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mariposagal's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism, War, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, and Antisemitism
jrascoe's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
The book is a little slow to start and, although relevant to the story, it felt like the focus was more on her work as an actress & navigating that part of her life than her scientific contribution. It was interesting to see how her upbringing & social connections made the contribution possible. The ending wasn't surprising when you consider the time period.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Sexual violence, Sexism, and Physical abuse
Minor: War, Genocide, and Death of parent
themightygabbers's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
The true story of Hedy Lamarr (nee Keisler) is incredible and inspiring. The writing in the beginning of the book did an excellent job of drawing you into the world of the characters, building suspense, and telling the story of her life much like novel, in which you felt intricately involved and invested.
Unfortunately, midway through the book, the storytelling becomes much more like what you would find in a textbook; a simple recounting of events with some character thoughts and feelings thrown in from a distant view. Hedy's take was interesting enough to make me want to finish it to fully understand her history, but it was laborious and the author's choice in their ending was wholly unsatisfying.
Unfortunately, midway through the book, the storytelling becomes much more like what you would find in a textbook; a simple recounting of events with some character thoughts and feelings thrown in from a distant view. Hedy's take was interesting enough to make me want to finish it to fully understand her history, but it was laborious and the author's choice in their ending was wholly unsatisfying.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual harassment, and Sexism
Minor: Genocide
jessamo19's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, War, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
c_dmckinney's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Hate crime, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, War, Antisemitism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Xenophobia, Grief, Classism, Domestic abuse, Genocide, Sexual violence, Vomit, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Confinement, Death, Ableism, and Child death
slahlum's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Rape, Classism, Physical abuse, Violence, War, Antisemitism, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent
kddavis's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexism
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Famous actress Hedy Lamarr has a lot of secrets. She's from a Jewish family during one of the most anti-Semitic times in the 20th century. She arrived in America after fleeing her wealthy arms dealer husband. She has a brilliant mind that she hopes to use to help stop Nazi Germany to make up for warning no one about the imminent Anschluss.
I did enjoy reading this, which based on my rules means it's a 3 star at least. However, I don't think Marie Benedict's execution did everything the book blurb lead me to expect from this book by a long shot. I assumed this would be divided between Hedy's relationship with Austrian arms dealer Friedrich Mandl and her time in America as an actress/inventor. The first part was done well, as I watched with concern as the young Lamarr (then known as Hedy Keisler) fell in love with a much older man in spite of the red flags, in part because her parents encouraged her, hoping this would protect their family from the threat of anti-Semitism from Nazi Germany. The second half seemed more focused on her rise as an actress while she heard about how her home country of Austria fell and relegated the inventing work that Hedy did to very short montages...even though it seemed like the climax of the story was somewhere in the very brief interludes of her inventing work with the pianist George Antheil. Perhaps the worst failure is that you have to read the Author's Note to know how important frequency hopping is to modern technology, which seemed pretty important. Perhaps an epilogue about her and Antheil receiving acknowledgement for their invention would at least execute that part?
The characters are interesting, although I often wanted more time with many characters. Even Mandl, who I immensely disliked for his manipulative and abusive tendencies, seemed to vanish off the face of the earth after Hedy's escape, which (while perhaps what really happened) struck me as implausible given how controlling he was. Lamarr and Antheil's working relationship and friendship is important, but the damage done to their relationship by Lamarr's fear that he did see her as just a sexual object like so many others is resolved in less than a page. Mrs. Mayer, the wife of the head of MGM Studios, is interesting and instrumental in keeping Hedy from being another victim of her husband vanishes once Hedy's career gets off the ground.
I did enjoy reading this, which based on my rules means it's a 3 star at least. However, I don't think Marie Benedict's execution did everything the book blurb lead me to expect from this book by a long shot. I assumed this would be divided between Hedy's relationship with Austrian arms dealer Friedrich Mandl and her time in America as an actress/inventor. The first part was done well, as I watched with concern as the young Lamarr (then known as Hedy Keisler) fell in love with a much older man in spite of the red flags, in part because her parents encouraged her, hoping this would protect their family from the threat of anti-Semitism from Nazi Germany. The second half seemed more focused on her rise as an actress while she heard about how her home country of Austria fell and relegated the inventing work that Hedy did to very short montages...even though it seemed like the climax of the story was somewhere in the very brief interludes of her inventing work with the pianist George Antheil. Perhaps the worst failure is that you have to read the Author's Note to know how important frequency hopping is to modern technology, which seemed pretty important. Perhaps an epilogue about her and Antheil receiving acknowledgement for their invention would at least execute that part?
The characters are interesting, although I often wanted more time with many characters. Even Mandl, who I immensely disliked for his manipulative and abusive tendencies, seemed to vanish off the face of the earth after Hedy's escape, which (while perhaps what really happened) struck me as implausible given how controlling he was. Lamarr and Antheil's working relationship and friendship is important, but the damage done to their relationship by Lamarr's fear that he did see her as just a sexual object like so many others is resolved in less than a page. Mrs. Mayer, the wife of the head of MGM Studios, is interesting and instrumental in keeping Hedy from being another victim of her husband vanishes once Hedy's career gets off the ground.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, and Sexism
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, and Physical abuse
Minor: Alcohol, Adult/minor relationship, Death, War, Sexual violence, Genocide, and Drug abuse
serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The Only Woman in the Room is historical fiction based on the life of Hedy Lamar. I was heavily invested in the first section which focussed on her relationship with Austrian arms dealer Friedrich Mandl. Plenty of tension due to domestic abuse and the rise of Hitler, especially given her Jewish ancestry. I was less interested in Hedy’s Hollywood years but wished for more detail on her inventions, especially the radio guidance system for torpedos. My mouth hit the floor when I read why the Navy wasn’t interested. “I must admit it would be hard for us to sell our soldiers and sailors on a weapons system created by a woman. And we’re not going to try.” A pity there wasn’t an author’s note indicating whether or not that was an actual quote.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexism, and Domestic abuse
bluebrooks's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
hedy lamarr is one of my biggest inspirations and a woman that i will always look up to. this book was a page turner and an easy read, but she deserved so much more. the ending felt so rushed and there was virtually no mention of hedy's interest in science and helping w the war effort until the book was nearing its end. i kept reading because i wanted more, but i never got it :/ i agree with the other reviews that say anyone who wants to really learn about this amazing woman should watch the documentary made about her and do their own research on her life and inventions - this book does not do her legacy justice in the slightest. most of the focus was on her marriage with fritz and i wish an equal amount of emphasis was actually placed on her intellect and passion for science and inventing. the underlying theme of the book was meant to highlight her achievements, and shed light on her life's work off-screen, to illuminate the hedy that the world refused to see and that she felt she couldn't show - definitely missed the mark on that one. the story also ends very abruptly and on a disappointing note which like .... bruh. more pls
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Sexual assault, and Sexism
Moderate: Rape