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chasinash's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
kimreadz's review against another edition
3.0
This was a quick read; interesting but also a little disappointing. I knew that Hedy Lamarr was a famous actress, and also a very smart women who had done some important research, though I didn't remember what. Much of the book was devoted to Hedy's early years and her marriage to her first husband. I was a little disappointed that more time was not spent on the research and invention. I also would have liked to have known more about how Hedy's relationship with her mother developed.
The book did do what all good historical fiction does, and that is to inspire me to learn more. A quick Wikipedia search showed me that there was so much more to Hedy that could have been shown, and this left me even more disappointed in the book. No spoilers here—you can do your own search. But I can see that Hedy was obviously a very complex woman with an interesting story to learn. This book just scratched the surface. A pretty good read, but not enough!
The book did do what all good historical fiction does, and that is to inspire me to learn more. A quick Wikipedia search showed me that there was so much more to Hedy that could have been shown, and this left me even more disappointed in the book. No spoilers here—you can do your own search. But I can see that Hedy was obviously a very complex woman with an interesting story to learn. This book just scratched the surface. A pretty good read, but not enough!
johnsj01's review against another edition
4.0
The was an easy, enlightening read about a woman I knew nothing about. I’ve seen some reviews that wished the invention was covered more; I agree it would be nice to know more about that but overall I’d like know more about her story. I don’t agree with the first half “being a love story”. It is not a love story in my opinion, but it certainly is an important part that has connections to history and helps explain her interest and musings of her invention. I was excited to learn that Gal Gadot is attached to a project based on Hedy and look forward to seeing what they do even if it means I finally have to get Apple+.
sbn42's review against another edition
4.0
Hedy Lamarr's story as an inventor and movie actress was already familiar. What I especially liked about this book was her early development from a young, wealthy Jewish girl in Vienna, to an intimate witness to the seeds of WWII.
Austria's gradual slide from a democracy to a fascist state, eventually under the rule of Germany, plays out as her husband, the arms manufacturer and "Merchant of Death", Fritz Mandl seeks to secure his fortunes. His company has benefited from supplying weapons to conflicting sides, but he finally has to choose a side. Lamarr's role has been reduced to nothing more than Mandl's hostess, where she is given the same respect as the furniture in the room, even though she is quite brilliant in her own right.
If you are only interested in her scientific achievements, this is not the book for you. It gives short shrift to frequency-hopping technology and proximity triggers. I was more interested in her life in Vienna, so it met my expectations.
Austria's gradual slide from a democracy to a fascist state, eventually under the rule of Germany, plays out as her husband, the arms manufacturer and "Merchant of Death", Fritz Mandl seeks to secure his fortunes. His company has benefited from supplying weapons to conflicting sides, but he finally has to choose a side. Lamarr's role has been reduced to nothing more than Mandl's hostess, where she is given the same respect as the furniture in the room, even though she is quite brilliant in her own right.
If you are only interested in her scientific achievements, this is not the book for you. It gives short shrift to frequency-hopping technology and proximity triggers. I was more interested in her life in Vienna, so it met my expectations.
deltadawn5's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to like this book because I am so fascinated with the storyline, but had issues with the execution. The repetition of Lamarr's feelings of guilt was too much, there was too much coverage of her time before reaching the US, and there wasn't enough detail about the thought process and execution of the technology.
albanueva's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Ce livre raconte l'histoire de Hedy Lamarr, ou bien c'est elle qui nous raconte son histoire. A partir de sa jeunesse autrichienne, son premier mariage avec un industriel très riche et controversé, elle nous accompagne jusqu'à sa carrière à Hollywood et surtout son invention qui aurait pu changer la deuxième guerre mondiale mais qui a été refusé car créé par une femme.
Si j'ai bien aimé ce roman, qui se lit bien et nous fait découvrir une figure souvent oubliée par l'histoire, j'aurais préféré que l'autrice ait consacré plus de pages à la deuxième partie de la vie d'Hedy. Elle se focalise trop, à mon avis, sur son premier mariage, alors que la partie vraiment "intéressante" est décrite de façon un peu superficielle.
Ce livre raconte l'histoire de Hedy Lamarr, ou bien c'est elle qui nous raconte son histoire. A partir de sa jeunesse autrichienne, son premier mariage avec un industriel très riche et controversé, elle nous accompagne jusqu'à sa carrière à Hollywood et surtout son invention qui aurait pu changer la deuxième guerre mondiale mais qui a été refusé car créé par une femme.
Si j'ai bien aimé ce roman, qui se lit bien et nous fait découvrir une figure souvent oubliée par l'histoire, j'aurais préféré que l'autrice ait consacré plus de pages à la deuxième partie de la vie d'Hedy. Elle se focalise trop, à mon avis, sur son premier mariage, alors que la partie vraiment "intéressante" est décrite de façon un peu superficielle.
katlow's review against another edition
3.0
The writing isn’t that great but the story of Hedy Lamarr is impressive
kendra_yqv's review against another edition
2.0
I couldn’t actually finish this book. I found the writing awkward and not at all engaging. 3/4 through and there was nothing that made me want to keep reading so I had to abandon it.
misstj9's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
daralexandria's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Genocide, Physical abuse, and Sexual assault