of an opera singer, and it also describes a lesbian relationship. It is thought that inspiration for the book was taken from Davenport's mother, Alma Gluck. Gluck was born in Romania as Reba Feinsohn; Alma Gluck later became her stage name as a soprano opera singer. She was well known for being one of the 20th century's premier concert and recording artists. If Of Lena Geyer is not based on Alma Gluck, it is possible Davenport took inspiration from her personal life experience, or from the tales of another opera singer, Olive Fremstad. Notably, Of Lena Geyer is one of the first two novels with a lesbian relationship that Barbara Grier, famous lesbian author, says she read growing up. In 1942, Davenport published her most popular fiction novel, The Valley of Decision, a historical fiction saga which traces the Scott family, prototypical owners of an iron works in Pittsburgh, from 1873 to the events of World War II. Davenport lived in Pittsburgh shortly after her first marriage with Frank Delmas Clarke, later using that background for her novel, along with further research on the steel industry, for the 788-page bestseller. Portions of the book are set in 1930's Prague, depicting the increasingly grim atmosphere up to the Munich Agreement and the Nazi Occupation of Czechoslovakia. In this Davenport made use of her knowledge of Prague, gained during the research for the Mozart book. In 1947, East Side, West Side was published, also becoming a best-seller. It was one of the last works edited by Maxwell Perkins of the Charles Scribner%27s Sons publishing house. Her memoir Too Strong for Fantasy (1967) describes the people, the music, the places and the political forces which shaped her life. Of particular interest is her telling of the events leading up to the death of the Czech diplomat and foreign minister Jan Masaryk in the Czernin Palace in Prague in 1948 and of her close relationship with Masaryk over many years. Film adaptations Two of Davenport's novels have been made into films, both released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer: The Valley of Decision and East Side, West Side. The Valley of Decision starred Greer Garson, Gregory Peck, Donald Crisp, Lionel Barrymore, Preston Foster, Marsha Hunt, Gladys Cooper, Reginald Owen, Dan Duryea and Jessica Tandy. The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Greer Garson) and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or