Diana McLellan (1937–2014)

Diana McLellan reveals the complex and intimate connections that roiled behind the public personae of Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Tallulah Bankhead, and the women who loved them. Private correspondence, long-secret FBI files, and troves of unpublished documents reveal a chain of lesbian affairs that moved from the theater world of New York, through the heights of chic society, to embed itself in the power structure of the movie business. The Girls serves up a rich stew of film, politics, show more sexuality, psychology, and stardom. show less

It's a history book, in that it's nonfiction and written about the past, but McLellan's writing is just as titillating and gossipy as you want it to be when reading about such a delicious subject. However, the level of detail can be confusing and tedious, since so many names come in and out of the picture you'll have to re-read some parts just to keep everybody straight (no pun intended). In fact, it's SO detailed that it made me doubt the veracity of the material; could McLellan really know show more this much about what went on in the daily lives of these women without being there herself? Add to that some laughable conclusions she draws (like that Garbo and Dietrich were once in a movie together and lied about it, therefore they were lovers!!) and you'll realize that the "nonfiction" categorization only loosely applies here. If you take it all with a grain of salt it's an enjoyable read, though it does go on for perhaps a bit longer than one would like it to. show less

A book full of gossip about Hollywood lesbians from the early 20th century. Really interesting read. Those Hollywood ladies were apparently sleeping with everyone they could and having a fine time too. Garbo comes out of it seeming very unhappy, but she too had her share of fun. Marlene Deitrich was incredibly busy with men and women throughout her life, I don't know how she had the time!