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The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by
hayleyjoreads's review against another edition
2.0
I did like this BUT it wasn’t really a biography about Milicent Patrick. It was a memoir of a fan researching her and searching for her. So while entertaining it wasn’t really what was expected.
oliviakt07's review against another edition
5.0
During my final months of working in my hometown's public library I would pass an eye-catching, green spine every time I did a walk through in the biography section. Day after day the spine beckoned me, and my life was never the same after finally giving in to its call.
I am talking, of course, about Mallory O'Meara's, The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick, a homage to the now undeniable and unforgettable Milicent Patrick.
Those who criticized O'Meara for "pushing her feminist agenda on readers" aside, this book not only gave Patrick her grotesquely ignored dues, it also (along with O'Meara's personal experiences) inspired women of any creative medium to not sit idly and watch others plagiarize your work or oppress you.
O'Meara gives readers as much as she could find regarding what made Patrick stunning (looks aside), as well as what made her human (edges and all). In turn, O'Meara herself views her hero in a new perspective, which she admits is rewarding and humbling in ways she never expected. The following passage stood out to me due to how fitting it is to many sheroes throughout history:
"The problem with being the only woman to ever do something is that you have to be perfect...(Milicent) has to be superhuman." (119-20).
As previously mentioned, I am wholeheartedly grateful that I read this book when I did, and would encourage it for anyone who is approaching a transition in the story of their life. Many of us, myself included, will continue to struggle with those days where one puts immeasurable pressure on one’s imagination and feelings in order to be “good enough". However, as O’Meara and Patrick have shown us, a rough period of time is often followed by a time to celebrate.
I am talking, of course, about Mallory O'Meara's, The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick, a homage to the now undeniable and unforgettable Milicent Patrick.
Those who criticized O'Meara for "pushing her feminist agenda on readers" aside, this book not only gave Patrick her grotesquely ignored dues, it also (along with O'Meara's personal experiences) inspired women of any creative medium to not sit idly and watch others plagiarize your work or oppress you.
O'Meara gives readers as much as she could find regarding what made Patrick stunning (looks aside), as well as what made her human (edges and all). In turn, O'Meara herself views her hero in a new perspective, which she admits is rewarding and humbling in ways she never expected. The following passage stood out to me due to how fitting it is to many sheroes throughout history:
"The problem with being the only woman to ever do something is that you have to be perfect...(Milicent) has to be superhuman." (119-20).
As previously mentioned, I am wholeheartedly grateful that I read this book when I did, and would encourage it for anyone who is approaching a transition in the story of their life. Many of us, myself included, will continue to struggle with those days where one puts immeasurable pressure on one’s imagination and feelings in order to be “good enough". However, as O’Meara and Patrick have shown us, a rough period of time is often followed by a time to celebrate.
blklagoon's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.75
I found both the story of Milicent and the story of how the author tracked down the information equally fascinating, as both a huge Creature From the Black Lagoon fan and someone who works in film. I just wish there were more of the photos mentioned in the book.
hellomorimoto's review against another edition
1.0
This was a struggle. I struggled, the author struggled. I wanted to read a biography about the original designer for the Creature from the Black Lagoon. About 30% of this book was the biography I wanted. The rest of the time, the author recounted her personal life, her work experience, her experience finding this information - and I simply didn’t care! For good measure, there were also plenty of tangents about only semi-relevant figures in Millicent Patrick’s life and long-winded Feminism 101 diatribes. Seriously, why was I reading a paragraph about how Brie Larson shouldn’t have lost the Oscar to Casey Affleck? How strange it is to be anything at all. Absolute garbage.
libscote's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I'm not a huge horror person, so you might be surprised that I searched this book out. I am, however, a big "discover woman who was overlooked by history/written out of history by men" person, and this book fits right up my alley. I also can be a bit of a "what was the process of doing this? the process is interesting!" person, which this book also hits. You find out what O'Meara was able to discover about Milicent Patrick and where the questions we'll never be able to answer are. I found this a very enjoyable nonfiction read.
nightmarebees's review against another edition
4.5
i will say that, as an established listener of the Reading Glasses podcast, i am biased in my review. i already know mallory’s vibe, i’m familiar with her voice for the audiobook, i don’t find anything wrong with her writing style the way a lot of these snobby reviewers seem to.
i can’t currently speak to the sources cited (other than those mentioned in the text) as i did the audiobook. i’m a historian with a preference for turabian, so maybe my opinion would be different if i read the text. however, i felt overall that the literary journalism/memoir mashup style of explaining the how and where of her research was well done, and especially necessary to this story BECAUSE of how active effort was taken to erase millicent patrick from the industry.
