The Only Woman in the Room

I found the story of Hedy Lamarr, which I didn't really know prior to this novel, completely fascinating. Not just a film starlet, Hedy was an Austrian Jew, married to a fascist warlord prior to escaping to the US where she invited frequency hopping. It's a story of transformation from resignation and despair to claiming agency. But I think I would have rather read an actual biography than a fictionalized pseudo-biography. I don't really enjoy real-person fictionalizations and I found Benedict's dialogue quite twee.

I had heard somewhere that Hedy Lamarr was more than just a beautiful actress, but it was really interesting to get the whole story. Even though this was a novel, it read like a biography and I think the basic story is factual. From her entertaining world leaders in politics and manufacturing to her escape from Nazi Europe to her self-taught scientific knowledge to her improved torpedo design, the book was a revelation of how much more she accomplished than we know from the films she made. It was also interesting to think about how her outward appearance led to others making assumptions about her, and how she sometimes used that to her advantage and other times it worked against her. I was infuriated that the US Navy refused to consider show more her improved torpedo design because it was conceived by a woman. We've come a long way, baby -- or have we?? show less

I read no reviews prior to reading [b:The Only Woman in the Room|39971465|The Only Woman in the Room|Marie Benedict|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1529420612s/39971465.jpg|61879906], but now that I've finished I've looked at a few, and I have to say I agree with the observation that Lamarr's story would have been more enjoyable as a true biography than a fictionalized one.

I was familiar with the broad strokes of her life before I began the book: that she had escaped the threat of Nazism, had a hugely successful Hollywood career, and had developed weapons technology that was rejected by the military in WWII but later adapted for other uses. On the other hand, I knew virtually nothing about her life in Austria, and perhaps that is show more why I found the first half of the book more satisfying than the latter part. When you are already familiar with a subject, the author's storytelling skills become much more important to holding your interest. In the case of this book, those skills fell short after Hedy left Europe.

Although I have no doubt that Lamarr's gender and status were the reasons the military ignored the frequency hopping invention she developed along with George Antheil, having the fictionalized Hedy relate the story in the first person diminished the impact for me. And Hedy's self-recriminations about avoiding Hitler's "final solution" came across as contrived, a way to create at least one character flaw. It seems unrealistic to think that in that time and place her inside information about Hitler's plans would have been any better received than her invention was some years later.

It could be that the story of any extraordinary woman - or man - is best told by a third party, preferably one with access to primary source material. With all that said, though, this was a quick read, not a waste of time, and I truly did enjoy the first half. show less

The Only Woman in the Room brings to life the fascinating and often overlooked story of Hedy Lamarr, a brilliant actress and inventor. Set against the backdrop of World War II, this historical fiction novel beautifully blends Lamarr’s glamorous Hollywood career with her pioneering work in technology, which would later help shape modern communication.

Benedict’s writing is engaging, and the way she weaves Lamarr’s personal struggles with her professional accomplishments makes for a compelling and emotional read. The novel delves into the challenges Hedy faced, not only as a woman in a male-dominated industry but also as a refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria. It’s a powerful reminder of how often history overlooks women’s show more contributions.

While the pacing can slow at times, and some of the supporting characters could have been more developed, The Only Woman in the Room is still a captivating and enlightening read. It’s a great choice for anyone who loves historical fiction, strong female protagonists, and stories of hidden brilliance. show less

Hedy Lamarr – Hollywood Star of the glorious 1940s with an unknown past. She grew up in Vienna where she had her first successful performances which attracted the attention of Fritz Mandl, an influential military arms manufacturer. Being Jewish wasn’t that big a problem at the time, but her father already felt that refusing a man like Mandl added to their religion wasn’t a good idea and thus, she first accepted the invitation to dinner and finally married him. But soon after their honeymoon, things changed drastically and the only role she was allowed to play was that of the silent wife who was nice to look at. What her husband did underestimate was her quick wit and her capacity of listening. And listen she did when he met the show more big players who prepared for a new world order with the help of her husband’s weapons. After her successful escape to the US, she used her intelligence and her knowledge for revenge: she developed a radio guidance system for torpedoes.

Admittedly, I had never heard of Hedy Lamarr before starting to read the novel. And even at the beginning I supposed the protagonist was simply a fictional character. When I became aware of the actual background, the woman’s life felt even more impressive than just the narration which I already liked a lot.

The actress is the narrator and centre of the novel and it does not take too long for the reader to figure out that she isn’t just the nice face and talented actress but a smart woman interested in everyday politics with a sharp and alert mind. She follows her father’s line of thoughts about Mandl’s advances and understands that she isn’t in a position to freely decide. The way she planned her escape shows not only how clever she can plot but also her courage. In America she is first reduced to the beautiful actress and it surely hit her hard when her invention was refused by the navy. If it rally was because she was a woman as the novel suggests or if there were other motives doesn’t really matter – she wasn’t recognised for what she was, but only for what people saw in her. Hopefully narratives of these kind of women help to change the mind of those who still believe that the looks go hand in hand with a simple mind. show less

Really enjoyed this one, a fictionalized biography that pays tribute to the little known scientific contributions of the stunning and talented Hedy Lamarr

I was only vaguely familiar with the actress Hedy Lamarr and was really surprised with what an interesting life she led and her scientific achievements.
The story takes us from Nazi occupied Germany and Lamarr’s earlier career to her time as a Hollywood star.
I was aware that I was reading a fictionalized biography but I really enjoyed the read and couldn't put the book down. I was intrigued by this lady and her brilliant mind. I did research her on completion of the book and watched a couple of documentaries on YouTube which were really interesting too.

I listened to this one on show more Audible and while I wasn’t a fan of the narrator I really did enjoy the story.

A fascinating and surprising read and a book that will go onto my favorites list. show less

Hedwig Kiesler is a young wealthy Jewish girl living in Vienna. She longs to be a famous actress but also is interested in science. Her father encourages her to pursue both. She is just gaining respect as an actress when she meets her biggest fan, Fritz Mandl. Mandl has quite a reputation with women and as an Austrian arms dealer. But Hedwig’s parents are concerned about the developing hatred for Jews and believes a marriage between Hedwig and Fritz will save them all. Once Hedwig marries Fritz, she realizes she made a terrible mistake and is imprisoned and abused by her controlling husband. She begins to listen in on conversations at their dinner parties and learns military secrets that she passes on to her husband, hoping to use show more those secrets to escape from him. Those secrets lead her to become an inventor of a unique radio-communication devise that may help win the war.

I was completely riveted by this book and found it fascinating. I well remember the actress Hedy Lamarr, having watched many of her old movies on TV when I was young. I also knew that this beautiful actress was also the inventor of a radio guidance system that was eventually used in the development of Bluetooth and Wi-fi. But this book opened up her world to me in such a mesmerizing way. The author has a talent for bringing her characters to life. Parts of this book read like a suspenseful thriller and I couldn’t put it down. Most impressive was the focus the author gave to the difficulties Hedy encountered when she presented her invention to the navy and it was refused simply because they said it would be hard for them to sell their soldiers and sailors on a weapons system created by a woman and that they weren’t even going to try. And this was decided when they had a faulty torpedo system in place. She was told that she would do better selling war bonds. I was so glad to read in a postscript that many years later, in the 1990’s, she was finally given recognition and awards for her invention.

Most highly recommended.

This book was given to me by the publisher in return for an honest review. show less