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Elizabeth and Marilyn
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Elizabeth and Marilyn

By: Julie Owen Moylan
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The new novel from Julie Owen Moylan. It's 1956, and the two most famous women in the world are about to meet for the first and only time . . .


October 1956. A glittering array of stars turn out in London for a Royal Film Premiere, where they will be presented to the Queen. Elizabeth II: an elegant young mother and wife, gracious and self-sacrificing who has embraced her patriotic duty despite never expecting to take the throne.
Cameras flash and a limousine pulls up. Out steps a vision in dazzling gold. Marilyn Monroe. A global sensation and money-making machine for Hollywood, with curves that drive men wild and a smile that lets women know she’s in on the joke.
Finally, the two most famous women in the world will come face to face in public for the first time. And the world is watching.
But behind the scenes they are Lilibet and Norma Jeane. Two women from very different backgrounds, who on the surface have little in common. Yet beneath the glamorous costumes and jewels, both women are fighting to keep the men they love, while trying to do their work in a man’s world. And they have spent the summer of 1956 as neighbours, battling secret demons that their adoring public could only guess at.
Until now...
Perfect for fans of American Wife, The Christie Affair and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, this stunning novel imagines the secret lives of two of the 20th century’s most famous women – set during a momentous summer that brought them face to face, and publishing 100 years after their births.

'Wonderful, I loved this. Julie is a writer you can ALWAYS trust in the way she portrays women, they are believable, flawed, complex and fascinating. Their motivations, loves, the way they grapple with meaning and their callings is all sensitively done and I love the way she shows the parallels between the two women' Georgina Moore

'A vibrant imagining of the inner lives of two iconic women in the year of their storied encounter . . . Thoroughly enjoyable' Charmaine Wilkerson

© Julie Owen Moylan 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

20th Century Friendship Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Women's Fiction

Critic reviews

Bold, original and captivating storytelling - this book takes two iconic characters and allows us to become intimate with them. I loved it! (Daisy Buchanan)
Wonderful, I loved this. Julie is a writer you can ALWAYS trust in the way she portrays women, they are believable, flawed, complex and fascinating. Their motivations, loves, the way they grapple with meaning and their callings is all sensitively done and I love the way she shows the parallels between the two women (Georgina Moore)
A vibrant imagining of the inner lives of two iconic women in the year of their storied encounter . . . Thoroughly enjoyable (Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake)
Exploring the inner lives of two of the most famous people of the 20th century with tenderness and compassion, Elizabeth and Marilyn brilliantly illuminates the women behind the myths (Carole Hailey)
An immersive and emotionally complex portrait of two brilliant women under unimaginable pressure. I loved the way the stories interwove to explore how the world’s adulation for Marilyn was so crushing for the vulnerable Norma Jeane, and how the power Elizabeth had was so reductive for the woman Lilibet wanted to be. Brava! (Caroline Lea)
We think we know these iconic women but Julie reveals them in a whole new way. Atmospheric, glamorous and fun. A hugely enjoyable read (Jodie Chapman)
A unique premise, perfectly executed, and utterly addictive (Louise Beech)
What a clever concept, executed to perfection. Elizabeth and Marilyn skilfully captures the strengths, the vulnerabilities, the heartaches of two twentieth century icons. So utterly believable and compelling that I didn’t want the story to end! (Fiza Saeed McLynn, author of The Midnight Carousel)
Owen Moylan draws out the parallels between the two women so beautifully and their internal dialogue is sensitively wrought and rings true. Glamorous, captivating and thought-provoking (Kit Conway, author of Cat Fight)
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