to the people saying there wasn’t enough analysis of the “opposition,” of the evidence suggesting patrick didn’t design the creature, i don’t find it necessary here. this is a presentation of new information, not of the existing info. you can easily look up the people (men) actually credited in the film elsewhere, the point of this book is that there ISN’T any writing on patrick herself.
finally, this is pop nonfiction. it isn’t an academic biography or a master’s thesis. mallory wrote to be accessible to the average person, informing them on a person they haven’t heard of and the reasons WHY they haven’t heard of her.
i can’t currently speak to the sources cited (other than those mentioned in the text) as i did the audiobook. i’m a historian with a preference for turabian, so maybe my opinion would be different if i read the text. however, i felt overall that the literary journalism/memoir mashup style of explaining the how and where of her research was well done, and especially necessary to this story BECAUSE of how active effort was taken to erase millicent patrick from the industry.
to the people saying there wasn’t enough analysis of the “opposition,” of the evidence suggesting patrick didn’t design the creature, i don’t find it necessary here. this is a presentation of new information, not of the existing info. you can easily look up the people (men) actually credited in the film elsewhere, the point of this book is that there ISN’T any writing on patrick herself.
finally, this is pop nonfiction. it isn’t an academic biography or a master’s thesis. mallory wrote to be accessible to the average person, informing them on a person they haven’t heard of and the reasons WHY they haven’t heard of her.
sydneythekydneybean's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Listen, this book might not be for everyone but it is for me, so take your negative reviews and throw them into the lagoon. While The Lady from the Black Lagoon is not solely about Milicent Patrick and her life, but about the author's desperate search for any information on her life and the ways that these two women—generations apart—are more alike than different.
I was absolutely enthralled by this book. The Lady from the Black Lagoon is part biography, part autobiography, part mystery, and wholly fascinating. Although it's a nine-hour audiobook, it flew by. Because I read it as an audiobook, it felt more like a podcast than a traditional biography. I felt like Mallory's friend who's telling me about this woman lost to history alongside her journey to finding this information. I also really loved the audiobook version because the author narrates the book herself, and you can hear how much Milicent means to Mallory. Anyone in any industry has their idols, the individuals they look up to and want to be like in their career, but what do you do if your idol has been erased from the history books? You can hear the want to find out more about this woman in the way she talks, the excitement to share any new piece of Milicent information with us. It's not only fun to listen to, but it's heartwarming to hear about Milicent's life from someone who really loves her.
Milicent Patrick is an important figure in film history, and not just because of what she’s created, but what she could represent for future generations of women in the arts. She created the title character from The Creature from the Black Lagoon. She is the only woman to have created and crafted one of the many Universal Picture Classic Monsters. As much as some want to discredit or deny her work altogether, there will always be many more ready to give her justice for the life and work that was ripped away from her. Just because of jealous and chauvinistic men who hated to see a woman thrive where they failed.
Mallory tells the story with so much heart, hers and Milicent's. Her own struggles, not only finding information but also being on the receiving end of sexist behavior at the workplace, are what make this book so fascinating and frustrating. The same scrutiny and issues Milicent dealt with in the 1950s are still occurring today. Fortunately, there are individuals like O’Meara working now, highlighting injustices and showcasing credit where credit is due.
I was absolutely enthralled by this book. The Lady from the Black Lagoon is part biography, part autobiography, part mystery, and wholly fascinating. Although it's a nine-hour audiobook, it flew by. Because I read it as an audiobook, it felt more like a podcast than a traditional biography. I felt like Mallory's friend who's telling me about this woman lost to history alongside her journey to finding this information. I also really loved the audiobook version because the author narrates the book herself, and you can hear how much Milicent means to Mallory. Anyone in any industry has their idols, the individuals they look up to and want to be like in their career, but what do you do if your idol has been erased from the history books? You can hear the want to find out more about this woman in the way she talks, the excitement to share any new piece of Milicent information with us. It's not only fun to listen to, but it's heartwarming to hear about Milicent's life from someone who really loves her.
Milicent Patrick is an important figure in film history, and not just because of what she’s created, but what she could represent for future generations of women in the arts. She created the title character from The Creature from the Black Lagoon. She is the only woman to have created and crafted one of the many Universal Picture Classic Monsters. As much as some want to discredit or deny her work altogether, there will always be many more ready to give her justice for the life and work that was ripped away from her. Just because of jealous and chauvinistic men who hated to see a woman thrive where they failed.
Mallory tells the story with so much heart, hers and Milicent's. Her own struggles, not only finding information but also being on the receiving end of sexist behavior at the workplace, are what make this book so fascinating and frustrating. The same scrutiny and issues Milicent dealt with in the 1950s are still occurring today. Fortunately, there are individuals like O’Meara working now, highlighting injustices and showcasing credit where credit is due.