Marie Benedict has written another fascinating historical fiction book about a multifaceted woman that was not understood in her lifetime. This story of Heddy Lamar looks at the life she had to escape to become the star people know. And even in Hollywood there was so much more to her than being an actress. This was my favorite Marie Benedict book to date, I did not want to put it down.

A compelling and beautifully researched historical novel about a woman whose life experiences will surprise and enthrall the reader.

Hedy Lamarr (born Hedwig Kiesler) (1914-2000) was an Austrian-born American film actress and inventor. Her invention along with George Antheil wasn’t incorporated by the US Navy until the 1960s; the principles of their work are incorporated into Bluetooth technology. They were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2014.

1933, Vienna, Austria

Hedy Kiesler is a successful actress, performing in Sissy, beloved Bavarian Empress Elizabeth, at the famed Theater an der Wien.

Friedrich Mandl takes a note of her and pursues her. His company manufactures munitions, and it’s not just what he manufactures, but to whom he sells it. One of his clients is Benito Mussolini.

At 19, to Hedy’s surprise she finds him very attractive. His father agrees to the marriage, seeking security for his daughter against brewing anti-Semitism. And he hopes that this union can bring a protection for his family. They’re not religious, but they’re still Jewish.

As soon as the honeymoon follows, she already recognizes that the protection they were seeking through this marriage may not be the case. Therefore, she eavesdrops on conversations of her husband and his colleagues. “I often overheard discussions of military plans and suitable weapons, including talk of the strengths and weaknesses of Germany’s system.”

1937, she flees her husband and makes her way to London and gets a chance at second history. The head of MGM Studios offers her a contract. She sails for Hollywood, and on the ship is given her new stage name Hedy Lamarr.

As she moves to the States, she buries the secret of conversations she overheard. But as the war is progressing in Europe and the US remains unaffected, the buried secret gnaws at her.

When Hedy makes her name known in Hollywood, Germany annexes Austria. Now, she needs to get her Jewish mother out of Vienna, where she chose to remain.

“My European friends and I (…) learned that little of the truth was reported in the newspapers. Certainly, details about the Nazi invasion of Poland were described in detail, as well as the ultimatums issued to Germany by the United Kingdom and France. But as I liked to remind our group, when Hitler invaded Austria, the Nuremberg Laws were put into effect, and few newspapers reported on this.”

“Could I have helped the European Jews if I’d made known that the Nuremberg Laws were not the limit of Hitler’s plans?”

Then she meets George Antheil, a famous composer. When she learns about his wife being also European and his brother being killed when stationed in Finland for a short time, she feels a connection with him. And when they play effortlessly on a piano, changing tunes and synchronizing seamlessly, an idea comes to her mind. She asks him to work on a project with her.

There are “flaws with wired torpedoes and her desire is to craft a radio-guided torpedo system for Allies that would be precise in its aim and that would use unjammable frequencies.”

The author skillfully paints a portrait of a beautiful woman with “a sharp mind capable of significant contributions. (…) a woman capable of greatness, and not only on the screen.” Whose secret burns inside her, making her feel guilty for all the lost lives. And the sexism she encounters at the US Navy. “(…) it reflects the pervasive marginalization of women’s contributions, a problem that is both historical and modern.”

The story focuses on the parts of Hedy’s life that are relevant to the premise of the story (stated above). The chapters are short and the story is engrossing, making it a quick read.

If you’re not familiar with this author, I also highly recommend her other two novels: The Other Einstein and Carnegie’s Maid. I greatly appreciate authors, who search for lesser known subjects. I am already eagerly awaiting this author’s next novel.

This is the second book by Marie Benedict that I've read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author does a great job of illuminating the lives of little known women in history. This book delves into the life of Hedy Lamarr, a well known Hollywood film actress, who had a fierce intellect most people dismissed. She was a scientist as well as an actress and was responsible for inventions that affect the way we live today. The book was well written and an interesting read.

I LOVE novels based on true stories and The Only Woman in the Room is the perfect example of why! Marie Benedict does a fantastic job with writing a riveting storyline set from the early 1930’s through the early 1940’s centering around Hedy Lamarr. Prior to reading The Only Woman in the Room, I had heard of Hedy Lamarr the movie star, but I had no idea she was also an inventor! Hedy was a huge contributor to the to the basis of technology that is still used today! Marie Benedict has written a 4.5 star novel that is both smart and relevant that would make an incredible book club selection! Being that this is the first Marie Benedict novel I’ve read, I will be definitely checking out her previous books!

First line: My lids fluttered open, but the floodlights blinded me for a moment.

Summary: Hedy Kiesler was a young actress in Austria in 1933 when she meets Fritz Mandl, a munitions manufacturer. Her parents urge her to marry him in order to keep her safe with the threat of Nazi Germany looming over much of Europe. However, married life is not what she imagined. After fleeing her husband and the coming war, she travels to Hollywood and becomes the famously beautiful, Hedy Lamarr. As the path to war progresses, Hedy is determined to help save as many people as she can, even with very unconventional ways.

Highlights: Going into this novel I knew next to nothing about Hedy Lamarr. The one interaction with her was on the show, Timeless. I think this is one reason that I devoured this book. I did not know what to expect. Many authors have been taking readers back to the golden days of Hollywood but this is by far my favorite! Marie Benedict does a fantastic job of blending truth and fiction.

