The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict
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Web ID: 16778395Compelling Story of Beauty, Brains, and Bravery
I certainly can’t say it better than the author herself.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Interesting read
This is a telling of the life of Hedy Lamarr. Part one is about her life in Austria. Part two is about her life in America. Both are very good but part one is dark whereas part two is a lighter telling. Very unusual woman with many talents.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
“You’ll be kicked in the teeth.”
The phrase comes from a poem Hedy Lamarr left on an answering machine to one of her kids: “Give the world the best you have. And you’ll be kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.” It’s a summation of how the beautiful movie star must have felt about her life, when her keen mind struggled to be recognized behind her beautiful face.. It also expresses the insight Benedict gives in this absorbing novel about the complex life of Austrian-born Hedy Keisler – wife of a high-level Nazi sympathizer, anxious Jewish daughter, Hollywood superstar, scientific inventor. Benedict captures a voice for Lamarr that’s distinct, desperate, intelligent. Told against the backdrop of WWII’s mounting tension, the book shows Lamarr caught between Hollywood’s indifferent glamor and her nagging need to take action. Her scientific mind saw the opportunity to solve a persistent problem with torpedoes. She did it, only to face frustrating opposition. In a documentary Lamarr said,“The brains of people are more interesting than the looks, I think. People have had the idea that I’m sort of a stupid thing.” This is a compelling, surprising story. I’m grateful Benedict gives Lamarr her due. Repost of review at goodreads.com
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
an extraordinary woman by any standard
In the past few years, the late Hedy Lamarr is finally getting some of the credit due her for her wartime scientific inventions that paved the way for Bluetooth, among other things. This is a fictional memoir based on real events in Hedy's life. Because she was a beautiful woman, an actress and married to a Nazi sympathizer, there are many perceptions about her which may or may not be true. I appreciate that Marie Benedict chose the first person for the narration, because it's like she is giving Hedy back her voice. Hedy was an extraordinary woman by any standard. However, this book left me wanting more than what Benedict provided. Perhaps there were not enough reliable biographical sources, or perhaps it was the choices made by Benedict, but I wanted to know more about Hedy the scientist. Benedict refers to her library and reading time, but not in any detail. What drew her to science and engineering in the first place, at what age, and how did she constantly reconcile or move between the scientific, intellectual Hedy and the worldly Hedy who had to navigate cultural expectations? That extra insight would have made this a 5-star read for me.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great read, wish it was longer
**Possible spoilers. Not anything specific, but this review may spoil the book.** This is the first book my Marie Benedict I've read, and I have all of her others on my to-read list. I didn't know much about Hedy Lamarr before purchasing; in fact, I'd only heard of her through the movie Blazing Saddles. The writing was nice, and I liked the first-person point of view. The book focused a lot on Hedy's early life and her first marriage to Frederick Mandl, and a bit on her acting career once she got to America, but her scientific mind and endeavors felt just barely touched on, even though that seemed to be the point of the book. I wish it was a little bit longer and had really delved more into her understanding of radio signal technology and her other inventions, instead of just a few sentences and mentions of books she'd read while married to Mandl. Though I guess it did service its purpose in piquing my interest to look her up in greater detail myself. But overall, I really liked the book and the writing style, and will definitely read another by Marie Benedict.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
What an amazing woman!
I only knew of Hedy Lamarr as a movie star from the 1940's and that was it. I wish my parents were still alive to ask them if they saw any of her movies when they first came out. This is a great story that proves that one person can make a difference, all they have to do is try. She is an inspiration to all women that feel marginalized or ignored showing that we all have something to offer. Just think, if she hadn't had that "Ah Ha moment", would life as we know it today be the same? On a lighter note, my "to do list" now includes watching all of her movies starting with Algiers. This was a very satisfying read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Could not put it down!
I had no idea who Hedy Lamarr was. I purchased this book because I had heard good things about it, I was not disappointed. If anything, Marie Benedict has only motivated me to learn more about Hedy Lamarr. I loved how she was able to transport the reader back to Vienna in a difficult time. It’s definitely a book I recommend.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com