The title of the book leads us to know that the man Norman Mailer was complicated, but what stood out for me was author J. Michael Lennon's diminishing of Carole Mallory which held her to sexists double standards - his not Mailer's. Which isn't to say that Mailer wasn't sexist. He seems to use women and to feel as a genius he has the right to. (And so, by the way, did his mother!) The author basically maintains via a quote from a Mailer attorney that Carole and Norman had nothing but sex going on. Basically he is on the wife Norris Church's side and paints Carole as an exceptionally promiscuous woman while the women who accepted the ultimate bad boy in stride (co-dependent) are admired for being long suffering.
But in Carole Mallory's memoir Loving Mailer she states that Norman had the right to edit what Lennon wrote and did, so be aware that it's possible that Norman dictated what was said about Carole. Carole also states in her memoir that Mailer warned her that she would be caste as the bad woman if anyone found out about their relationship. Lots of people knew about it that is certain. Carole includes wife Norris Church as knowing about the relationship from the early days.
Norman Mailer was an exceptionally promiscuous man and I could argue overall far more of a rogue with women than Carole had been with men; hers was more of a groupie mentality of having sex with a number of celebrities while she herself was a magazine cover model. Yes, she enjoyed using her beauty and sexuality to pick up some Hollywood film stars for sex in her younger life before Mailer and he seemed to be fascinated with this, especially her brief experience with Warren Beatty. She had been engaged to Claude Picasso, the artist's son, as well, and funny but Mailer wrote a book on Picasso and an interview with Warren Beatty.
ennon writes about Carole being rudely cut off from money, so sex and money or sex for money is implied. Excuse me! One does not meet a man for nine years, talk to him weekly, become bicoastal (the New York City and Los Angeles thing) and travel with him, discuss his and her writing and much else, if not in a relationship. The author has the nerve to say that Mallory only knew Mailer "superficially?" It all seemed like an attempt to take from Mallory what she deserves - her own voice, her own truth, and what she earned - the ability to write about it.
If you want to know what made Mailer tick, this book of over 900 pages hardback certainly attempts to explain the man, and other relationships with other women - mostly wives. Mailer even stabbed one of them and a psychiatrist said he needed to give up alcohol. That wife could have died, but she's almost complimented for not causing him trouble by doing something like having him charged criminally. Towards what was the beginning of the end of their relationship Mailer also punched Carole i9n the stomach in two episodes she reports. (I know Mailer also attacked a man viciously and got away with it, but if he were not a "literary genius" he probably would have been in and out of prison.)
The total focus of the book is not Carole Mallory nor did I assume it would be, so I culled the pages in which she was mentioned. And unlike Carole's own book there's some financial information that I know my readers are interested in. But again, Carole is saying Mailer edited this so be aware. Because everyone does want to know the financial aspect of being a mistress.
In this book it says that Norris Church knew about Carole but seemed to only take the relationship between her husband and the writer seriously when it became public knowledge. Yes, Norris (named by Norman. Her name was previously Barbara Davis) was hideously hurt when Norman decided to tell her the whole truth of his inability to be a faithful husband. He brutally named names, detailed relationships that lasted hours and years, and Carole was not the only woman in his life at any time. She however was seemingly more in the know and accepting of this than Norris. So she too took that in stride. Yet because their breakup happened at a time when Carole seemed to Norris to be the problem, it's like she was blamed for it all. Norman Mailer hurt Norris. He hurt Carole. He hurt a lot of women.
Carole Mallory was a successful model and on magazine covers. She also acted in some films. She associated with famous and powerful people throughout her adult life. She was capable of earning some of her own money. Would it be enough for me or you to live on?
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