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A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
by Purnell, Sonia
Availability:
$8.99
Used
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Trade Paperback
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9780735225312
Overview
Overview
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, the Seattle Times, the Washington Independent Review of Books, PopSugar, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, BookBrowse, the Spectator, and the Times of London "Excellent...This book is as riveting as any thriller, and as hard to put down." -- The New York Times Book Review "A compelling biography of a masterful spy, and a reminder of what can be done with a few brave people -- and a little resistance." - NPR A never-before-told story of Virginia Hall, the American spy who changed the course of World War II, from the author of Clementine. In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her." The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and--despite her prosthetic leg--helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it. Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was placed on her head, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped through a death-defying hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day. Based on new and extensive research, Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall--an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war.
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Purnell, Sonia
- ISBN: 9780735225312
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 8.30 x 0.90
- Number Of Pages: 368
- Publication Year: 2020
Customer Reviews
Rating Snapshot
5 ★
86%
4 ★
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7 Ratings
14
14% Would Recommend
1 Recommendations
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Engaging read
Would RecommendCarol A. - 6 months agoAn old soul, I enjoy reading about life in the early to mid 20th century. This book about an American spy during WWII did not disappoint. Virginia Hall’s life was so very interesting, and her risky undertakings in support of the Allied cause left me in awe. I’m glad I now know her story. This is worth a read if you want a history lesson about the French resistance and British intelligence in WWII, and if you want some real life intrigue about the spy world.
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"A woman of no hope, no prospects, and...no importance” had accomplished the impossible.
Jennifer E. - 4 years 8 months agoShe “had escaped France, the Gestapo, and the Abwehr...battled through the snow and wind over an eight-thousand-foot pass; [and] helped countless others escape from custody…She had avoided capture by the Germans and impeccably maintained her cover as a journalist. She had set up vast networks, rescued numerous officers, provided top-grade intelligence, and kept the SOE flag flying through all the tumult. She had...laid the foundations of discipline and hope for the great Resistance battles that were to come. She had even crossed the Pyrenees in the winter snows with a wooden leg...A woman of no hope, no prospects, and...no importance” had accomplished the impossible. “In the midst of hardship and fear, she had shared with them a fleeting but glorious state of happiness in the most vivid moment of their lives…In concealing her identity from others, she had at last found what she really was…In fighting for the liberty of another nation, she had found freedom for herself.” “Most people...were interested only in clearly defined acts of heroism rather than these more complex displays of courage. Virginia, though, understood that valor came in many different forms [and] rarely reaps the dividends it should.” She hadn’t fulfilled her missions for medals. “For her, fighting the good fight had become a calling, not just a job.” Hall’s a “Homeric tale of adventure, action, and seemingly unfathomable courage.” Her biography is a revelation of “how adversity and rejection and suffering can sometimes turn, in the end, into resolve and ultimately triumph, even against the backdrop of a horrifying conflict that casts its long shadow over the way we live today” (Genesis 50:20). “In an era when the world again seems to be tilting toward division and extremism, her example of comradeship across borders in pursuit of a higher ideal stands out now more than ever.”
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A behind-the-scenes viewpoint of special operations in World War II.
Ginny H. - 5 years 1 month agoI read this book for book club. It is the fascinating true story of a woman who struggled to use her talents for organizing and sharp mind against the Nazis in World War II in France. Her courage and perseverance was largely responsible for creating effective resistance teams behind enemy lines. It is all the more amazing, because of the push-back she continually faced from male-dominated espionage groups. This account definitely reveals so much, not only about the horrors of war, but also about the politics of those who fought for the Allies against Hitler's desire to conquer the world.
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A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
Angela M. - 5 years 2 months agoWe all have the ability to make a difference! This book exquisitely shows each of us (women, men, American, or Foreign, Able Bodied, or Handicapped) that when we believe in something and are willing to take a stand... we can change the world! Virginia Hall did just that! Although a woman, and handicapped by a life threatening hunting accident, she let nothing stand in the her way of completing her missions. Her espianoge was invaluable during WWII. Her dedication to her men and her adopted country of France is a story of dedication, tenacity, and perseverance in spite of almost insurmountable odds. #SpringPicks
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Well written true story
Emily A. - 5 years 3 months agoVery well written. A great true story about a women spy but also so interesting to learn of aspects of WWII that you do not hear about in history class.