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

informative inspiring 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? No

3.5

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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