I want to thank the publisher for granting me an ALC in exchange for an honest review. I requested this book not only because I am a longtime listener of Mallory O’Meara’s Reading Glasses podcast, where she has spoken passionately about this project, but also because I knew she narrated the audiobook herself—something I was sure would enhance the experience.

I went in expecting a straightforward biography of Helen Gibson, but I should have known better. Much like in The Lady from the Black Lagoon: Hollywood Monsters and the Lost Legacy of Milicent Patrick, O’Meara delivers more than just the life story of her subject. She offers a rich, historical exploration of Los Angeles and Hollywood itself, starting with how L.A. was founded and structured before diving into the rise of the film industry.

O’Meara also highlights how women were not only integral to early Hollywood but valued in ways that would later be erased as the industry became increasingly male-dominated. Gibson’s story is woven into this broader narrative—fascinating and heartbreaking in its own right, but also a lens through which O’Meara examines the systemic shifts that pushed women out of key roles in filmmaking.

The subject matter is compelling, but it’s O’Meara’s enthusiasm that truly brings it to life. As a filmmaker, she understands firsthand the challenges women continue to face in the industry, and her passion is contagious. That said, I wonder if I would have been as engaged reading a print edition versus listening to her narration. Regardless, I appreciate O’Meara’s commitment to spotlighting forgotten women of history, and I’m glad Gibson’s story is being told.

Daughter of Daring by Mallory O'Meara is a fascinating and well-researched study of stuntwoman Helen Wilson. Helen Wilson, was a young woman from Cleveland, Ohio who started as a horse rider for traveling rodeos and quickly became one of Hollywood's trailblazing stars. I learned so much about a topic I knew nothing about - the reign of women in the early days of the film industry.

I found the pictures shared throughout to completely jump the story off the pages for me and offer me a glimpse back in time.

I will say there were times Mallory O'Meara's narration distracted me from the story. I knew there would be a heavy focus on feminism (as there should be in such a book), but I did feel talked down to as if I was responsible for the history and the ways women were treated back in the 1020's. Of course, I realized this wasn't the author's intent - nonetheless a different approach here might have carried the message through in a more educational fashion.

This was the first Mallory O'Meara book I have read and certainly will not be my last. I enjoy learning about topics that I haven't explored and O'Meara's research cannot be disputed.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the opportunity to listen and enjoy this audiobook.

Reading about the early film industry and the roles of women is fascinating, and Mallory O'Meara is excellent at finding incredibly interesting women to write about. Helen Gibson was both of her time and ahead of it, and the author does a great job capturing the changing landscape (literally and metaphorically) of Hollywood over the decades she worked. The footnotes were great, and this is both informational and incredibly absorbing and entertaining. I've been a big fan of the author since The Lady from the Black Lagoon, and am a listener to her podcast, so her narrating this audiobook was a huge plus for me, and I think it would not have been as well done by anyone else.

Another great history of a forgotten figure in women’s history by Mallory. She uses Helen’s story as a jumping off point to talk about the “what it” early history of American film, where women ran a lot of the show.

Great narration by the author

Thanks to Hanover Square and NetGalley for the prerelease audiobook.