The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin

Mary Pickford and Frances Marion took Hollywood by storm in the fledgling years of the movies and birth of the huge studios. Both took gambles and gave up much of their lives to become the best in the business although they were constantly inspected, measured and diminished because of their sex. Frances was able to rise above it but fame took much from Mary in the end. It was true then and is still true today - the public idolizes celebrities and doesn't want their image of them tarnished with real life events. You had to choose your friends and spouses carefully because someone was always waiting in the shadows looking for you to fall off that pedestal. Melanie Benjamin does what she does so well -showing us the real women not the myth, with all their frailties, grit and spirit. Historical bio-fiction doesn't get any better.