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Astonishing! This book reads like a spy novel but it is all true! The bravery and fortitude demonstrated by this American woman fighting for France in WW2 had me cheering for her the whole way while at the same time wanting to shake some sense into her superiors. She single handed my changed the course of the war and managed to turn the tide in several fronts in France. And so we‘ll researched and written! Read this book! #herstory ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"Three other officers had turned up a few nights previously, one dropping down from an RAF plane apparently in a kilt - an unfortunate choice of uniform considering he landed on top of a pine tree."

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Fascinating read!

Before hearing about this book I knew nothing of Virginia Hall. She was a badass. 😁 There's a lot of well-researched information here and I learned more than I expected about WWII and espionage. I love that the author included details about personal relationships Virginia had as well as details of her job.

This is a well written and researched book about the life of Virginia Hall before, during and after WWII. She was the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and her work helped free France from the Nazi‘s grip. She was brave, cunning, resourceful, smart. She was truly amazing.

This is my #doublespin for February
@TheAromaofBooks

The amazing biography of Virginia Hall, one of the first women spies in WW2. Being both a woman and an amputee Virginia was not someone you would have expected to be a spy at all, let alone one of the most successful of the war. Working for both the British SOE and later the American OSS she ran some of the most important paramilitary missions and was key in the Allies‘ victory in France. An amazing read that everyone should check out.

How have I never heard of Virginia Hall? What a woman!!! So tough. So brave. So dedicated. This is the kind of nonfiction book that is so interesting there is no need for it to ever be turned into historical fiction. And once again, the narration by Juliet Stevenson is exceptional.

I enjoyed Juliet Stevenson‘s narration of Miss Benson‘s Beetle so much I searched my library for other books she has narrated. This popped up and was available. So far, what a find!

Before reading this, I knew about Virginia Hall and admired her. After reading this, I am in awe. She did so much for France against the Nazis! With a wooden leg that marked her, she still evaded capture (once hiking over a snowy mountain pass) and set up highly effective resistance networks. This book revealed new facts about her work and awards. And the book is readable and outstandingly written. Awesome read, highly recommend!

Who knew that one of the most effective leaders of the underground resistance in France during WWII was an American woman, employed by the British? Virginia Hall, who lost part of her left leg in a hunting accident and spoke accented French, was a woman who would not let her limp or her gender confine her remarkable intelligence and abilities to more traditional female roles. A true life spy thriller.

Up next, the true story of an American spy working for British intelligence inside of France during WWII.

I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 204.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

I read this for my book club‘s (#LitsyATXReadersSociety) March theme of espionage and thoroughly enjoyed the true, amazing story of Virginia Hall, an American field operative who arguably helped the Allies win WWII through the vast and meticulously curated network she built, person by person, in France. And she did all this with the perceived “disadvantages” of being a woman who had a prosthetic leg. Au contraire!🔸#marchreads2021

I had no idea how bad life in France was til this book. I had foolishly assumed that they all were resisting. In fact after Pétain‘s capitulation that French police were actively arresting and killing their own people as well as shipping them to Germany for slave labor ?

I had no idea that during WWII they would use heroin to get Germans addicted and unable to fight 😆 I did know of the Germans use of methamphetamines to help them drive off fatigue and fear but not the other side‘s use of drugs against them.

Virginia Hall. This fearless woman paved the way in the intelligence field for not only women but disabled people.
This book tells the struggles she went through, the amazing work she did in France during WWII, and seeks to give her some of the credit she so much deserves.
#AWomanOfNoImportance #historical #worldwar #womenshistory

This book is a bit slow but the subject, Virginia Hall, is just so interesting and inspiring I didn't care. This book had my attention and honestly I would sigh to myself and mutter 'ugh men' a lot because the 1940s (and most of the time surrounding that period) men sucked in their treatment and views on women. If you like Peggy Carter from the MCU read this, this woman is Peggy Carter in the real war.

Just a normal night reading on the kindle under a giant dinosaur comforter, ya know, adult stuff

This is a fascinating story inelegantly told.
I enjoy stories that leave some feelings to the imagination or make me fill in the blanks (much more powerful IMO).

The author gives SO MUCH detail about the missions. I lost the “Holy crap! The Nazis are so close!” Seemed like she needed to document each fact from her research. I wanted to be on the edge of my seat but the intensity got lost in the minutiae.

I‘ve been in an #audiostitching kind of mood this weekend! Wrapped up this GEM of an audiobook - Virginia Hall was a powerhouse of a woman and true trailblazer whose history has been largely forgotten. As secretive as she was, Hall would probably be happy about that. But I‘m all for bringing visibility to women‘s history that has been forgotten and suppressed. 🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃 and book FIVE #feastmode
(Ignore my weird cross stitch outlining)

Starting off day 3 of #feastmode by #audiostitching while listening to the tagged book! It‘s super fascinating, though the narrator should really stop trying to do an American accent.

