A review by snaxolotl
The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick by Mallory O'Meara
informative
medium-paced
2.5
What I thought I was getting:
A focused telling of Milicent Patrick's life, zeroing in on her work in Hollywood on monster movies. An homage to Patrick and new things to say about the treatment of women in Hollywood.
What I got:
A lot of the author talking about herself, her research journey, her obsession with Patrick, a LOT about the men in Patrick's life (you'll read more about her father and the William Hearst before you hear much about Milicent), and some interesting and never-before-told information about Milicent Patrick.
I want people to read this book because Milicent Patrick was walking, talking glamor and skill who smashed glass ceilings with poise and a dazzling smile. She deserved better in life and in this book. She deserved an author who would let her shine on her own instead of fangirling over her.
I had a lot of problems with the technical skill in the writing and how unsuited the author is to telling a biography, but it is a recognizable, researched book so I won't dive into that here. I'm glad I read this because it does include information that you won't find anywhere else on Milicent Patrick and it was a delight to learn more about her.
Content warning: Note that this book does discuss sexism and sexual harassment quite a lot but there are no on-page depictions of sexual assault.
A focused telling of Milicent Patrick's life, zeroing in on her work in Hollywood on monster movies. An homage to Patrick and new things to say about the treatment of women in Hollywood.
What I got:
A lot of the author talking about herself, her research journey, her obsession with Patrick, a LOT about the men in Patrick's life (you'll read more about her father and the William Hearst before you hear much about Milicent), and some interesting and never-before-told information about Milicent Patrick.
I want people to read this book because Milicent Patrick was walking, talking glamor and skill who smashed glass ceilings with poise and a dazzling smile. She deserved better in life and in this book. She deserved an author who would let her shine on her own instead of fangirling over her.
I had a lot of problems with the technical skill in the writing and how unsuited the author is to telling a biography, but it is a recognizable, researched book so I won't dive into that here. I'm glad I read this because it does include information that you won't find anywhere else on Milicent Patrick and it was a delight to learn more about her.
Content warning: Note that this book does discuss sexism and sexual harassment quite a lot but there are no on-page depictions of sexual assault.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism and Sexual harassment