The Only Woman in the Room

by Marie Benedict

Overview

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

THE USA TODAY BESTSELLER

Bestselling author Marie Benedict reveals the story of a brilliant woman scientist only remembered for her beauty.

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 and understood 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 had an idea that might help the country fight the Nazis and revolutionize modern communication...if anyone would listen to her.

A powerful book based on the incredible true story of the glamour icon and scientist, The Only Woman in the Room is a masterpiece that celebrates the many women in science that history has overlooked.

Other Bestselling Historical Fiction from Marie Benedict:

The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

Lady Clementine

Carnegie's Maid

The Other Einstein

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492666899
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	08/06/2019
Pages:	336
Sales rank:	7,361
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Marie Benedictis a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in history and art history and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. Marie, the author of The Other Einstein, Carnegie’s Maid, The Only Woman in the Room, and Lady Clementine, views herself as an archaeologist of sorts, telling the untold stories of women. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

Editorial Reviews

10/01/2018
In her rousing historical novel, Benedict (Carnegie’s Maid) imagines lesser known aspects of Hedy Lamarr’s life—before she took the film world by storm in the ’40s, and her later efforts as a hobbyist inventor during her acting years. In 1933, 19-year-old Hedwig “Hedy” Keisler, of Jewish heritage, is performing in a stage production in Vienna when she catches the eye of military munitions manufacturer Friedrich Mandl. His wealth and influence in the face of threats to Austria’s precarious independence lead Hedy’s parents to encourage a union. Mandl is a controlling, abusive husband, but the keenly intelligent Hedy—whose intellectual curiosity was always encouraged by her father—absorbs every word of her husband’s meetings with high-level political and military operatives, hiding her growing horror at her husband’s willingness to offer concessions to fascist influences. In 1937, Hedy escapes his hold and heads to Los Angeles, where she takes the screen name of Lamarr and strikes a lucrative contract with MGM. As her career blossoms and war wages in Europe, Hedy, learning of Hitler’s treatment of Jews, sets out to create something that could change the stakes in the Allied effort: a radio-guided torpedo system far superior to the one already in use. Benedict paints a shining portrait of a complicated woman who knows the astonishing power of her beauty but longs to be recognized for her sharp intellect. Readers will be enthralled. Agent: Laura Dail, Laura Dail Literary Agency. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

"Once again, Benedict shines a literary spotlight on a historical figure whose talents and achievements have been overlooked, with sparkling results. The Only Woman in the Room is page-turning tapestry of intrigue and glamour about a woman who refuses to be taken for granted. Spell-binding and timely." — Fiona Davis, national bestselling author of The Masterpiece

"Benedict paints a shining portrait of a complicated woman…Readers will be enthralled." — Publishers Weekly

"A captivating story of a complicated woman blazing new trails." — Kirkus Reviews

"[A] compelling fictionalized biography pays tribute to the overlooked scientific contributions and the hidden depths of a stunning beauty and beloved movie star." — Booklist

"Relevant today, especially women’s worth in a man’s world… a worthy read about this gorgeous and talented woman." — New York Journal of Books

"The fictional account Marie Benedict has woven is insightful, moving, and impossible to put down!" — Shelf Awareness

"This. Book. Is. Amazing." — Woman’s Day

"A spellbinding reading experience that implies that even celebrities are still human just like everyone else in the world." — Midwest Book Reviews

From the Publisher