A review by elbowglitter
The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

emotional informative medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

This story focused on Hedy Lamarr’s life mostly outside of her film career - starting with her early marriage and mostly unknown relationship with a man who was essentially an arms dealer, to her life in America and wartime inventions. I personally enjoyed the first half of the book more - as it was a story I didn’t know. I actually would have liked more about her film career interspersed -  because she did both - invented and acted, and that balance must have been complicated. 

One thing that pulled me out of the story was
the discussion of her adopted child, as it is now known that he was actually her biological child - so this savioresque tale of rescuing a child in need really fell flat.  Plus she all but abandoned him when he was very young. He should have just been left completely out of the story.
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