Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - A Única Mulher

While it is informative and shines a light on the life of Hedy Lamarr, I am a bit disappointed in the book. The first half of the book, about her life in Vienna, was intriguing and brought to light things I never knew about Hedy. But the second half, about her life in Hollywood, felt like it spent more time discussing her film career than her actual intelligence and scientific ventures. It felt like the details were given to the wrong subjects. There was also a lot of times that her guilt at keeping secrets was mentioned to the point of being over written. I wish the second half of the book had spent more time on her scientific mind and her later years.

Overall a good read but the filler in the second half made the last 50 pages a slog. And for a book that's supposed to be about how incredible this woman was, it spent more time focused on her sex appeal (the issue of her life) than her mind. I just wish it had actually focused in on the 'stunning mind' mentioned on the back of the book more.

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elizabeth_dagle's review against another edition

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emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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abbyarm's review against another edition

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informative sad medium-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

3.5

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lainey_sherman3's review against another edition

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adventurous inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

<spoiler?> My main criticism for this book is the fact that the author didn’t really expand the idea that Hedy Lemarr was a scientist. She mainly focused the plot on Hedy trying to survive in a man’s world where women are nothing more than pretty objects. By the time I got to the part where her scientific knowledge was being talked about, there was only about 50 pages left in the book so it seemed very rushed. If the story’s main selling point was that it was a feminist story about a woman who was an actress trying to make a name for herself during the war and who didn’t let the men control her, it would have be fine. But that wasn’t the case. The back of book states it’s based on a true story of a glamour icon and scientist. I feel that wasn’t the case and the author focused too much on her acting career, not her career as a scientist. <spoiler?>

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silver_valkyrie_reads's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-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? No

3.75

For starters, wow! I didn't know Heddy Lamar's life story at all, and this was some fascinating history!

This is the first book I've read by the author, and for most of the way through the book I was pleasantly surprised by her lack of over-the-top feminism in presenting the story. The husband clearly crossed lines in his behavior, and I appreciated the simple presentation of that story. Unfortunately, toward the end, there is an eye-rolling instance of "The Navy was dumb about this thing BECAUSE she was a woman". (Go read Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed for plenty of examples of the Navy being dumb in exactly same way whether women are involved in the situation or not.)

Well worth reading if you enjoy historical fiction, or lesser known historical stories in general.

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bluebrooks's review against another edition

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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

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mybookish_era's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Her first husband was a real piece of work...hence all the content warnings.

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