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.