Back Cover Blurb of The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict:
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.
“Rulers and movements may rise and fall, but the power of money always prevails,” Fritz said. While ostensibly a summary of some facet of Napoleonic history, it seemed a fitting statement of Fritz’s own political beliefs. Power, it seemed, was an end unto itself for Fritz.”
― Marie Benedict, The Only Woman in the Room
This book is the second I have read by Marie Benedict. I liked it better than The Other Einstein because I did not enjoy fictionalized accounts of Albert physically abusing his first wife. As far as I am aware, there is not confirmed evidence of this. He was a jerk for sure, as a romantic partner, but I’m still in a mindset that allegations of beating up your wife in front of your kids needs substantiated evidence, even if everyone in question are already dead. So, even though I liked learning about Mileva Marić, I was not wild about that book, but intrigued enough about the concept to try again.
I enjoyed The Only Woman in the Room more. I am reflecting on why I have an easier time accepting that Hedy Lemarr’s first husband, an arms dealer known as the merchant of death was controlling and abusive, but it seems pretty well documented that Hedy literally escaped him, so there is that. Anyway, it seems common for Benedict’s book to partially read like romance novels that devolve into abusive situations with a side of glossed over science. It was a digestible way to learn a lot more about an amazing woman. In theory, I love the idea of popularizing narratives of strong woman. In that vein, I like that Hedy ultimately triumphed, which is probably why I enjoyed her story over Marić’s. In some respects, it reminds me of the artist that drew strong women as Disney-style princesses in 2013.
When the princesses came out, I loved them. Now, I am older and my feelings are more complex, even when looking at it as satire. Benedict’s books might be a step in the direction of popularizing female scientists stories, but I don’t know if I will keep reading them.