Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr, by Steven Michael Shearer
Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in the World, by Ruth Barton
I’ve recently read two books on Hedy Lamarr, which, under ordinary circumstances, would be two too many.
“Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr” by Steven Michael Shearer is a standard-issue star bio, while Ruth Barton’s “Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in the World” has more on its mind.
Lamarr was a Viennese with minimal expression but a devastatingly perfect face and body. She was a star for just a tad over 10 years, with Cecil B. DeMille’s “Samson and Delilah” serving as her last hurrah.
She seems not to have been terribly well-liked, as she was tossed aside by the industry at the first sign of middle age, always a sign of a personality deemed to be more trouble than it’s worth.
In the 1950s and ’60s she declined into pretty ragged circumstances and even more ragged choices in men. She mostly got notice in later years for shoplifting incidents and a ghosted autobiography that was deemed scandalous.
She was financially rescued by a settlement for an unauthorized use of her image in an ad, after which she proved to have a good instinct for the stock market. She died in Florida in 2000.
Oh yes: She also collaborated with the composer George Antheil on the World War II invention that led to cellphone technology — and no, she never saw a dime from it.
There’s certainly enough for a book here. On balance, my vote goes to the Barton volume, which is better written and more acute about Lamarr’s peculiar and often frantic choices.
On the other hand, being among the most beautiful woman of your time, it has to be an occasion for anguish when the looks start to go.
Scott Eyman, Cox News Service
Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later. . ., by Francine Pascal
The stars of the young-adult book series “Sweet Valley” have grown up.
Twins Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield were introduced in “Sweet Valley High” in the early 1980s. The beautiful blond teens with peaches- and-cream skin — they’re a perfect size 6 — live in Sweet Valley, Calif. Elizabeth is sensitive, thoughtful and responsible, while Jessica is more emotional, selfish and materialistic.
In Francine Pascal’s “Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later…,” the twins are in their late 20s. Elizabeth discovers that her longtime boyfriend, Todd Wilkins, is having an affair with Jessica, and she flees to New York City.
Jessica, who becomes engaged to Todd, is desperate for her twin’s forgiveness. But Elizabeth never wants to see her, or Todd, ever again. However, the twins must attend a party celebrating their grandmother’s 80th birthday. So Elizabeth comes up with a vengeful plan to destroy Jessica and Todd’s relationship.
The story unfolds with a series of flashbacks to fill in the blanks about what happened to the twins in the decade following their teenage years. There are some references to plots in earlier books that loyal readers with sharp memories will remember.
Yes, the plot of “Sweet Valley Confidential” is cheesy, and the writing won’t win any awards. But it’s a fun read. Time has made Elizabeth a little less perfect, and Jessica is less catty.
Screenwriter Diablo Cody is adapting the “Sweet Valley High” series for a film. And Pascal has written three spinoff series, “Sweet Valley Twins,” “Sweet Valley Kids” and “Sweet Valley University.” Will more “Sweet Valley” books be published? If the popularity of previous books is an indicator, readers are still interested in knowing what happens next.
Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press
