Chris’s Comments (group member since Apr 01, 2020)

Chris’s comments from the MGPL Between the Lines Book Group group.

Hi, I've enjoyed the online format. I like that you can respond at your leisure, though I do forget to check-in and respond at an appropriate period of time. Maybe setting a window of when questions will pop up and when to respond, or does that ruin the fun?

Thanks for your insight into the title - I didn't connect her being the only female hosting world leaders as one of the reasons for the title. I think I like your interpretation a lot better than what I had interpreted.

For me, I saw the title just that she's had such a lonely life or that she feels alone from her experiences in the first half of the book. In the first half, she had almost no one she could truly trust with the horrible experiences she's had when married to Friedrich. By the second half, she had fame and success as a Hollywood starlet, but deep inside, she alone bore this survivor's remorse over her escape from Austria, not just from her husband but also from the Nazi takeover. In the evenings, she didn't care to be out mingling and preferred to stay in working on her missile project. By the end when she was on the stage for the fundraiser, I think deep inside she felt this loneliness from all her experiences that few people at the rally would understand.

Morton Grove Public Library wrote: "Maria wrote: "Morton Grove Public Library wrote: "Question 2: Hedy's acting and inventive career came about through potential one-time party conversations and chance opportunities. How do you think..."

I agree - I wish they talked about her intelligence more in the book. To me, her interest in science popped out of nowhere, and I wished it developed more organically. I was waiting for it to pop up in the first half of the book and disappointed that it never did.

I'll be a bit more generous and give this a 3 or 3.5 out of 5. I agree to the flaws of the book, and the writing style does feel a bit wooden in the later half, but the subject matter was what really kept my interest. I like reading a story of a woman who excelled in the arts but also grew in the sciences, an area that's very male-focused. Hedy battled through a lot: an abusive husband, Nazism, sexism in Hollywood, and stereotypes of intelligence as an actress and a woman. I think that the intended audience for this book is a younger demographic, but I think I still found value in it.

Maria wrote: "Chris wrote: "I've read a few library ebooks, but I read them on the hoopla app on my phone, so it's a little tedious. My e-reader is a basic kindle, and I don't think it connects to the library ap..."

Thanks for the suggestions. I tried looking for them on hoopla and overdrive but had no luck. I'll be sure to look for them when the library opens. Both look really interesting when I did a search online.

Thanks Rebecca! I checked it out and this opens up my selection a thousand-fold.

Rebecca, that's a really good point - her life in Austria was a lot more interesting than her life in the US. It seemed like the author really just wanted her narrative to be propelled by her experiences in Europe, but it makes her seem less complex a person. Her drive to invent because of her guilt felt weak. It's almost like the author was trying to make the story more factual than fictional by limiting some storytelling liberties. Her decision to be an inventor came out of nowhere in the book, like it's something you can just pick up. I dunno, maybe that part is true, but I would have liked to see how that desire for scientific discovery came about beyond her wanting to build a better torpedo. The story does come full circle for her by helping the war efforts with the fundraiser, so I guess that provided her penance.

So I said earlier that I liked the diary format because it made it easier for me to place dates with events prior to WWII. It helped me learn the history and facts better. I'd like to amend my statement in saying that it helped ease the reading, but I think it also weakened the depth of Hedy's character and the elegance of a 3rd person narrative. I only learn as much as she's able to write from a first-person perspective, and it loses some of the descriptions and interactions I would get from a more omniscient storyteller, like depth from the supporting characters. Because of it, I think Hedy's relationships feel a little flat. She claims to have dated a lot of other people, made friends with other women, etc, but we don't get any of it in the writing.

One last topic: We like talking about how the title reflects the overall mood of the book, and I don't know if I enjoyed the title coming from the last sentence. I would have liked the title to have been something more representative of her experiences moving forward, something with a little strength if most of the novel is about her running from the terrors of Europe and her husband and trying so hard to invent something that would defeat the Nazis.

I've read a few library ebooks, but I read them on the hoopla app on my phone, so it's a little tedious. My e-reader is a basic kindle, and I don't think it connects to the library apps.

That being said, I can never turn down an offer for a good recommendation! I'll look at the comic books sometimes, and I tried reading the Woman in the Window but didn't get too far.

My first impressions of the book are positive. I really enjoyed it - I've heard the name Hedy Lamarr before, but other than the actress-slash-inventor title, I can't say I knew too much about her. She was portrayed as such a strong character, determined and undeterred by what was happening to her, but how scary it was to still be manipulated by that first husband.

I enjoyed the diary-like format of the book. It made the story easy to follow. As I was reading, I would do a search on some of the characters. Beforehand, other than The Sound of Music, I didn't know much about pre-WWII Austria. I had to verify that Friedrich Mandl was an arms dealer and that Prince von Starhemberg existed.

I can't say I've read a lot of historical fiction, but when I do, I think I do the same thing and start looking up dates or events online to see how things line up. Maybe not every detail lines up, but what I value is how the authors let you feel the mood of the time. In this book, I agree with Maria that I felt Hedy's powerlessness. When I hear news reports about abuse, I am suprised when I hear people side with the aggressors and say that those who are abused deserved what they got because they were searching for fame and fortune. I think if you only read the facts of Hedy's early life, of her marrying an arms dealer, some might think she only married him for the money, but Marie Benedict brings out a story that exists for others locked in abusive situations. Yea, this is fiction, but this has relevance to the many others who get manipulated into abusive relationships, think it will get better, and end up unable to get out.

If it weren't part of the book discussion, I don't think I would have gravitated towards this book, but I'm glad it was.

Hi all. I'm Chris. I usually go to the Tuesday evening Between the Lines book discussion. Before the library closed, I wish I had the chance to check out a bunch of books I've been meaning to borrow. I have a good collection of books I've accumulated over the years at home and a few e-books, but for some reason, a library book has a certain appeal that can't be compared. This is also my first online book discussion. I've tried watching reviews on YouTube and reading comments from other readers, but like my home books vs. a good library book, doesn't have that same feel as a book group. Thanks again for setting this up!

Thank you for setting this up! I enjoyed the book and learning a bit about this amazing woman. I can't wait to hear other people's views on the book.