The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict: A Book Review

The Only Woman in the Room
Author: Marie Benedict
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Release Date: January 8, 2019
Pages: 272
Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis: She possessed a stunning beauty. She also possessed a stunning mind. Could the world handle both?

Her beauty almost certainly saved her from the rising Nazi party and led to marriage with an Austrian arms dealer. Underestimated in everything else, she overheard the Third Reich's plans while at her husband's side, understanding more than anyone would guess. She devised a plan to flee in disguise from their castle, and the whirlwind escape landed her in Hollywood. She became Hedy Lamarr, screen star.

But she kept a secret more shocking than her heritage or her marriage: she was a scientist. And she knew a few secrets about the enemy. She had an idea that might help the country fight the Nazis...if anyone would listen to her.

A powerful novel based on the incredible true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication, The Only Woman in the Room is a masterpiece.

My Review: Everyone knows that Hedy Lamarr was one of Hollywood’s most glamorous movie stars. Yet, Hedy Lamarr was more than just a pretty face. She was a brilliant woman whose greatest contribution was the invention of the spread spectrum technology. She was inducted posthumously into the National Inventors Hall of Fame. The Only Woman in the Room shows the difficulties Heady struggled with becoming a serious actress and an accomplished inventor in her own right. However, because of her beauty and that she is a woman, she is not taken seriously. Heady soon feels that she will never be recognized for her works and will always face the stigma of being a dazzling movie star.

I have heard of Hedy Lamarr. However, I did not know much about her life. I found Hedy’s story to be very fascinating. She was a woman ahead of her times. She made a contribution that we use today like Wi-Fi, GPS, and Bluetooth. Yet, throughout her life she never got the recognition and respect that she deserved. Her first husband controlled her every move. She got movie roles based on her looks rather than her talent and her invention was rejected by the US navy because of her gender. I also admired her compassion to save millions in WWII. Hedy was a very sympathetic figure, and I wanted her to find her happiness.

Overall, this novel is about a misunderstood woman who yearns to find her own freedom in life. Besides Hedy, I thought the other characters were very trite and clichéd. Most of the men in the novel were male chauvinists. Half of the novel was spent on Hedy’s relationship to her abusive and controlling husband that I thought sometimes dragged the plot. The writing was choppy and disrupted the flow of the novel. Despite these flaws, I thought this novel did an exemplary job in showing Hedy’s achievements. The Only Woman in the Room proves that Hedy’s tale is an inspiration for women. It encourages them not to give up on their dreams despite the obstacles.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World by Shelley Puhak: A Book Review

The Dark Queens: The Bloody Rivalry that Forged the Medieval World Author: Shelley Puhak Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography Publisher: Bloomsbury Release Date: February 22, 2022 Pages: 378 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: The remarkable, little-known story of two trailblazing women in the Early Middle Ages who wielded immense power, only to be vilified for daring to rule. Brunhild was a foreign princess, raised to be married off for the sake of alliance-building. Her sister-in-law Fredegund started out as a lowly palace slave. And yet-in sixth-century Merovingian France, where women were excluded from noble succession and royal politics was a blood sport-these two iron-willed strategists reigned over vast realms, changing the face of Europe. The two queens commanded armies and negotiated with kings and popes. They formed coalitions and broke them, mothered children and lost them. They fought a decades-long civil war-against each ot

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) by Lucinda Riley: A Book Review

The Seven Sisters (The Seven Sisters #1) Author: Lucinda Riley Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance Publisher: Atria Release Date: 2015 Pages: 463 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis: Maia D’Apliese and her five sisters gather together at their childhood home, “Atlantis”—a fabulous, secluded castle situated on the shores of Lake Geneva—having been told that their beloved father, who adopted them all as babies, has died. Each of them is handed a tantalizing clue to her true heritage—a clue which takes Maia across the world to a crumbling mansion in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Once there, she begins to put together the pieces of her story and its beginnings. Eighty years earlier in Rio’s Belle Epoque of the 1920s, Izabela Bonifacio’s father has aspirations for his daughter to marry into the aristocracy. Meanwhile, architect Heitor da Silva Costa is devising plans for an enormous statue, to be called Christ the Redeemer, and will soon travel to Paris to find the right sculptor to

History from a Woman's Perspective- A Book Blog

Search This Blog