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A review by book_concierge
The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
3.0
3.5***
Hedy Lamarr was a movie star in the 1930s-50s, known for her ethereal beauty. She was also a highly intelligent, self-taught scientist and inventor. In this novel, Benedict tries to shed more light on the hidden aspects of Lamarr’s life, particularly her scientific inventions that led to advances in technology that we use today.
I knew some of this before reading the book, but still found it fascinating and engaging. Benedict spends the first half of the book exploring Hedy Kiesler’s life in Vienna, Austria, where at age nineteen she met and married a wealthy, powerful industrialist – Fritz Mandl. Part Two chronicles her efforts, once she’s arrived in Hollywood, to help the Allies win against Hitler.
She used the knowledge she gleaned from conversations she overheard between her husband and various political leaders, as well as her native intelligence, creativity and critical thinking to invent a device that would help make American naval operations virtually immune to radio interference. Unfortunately, she faced an uphill battle as the men in power could not even imagine taking her seriously, despite her having received a patent for the invention.
It’s an interesting tale, and Benedict does a good job of telling it. I was quickly drawn into the story and found it a compelling read.
Hedy Lamarr was a movie star in the 1930s-50s, known for her ethereal beauty. She was also a highly intelligent, self-taught scientist and inventor. In this novel, Benedict tries to shed more light on the hidden aspects of Lamarr’s life, particularly her scientific inventions that led to advances in technology that we use today.
I knew some of this before reading the book, but still found it fascinating and engaging. Benedict spends the first half of the book exploring Hedy Kiesler’s life in Vienna, Austria, where at age nineteen she met and married a wealthy, powerful industrialist – Fritz Mandl. Part Two chronicles her efforts, once she’s arrived in Hollywood, to help the Allies win against Hitler.
She used the knowledge she gleaned from conversations she overheard between her husband and various political leaders, as well as her native intelligence, creativity and critical thinking to invent a device that would help make American naval operations virtually immune to radio interference. Unfortunately, she faced an uphill battle as the men in power could not even imagine taking her seriously, despite her having received a patent for the invention.
It’s an interesting tale, and Benedict does a good job of telling it. I was quickly drawn into the story and found it a compelling read.