Tuesday, May 7, 2019

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

39971465

Title: The Only Woman in the Room
Author: Marie Benedict
Published: 2019
Call #: Fic/Benedict

Do you like reading untold stories about famous women? The Only Woman in the Room, reveals the untold story of the famous Hollywood actress, Hedy Lamarr. In this new book from Benedict, the author of The Other Einstein and Carnegie’s Maid, comes another story of a beautiful actress and genius who makes a major contribution to science as a result of her involvement with the Allies during World War II.

The story begins in 1933 with Friedrich Mandl, an Austrian armament manufacturer, sending flowers to the theater where Hedy is starring in a play about the last Austrian Empress. Mandl is charming and powerful, persisting in pursuing Hedy until she finally agrees to begin dating him. Hedy has seen what is happening to the Jews in Austria with the Nazis gaining influence. She believes that by marrying him, she may be able to protect her family from harm. After they marry, she is kept from her family and friends, becoming a virtual prisoner in her home, where she and her husband host dinner parties and gatherings for powerful men in the Nazi regime. She listens carefully and learns many secrets about the Nazi’s military movements. As her husband’s controlling ways become more and more harsh, Heddy begins to plot her escape. After fleeing to Paris, she eventually ends up in Hollywood and begins to pursue regaining her acting career. However, she has a deep-seeded guilt because she was protected from the persecution and for her husband’s role in the Nazi regime. She knew about the military plans and could not do anything about them. In Hollywood, she is part of a group of Europeans who gather to share information on the countries under siege and those they left behind. Hedy is looking for something she can do to alleviate her guilt. She has an idea that might help put down the Nazis, but will she be listened to or disregarded as just another pretty Hollywood actress?

Recommended for those who enjoyed Benedict’s other novels: The Other Einstein and Carnegie’s Maid.

Michaelle S.

Popular Materials Asst.