MGPL Between the Lines Book Group discussion

Hello and welcome to our moderated Goodreads Book Discussion. James and I will be posting questions and comments over the next hour, but as always feel free to jump in and comment any time! To participate in our moderated discussion use this discussion board--either post your thoughts in a new comment or reply to a previous comment.

Any questions? Let us know!

Question #1: The title of the novel is subject to several interpretations. What meanings can you glean from the title, and how did your understanding of the meaning of The Only Woman in the Room change from the beginning of the novel to the end, if at all?

It's interesting because it felt like she was uniquely positioned in most of her endeavors as the only female in her field/line of work. Whether that was as a munitions dealer's wife hosting world leaders or a woman working in a male dominated field bringing with her a background as a glamorous Hollywood star. She never seemed a perfect fit for anything she pursued which often left her slightly at odds with her the various endeavors.

James wrote: "It's interesting because it felt like she was uniquely positioned in most of her endeavors as the only female in her field/line of work. Whether that was as a munitions dealer's wife hosting world ..."

Yeah, I thought that was one of the more interesting pieces of characterizations. You look at Hedy Lamarr and assume she had the perfect life but of course no one actually does. The book does a good job developing how awkward she must have felt, no matter how successful

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.

I also thought the title referred to her being the woman listening in and spying therefore gaining a good position to go forward with information. But I agree with Chris that it symbolizes her loneliness too. I didn't realize just how lonely of a character she was until you pointed it out.