Book Bloomer

I’m torn with The Only Woman in the Room(paid link). Is it well-written? Yes. Is it interesting? Yes. Does it contain bundles of historical information while keeping the narrative going? Yes.

So, you may be wondering then why I gave it three stars and the answer is this – Marie Benedict is capable of much more than the final draft of this novel. In a previous review, I praised Carnegie’s Maid, by Marie Benedict, for how wonderful and enjoyable it was. With The Only Woman in the Room however, it lacks the intrigue and irresistibility that I know Benedict is capable of.

This novel is about a woman, Hedy, who loves to act and is living in Austria before WWII. Through her popular theatre career, she catches the unwarranted attention of the most powerful man in Austria. Day after day he pursues her until finally they are to be married. Unfortunately for her, his power stems from evil friendships and day-to-day work that is horrifying to her and her Jewish descent.

Without giving too much away – Hedy must take on the hardest acting role of all to be his wife and plan an escape at the same time.

The narrative jumps around too much. While a lot of time must be covered, readers still need to feel connected and involved in what they are reading. When a narrative jumps around as much as this one, while also throwing a lot of historical and scientific information at its’ readers, it is too hard for them to make the novel their world.

I wouldn’t recommend this novel to anyone, although I wouldn’t discourage it either. It is simply an interesting read that ties in history and fiction to make the past come to life.