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

Book Review

The Only Woman in the Room

Marie Benedict

Book Description:

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.

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My Five-Star Review:

Hedy Lamarr—when you hear this name you think of the glamorous actress who commanded the silver screen. But she was much more than a pretty face or a talented actress. Raised by a father who appreciated her intelligence and encouraged her in all things, married to a man who was in bed with the Third Reich, and refugee from Austria right before her home country is taken over by Hitler, she had an incredible past that forged her future; helping her accomplish her greatest achievement of all.

The Only Woman in the Room is a wonderful story that depicts just how intelligent and inventive she was. She was a strong woman who stood up to movie executives most people feared and the U.S. military that rejected her ideas because she was a woman. The author knows her history well and mixes Hedy’s story amidst the outbreak of World War II, keeping the reader entertained and informed throughout. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical biographical fiction.

About the Author:

Once a New York City lawyer, Marie Benedict had long dreamed about a fantastical job unraveling the larger mysteries of the past as an archaeologist or historian -- before she tried her hand at writing. While drafting her first book, she realized that she could excavate the possible truths lurking in history through fiction, and has done so in THE OTHER EINSTEIN, the story of Mileva Maric, Albert Einstein's first wife and a physicist herself, and CARNEGIE'S MAID, the story of a brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie toward philanthropy. Her upcoming novel, THE ONLY WOMAN IN THE ROOM, will release in January of 2019. She is a graduate of Boston College and the Boston University School of Law, and lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

If you enjoyed this novel about Hedy Lamarr, I also recommend the novel, Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr by Margaret Porter. It is a comprehensive historical fiction story of Hedy’s life that you will find intriguing. Read my review here.