A gripping autobiographical account of two years spent in psychotherapy to deal with childhood sexual abuse, this uplifting story is written in two parts: as a dialogue between the patient and her psychiatrist and as a conversation with her mother and sister. The emotions accompanying the narrator's prolonged sexual abuse as a child by her mother’s sexual partners slowly unravel and it becomes clear that her mother was aware of the abuse but failed to protect her daughter. Initially a naive, overwhelmed, and confused child, unable to keep a job or develop relationships, the author eventually grows into a clear-thinking adult, aware of her past and capable of understanding its psychological implications.

Detailing Barbra Leslie's search for release from the self-contempt she felt after being sexually abused at the age of five and her shocking guilt following a backyard abortion at age 19, this autobiography reveals an artist finally at peace with herself. Leslie dicusses how she has become one of few Autralian painters able to earn a living from her art and reflects on her period of rebelliousness as an art student in the late 1950s and early 1960s. More than just an autobiography, Dear Merilyn is also an Australian family saga conveyed with fearless honesty, as the events described are by turns shocking, frightening, funny, and heartwarming.

The story tells of a house party, which, by way of novelty, is held at a summer camping the Canadian wilds. The camp, though delightful in the summer, is a grim and desolate spot in the winter, as the party soon find out. An atmosphere of eerieness and danger is cleverly created by the author, and leads up to a startling tragedy. The mystery surrounding the murder is complete at first, and its ultimate solution lacks nothing in the way of unexpectedness. Here we have excitement, murder, and a dramatic denouement in the best ""thriller"" tradition, but Luke Allan has this time given us more than the usual ration. The atmosphere of tension and danger which overhangs the characters throughout places this latest Luke Allan high up in the ""thriller"" class.

The late actress's story, told in her own words as well as one hundred and fifty photographs, culled from conversations with the author in 1962.

A must-read, riveting biography like no other of the Hollywood icon. Find about her secret romances (did she date Elvis?), shocking experiences in Hollywood, and other intriguing details about the blonde bombshell from those who knew her best, including her sister, closest friends, and husbands. Read candid and sometimes humorous anecdotes about Marilyn from other famous people who knew the celebrated actress or crossed paths with her: Judy Garland, Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Joan Rivers, Shelley Winters, Shirley MacLaine, Renée Taylor, Truman Capote, Joan Collins, Kim Novak, Mamie Van Doren, Anne Bancroft... and many more... Secrets of Marilyn Monroe also dispels some common myths about the movie star and her mysterious death. After reading this book, you'll have a much better understanding of who Marilyn Monroe was.

4.25 am, 5 August 1962, West Los Angeles Police Department ‘Marilyn Monroe has died of an overdose’, a man’s voice says dully. And when the stunned policeman asked ‘What?’, the same voice struggled to repeat ‘Marilyn Monroe has died. She has committed suicide.’ If life were scripted like the movies, this extraordinary phone call would have been made by the most important man in Marilyn Monroe’s life – Dr Ralph Greenson, her final psychoanalyst. During her last years Marilyn had come to rely on Greenson more and more. She met with him almost every day. He was her analyst, her friend and her confessor. He was the last person to see her alive, and the first to see her dead. In this highly acclaimed novel, Marilyn’s last years – and her last sessions on Dr Greenson’s couch – are brilliantly recreated. This is the story of the world’s most famous and elusive actress, and the world she inhabited, surrounded by such figures as Arthur Miller, Truman Capote and John Huston. It is a remarkable piece of storytelling that illuminates one of the greatest icons of the twentieth century.

'England? It seemed to be raining the whole time . . . Or maybe it was me' MARILYN MONROE In July 1956, Marilyn Monroe arrived in London, on honeymoon with her husband Arthur Miller, to make The Sleeping Prince (later released as The Prince and the Showgirl) with Laurence Olivier. When the couple arrived at London Airport, they were looking forward to a peaceful stay. Marilyn would work during the day at Pinewood Studios, while Arthur would write. Then, in the evening, the couple would be able to relax together in their private English country cottage. It didn't quite turn out that way. The 'cottage' was actually a mansion, which belonged to Lord Drogheda, the managing director of the Financial Times. Raised in tiny hotel rooms and apartments, Marilyn felt herself being watched. She was, by Lord Drogheda's servants, who were selling stories to the papers. When filming began, it was a disaster. Director Joshua Logan had written to Olivier, offering advice on how to handle Marilyn as an actress, but Olivier ignored him. Instead, he condescended to her in his introduction to the cast, pooh-poohed her views on acting, and dismissed her stage-fright as an inconvenience. Marilyn grew to hate Olivier with a passion; the feeling was mutual. Marilyn found herself torn between settling into married life, being a curiosity for the frequently hostile British press, and her work on The Prince and the Showgirl. She took solace in small acts of kindness from members of the public, and a new fascination with Queen Elizabeth. Marilyn made a point of adopting some of the Queen's favourite brands, buying gloves from Cornelia James, perfume from Floris, and switching from Chanel No. 5 to Yardley's Lavender. Marilyn made a point of asking the film's PR manager to add a royal meeting to her schedule, but each day Olivier would delete the request. Michelle Morgan describes Marilyn's trip to late-1950s' Britain in evocative detail, exploring the making of the film alongside the film star's troubled private life and her quest to meet the Queen.