes solemnly, sometimes with a giddy laugh, before one of us jumped up with an idea or a bit to add to a scene and then we were off and running, Mickey scrambling up a ladder behind the camera to shout out the new setup to the extras, while Mary got down on her kneed and tickled the children in the cast to get them to act more naturally around her, and I raced off to the prop department to retrieve the items required..."
Melanie Benjamin says in her author's note that she hopes people will think of Mary Pickford and Frances Marion as more than just names, but as innovators, artists, and friends. I think she's written a book that will assure that. Highly recommended.
