A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell
Viking, 2019
352 pages
Penguin Audio, 2019
Narrated by Juliet Stevenson
13 hours and 54 minutes
Motivation for reading: Continuing my WWII reading from 2020
Source: owned paperback, audio borrowed from the library
Publisher's summary (from goodreads):
In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her."
This spy was Virginia Hall, a young American woman--rejected from the foreign service because of her gender and her prosthetic leg--who talked her way into the spy organization deemed Churchill's "ministry of ungentlemanly warfare," and, before the United States had even entered the war, became the first woman to deploy to occupied France.
Virginia Hall was one of the greatest spies in American history, yet her story remains untold. Just as she did in Clementine, Sonia Purnell uncovers the captivating story of a powerful, influential, yet shockingly overlooked heroine of the Second World War. At a time when sending female secret agents into enemy territory was still strictly forbidden, Virginia Hall came to be known as the "Madonna of the Resistance," coordinating a network of spies to blow up bridges, report on German troop movements, arrange equipment drops for Resistance agents, and recruit and train guerilla fighters. Even as her face covered WANTED posters throughout Europe, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped with her life in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown, and her associates all imprisoned or executed. But, adamant that she had "more lives to save," she dove back in as soon as she could, organizing forces to sabotage enemy lines and back up Allied forces landing on Normandy beaches. Told with Purnell's signature insight and novelistic flare, A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war.
My thoughts:
They say timing is everything, and trying to read this book during my FIL's recent illness and death was anything but good timing. At any rate, A Woman of No Importance is a fascinating and, at times, almost unbelievable story. Virginia Hall was a woman of remarkable intelligence and skill, yet few Americans are aware of her many accomplishments during WWII.
Purnell details Hall's efforts in coordinating the French resistance against the Germans. The story is well-written, thoroughly researched, and exciting, but unfortunately I had trouble concentrating... both in print and while listening to Juliet Stevenson's skillful narration.
Still, I enjoyed learning about Hall's service during the war and beyond, and am glad to own a copy of the book. I can see myself returning to it at a later time.
My rating:
Too bad your timing was off on this one, but I totally understand. I've heard good things about it from others who have read it so may still give it a go.
ReplyDeleteHelen - I'm sure I would have appreciated this more at another time. As it was, I had to keep flipping back to refresh my memory on various agents, locations, etc... that slowed me down and took me out of the narrative flow.
DeleteVicki - I avoided WWII books for years, but got interested in the female code breakers last years and then started branching out.
ReplyDeleteThis is already on my to-read list. I'll probably still pick it up at some point. I'm sorry the timing was off for you.
ReplyDeleteJen - It was such an interesting story, despite the bad timing. It made me mad to read how she was treated by her male counterparts, thwarted in her efforts toward advancement, etc....from the 1940s until she retired from the CIA.
DeleteMy aunt was reading this last summer while visiting and I put it on my list. Maybe I'll give it a try in November. Do you think it'd be better to go with the print edition rather than audio? I rarely do read/listen combos.
ReplyDeleteLes - I'd probably recommend reading it. There was a chart listing agents, code names, etc. that I referred to multiple times. I also had trouble pairing the names of people and places I was hearing with their spellings. I took Spanish in high school instead of French, lol.
DeleteTiming is everything. Reading a book like this during personal stress would be daunting. I do like to escape into a book but trying times call for comfort reads.
ReplyDeleteTake care.
I can see where the timing would have been bad for this book. The story does sound fascinating and I think with all the distractions and stress that you were under the fact that you still enjoyed this is a good sign.
ReplyDeleteKatherine - That's a good way to look at it... and I did enjoy it despite the constant distraction.
DeleteI hadn't heard of Virginia Hall until Sonia's book but I guess I don't know all the resistant fighters & spies. But she sounds unreal?! Over the Pyrenees? I'd like to read it ... but will take a spy break after the Kim Philby story which wore me out ... but it was excellent too. I'm so sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteSusan - I saw your review of the Kim Philby story this morning and want to read (or listen to) it, but feel like I need a spy break, too!
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