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brighroosh's review against another edition
2.0
I was not "wowed" by this book. I had seen "Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story" documentary, so I was familiar with her and her incredible invention.
In this book, the details of her life sounded like an unauthorized biography, even though that term is not usually applied to historical fiction. It just had this sense of it being written for a specific audience (female?), with a lot of exposition to explain the setup. Do I need to know the cross streets in Washington, DC of the building where Lamarr went to propose her invention to the government? Sometimes the exposition went on for two pages and I had to go back to see who was waiting for an answer from Lamarr. What it told me was that Benedict wants you to know that she did thorough research of the things that could be known about Lamarr, overshadowing the lackluster dialogue by the author.
It was written in first person, and I never believed that those could have been Lamar's thoughts and words, no matter how hard Benedict impressed upon us Hedy's ambition to rise above being just a pretty face, her guilt and regrets, and her force of will that utilized her pretty face.
Benedict is a popular author, but I find her dialogue overly simplistic and yet tedious. I will not be reading any more of her books!
In this book, the details of her life sounded like an unauthorized biography, even though that term is not usually applied to historical fiction. It just had this sense of it being written for a specific audience (female?), with a lot of exposition to explain the setup. Do I need to know the cross streets in Washington, DC of the building where Lamarr went to propose her invention to the government? Sometimes the exposition went on for two pages and I had to go back to see who was waiting for an answer from Lamarr. What it told me was that Benedict wants you to know that she did thorough research of the things that could be known about Lamarr, overshadowing the lackluster dialogue by the author.
It was written in first person, and I never believed that those could have been Lamar's thoughts and words, no matter how hard Benedict impressed upon us Hedy's ambition to rise above being just a pretty face, her guilt and regrets, and her force of will that utilized her pretty face.
Benedict is a popular author, but I find her dialogue overly simplistic and yet tedious. I will not be reading any more of her books!
11kjmarie's review against another edition
5.0
BRB, I'm going to read Marie Benedict's entire backlog. This was a well-told account of Hedy Lamarr, a actress-scientist who was way more than just a pretty face in the times of WWII.
jlblumenfeld's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kschmucker's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
hailey's review against another edition
2.0
I've realized that novelizations of real people are just not for me. I would much rather read a biography about a person than try to guess what is fact and what is fabricated. Overall, I thought this was fine. There was a lot less science in this than I was expecting which was a bummer. The writing wasn't bad but I didn't particularly love it either.
jamicuns01's review against another edition
4.0
Hedy Lamarr is a name I had never heard of until this book. It is so unfortunate and such a tragedy that so many women are lost to our historical archives who contributed so much to the betterment of our society. And the reason for their lack of recognition? Because they were female. I enjoyed learning about Hedy’s life. It’s a great read.
abigators's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
shutterbabe22's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. I knew very little about Hedy Lamarr and now I cannot wait to learn more. She was a beautiful woman with tremendous talent, and yet, one of the things she put her heart and soul into was never recognized because she was a woman.
bitterlemon's review against another edition
1.0
I can't fathom why this has many generous ratings. It is a flat, clumsily worded fictional depiction of a real life actor. This involves the author taking any chance to cram factoids or trivia into the story, to the detriment of storytelling or entertainment as a whole.