Hedy is not the normal Hollywood actress. She had other interests and was very intelligent. Her work on the guidance systems for torpedoes was leagues ahead of anyone else. It took months of work but she was not taken seriously by the men of the time. The technology is still used today in cell phones! Even though she has been called the most beautiful woman in the movies she wanted to be defined by more than that.

After finishing her story I picked up the documentary, Bombshell, which goes past Benedict’s narrative but is a great companion to it. As with all the other Hollywood stories, I had to interlibrary loan several of Hedy’s movies. I cannot wait to watch them!

Lowlights: At first I was irritated that we spent such a long time in Austria and centering around her life with her husband as I read though the pacing made more sense. When Hedy arrives in the United States, she feels the guilt of leaving behind her loved ones. In addition, the knowledge she gains from her time with her husband help inform her for her inventions. I was sad that it ended so soon when there was still so much of her life to live but I think that now I have had time to reflect that the author made a good choice of ending it where she did.

FYI: If you enjoyed this than try books by Susan Meissner and Melanie Benjamin.

Interesting story of Hedy Lamarr, the actress and inventor. Her early years in Vienna as an assimilated Jew and well regarded actress to her marriage to an arms merchant and Nazi collaborator and her escape from that marriage. Landing in Hollywood with success coming almost immediately she was looking for ways to help the war effort when she she honed in on radio waves and torpedoes. Lamarr had a brilliant mind but she could never get past the most beautiful woman in the world handle and the inherent sexism that was prevelent in the 30's and 40's. Her invention eventually led to cell phone technology but by then it was too late for her to be recognized. A well researched book and a fascinating story made more interesting because it's true.

This book is really well written. I enjoyed reading about Hedy Lamarr; an actress I had heard of but have never seen anything that she’s been in. If you are a fan of any kind of historical fiction, especially if it’s set in the WWII era, check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

Hedy Lamarr's life is certainly one worth reading about, and I left this book wanting to pick up more about her. However, the style of writing here was overbooked to me and felt stilted and difficult to read smoothly. Also, because Lamarr is a real person, I might prefer non-fiction to this fictionalization. I found myself trying to pick the truth from the embellished.

It's 1933 in Vienna, Austria and Hedwig Kiesler is starring in a play "Sissy" about Empress Elizabeth. To a standing ovation, she receives a dozen bouquets of roses in various colors. Embarrassed at the attention given to her, as the audience sits down, one man stands up...Freidrich Mandl. This powerful man, an Austrian arms dealer and an important man as it turns out in the political arena of what's to come is enamored of Ms. Kiesler and he sets out to "court" her. These are dangerous times, with the rise of Nazism and the dictatorship of both Hitler and Mussolini, along with the antisemitism that is suffocating the Jewish citizens, one must be careful. Hedy is only 19 years old at the time and is very much taken with the attentions of this man, the man who has asked her parents for her hand in marriage. It is a double edge sword, as Jews do they allow this or not? For Hedy the fact that she was Jewish did not enter her mind, as the family were Jewish in name only, not in practice. Yet, feeling they have no choice, and thinking they would be protected by Mandl's power, they give their permission.

They marry and it is only then that Hedy finds herself the wife of a man she really doesn't know. Controlling and demanding, using her as he would any other decoration in a room, she is now his prisoner. Finally, after 4 years and one failed attempt to escape from him, she succeeds and flees to Paris, then on to London and eventually Hollywood. With the help of L.B. Mayer, she becomes the movie star, Hedy Lamarr. Yet, is she trading one type of prison for another? Is she becoming the prisoner of another demanding male and all that it entails or will she control her own destiny?

With the Nazis taking control of the Continent, Hedy's guilt over what she knows from her previous life with Mandl and her Jewish roots force her to make a momentous decision. It was her desire to craft a radio-guided torpedo system for the allies, one that would use unjammable frequencies. An inventor, with the help of George Antheil, they were able to succeed in their quest, but who would believe an actress?

Hedy Lamarr was an actress, a wife, an inventor....a beautiful woman. She wore many masks, had many faults, but she was human. Was it guilt that plagued her, the fact that she was Jewish and had turned her back when her country and fellow Jews needed her? That she had the knowledge of what was happening in Austria and she could have said something, or done something instead of staying silent? This book, excellently written, gives you food for thought, would perhaps want you to believe that in the end she was indeed guilt ridden. Only told from the years 1933 through 1942, there is much more to her story, to her life. So, we will never really know. But seen through the writing of this novel, it would be easy to say "yes" guilt played a large part in her life. Yet, it is the reader who has to make up their own mind, but be that as it may, I came away feeling sad about the life she led.

Thank you to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an e-ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review. I'm not sure how I missed two things: One, that I've read this author's other books, and two, that it was about Hedy Lamarr, but set as historical fiction. Imagine my surprise when in part II, it focuses on that. I've actually been wanting to learn more about her, especially in light of her patents and assistance in the war. This book exceeded my expectations and drew me in from the start. If you enjoy historical fiction, Hollywood, or books with a WW II background, you will love this book. Highly recommended