"In what become known as the decade of lies, truth and trust were falling victim to fear, racism, and hatred. Virginia found herself in a ringside seat as the increasingly fragile ideal of democracy failed to find champions with alternate answers."

Three other officers had turned up a few nights previously, one dropping down from an RAF plane apparently in a kilt – an unfortunate choice of uniform considering he landed on top of a pine tree.

🌲🌲🤣

Learned some WWII history from this book and enjoy it!

This book was amazing. I‘m not usually a history buff, but Virginia Hall‘s life story is so incredible and inspiring. I listened on audio and loved every bit of it.

My most local indie bookshop, Gramercy Books Bexley, is operating with contactless curbside service, as well as online orders. I was really feeling the walls closing in, so I gave them a call to request my book and hopped in the car for a road trip! I love driving, and it was quite helpful to my mental state. Yay for different scenery! 😊 💞 🚗 📚

Incredibly I've never heard of Virginia Hall (which she'd be happy about!) I'm grateful to Purnell for sharing the life of this amazingly courageous, determined & resourceful woman who shaped key elements of the resistance in WWII France & fed Allied forces with key intelligence. A super interesting insight into the life as a spy, plus coping with disability and fighting sexism. Fascinating story of the determination of one woman to serve.

@GreenGrl87 thanks for the tag! Hmmmm, I‘d say 1️⃣ cunning and 2️⃣ Yes, but only 3 (2 for me and 1 for my kid from the local indie). I‘ll tag @Chrissyreadit and @LazyOwl if you‘re up for it! #Two4Tuesday

I feel kind of terrible giving this a so-so rating, but it‘s honest. The subject was fascinating and I am impressed by what Virginia was able to accomplish, her intelligence, creativity, bravery, and overall skill, and horrified by her experiences with discrimination in a male-dominated field/society. But the writing style was dull and tedious, even Juliet Stevenson‘s narration couldn‘t save it. I doubt I could have finished this in print.

I found the first half of the book kind of dull and dense with too many names and places to keep track of. The second half was fascinating and I found was way more about Virginia herself rather than operations.

Even though I missed International Women‘s Day, I figured I could celebrate all of March with this book. There‘s just something about stories of WWII era women I‘m drawn to! 👄💪🏼🦸🏼‍♀️

I love these books about important people in history who you‘ve never heard of. This was my introduction to Virginia Hall, American intelligence official who helped fight Nazis on the ground in France during the WWII occupation. Despite gender discrimination and the loss of a leg during an earlier hunting accident, she was able to organize vast networks of spies and resistance fighters, all while constantly eluding capture by Nazi forces. 👇🏻

Library book read ❤️📖

Today‘s #bookmail..... not a spy book person, but I found this woman‘s story intriguing and wanted to dive a bit deeper into it.

A compelling account of a true hero. Virginia Hall developed Resistance networks in occupied and Vichy France in WWII, gathering intelligence and setting up guerilla attacks against the Nazis. What she accomplished was incredible regardless of when she worked or her sex, but to do it in the 1940s as a woman in a man's world was all the more noteworthy.

Highly recommended.

This book “chronicles the remarkable life of Virginia Hall, a decorated behind-the-lines operative for the Allies in Vichy France in WWII.”

#augustabc #alliesalways

Thanks to google, I‘m lost for ideas for today‘s prompt!

1. Tagged
2. Crunchy! But whew it‘s been a while since I had Cheetos.
3. Sunset
4. 1/3 into CDs that mature in 6 months, 1/3 in a year, 1/3 in 18 months. #boringadultanswer
5. 🤔 Hunh. Maybe third?

#friyayintro @howjessreads

Listened to the audio of this remarkable story about an extraordinary woman. Worked behind enemy lines in France during WWII . Narrated by Juliet Stevenson...love her narration. 4 🌟

Absolutely inspiring and devastating. We went to the Centre d‘Histoire de la Résistance et de la déportation in Lyon just after I started reading this book, which was only appropriate. Ended the book with tears and so many other emotions. There are always people ready to resist oppression; the key is to find each other and work together. 5 ⭐️ all the way. #history #WWII

Appropriate to read in Lyon, I suspect. #history #WWII

Great read while waiting for furniture delivery.
Virginia Hall was an American woman recruited as a British spy who lived in occupied France set up spy networks for the British and helped organize and train the Resistance all with a wooden leg! Impressive read!

As someone who avoided recognition and downplayed her (many, invaluable) roles throughout WWII, I imagine Virginia Hall would be quite displeased to learn of this book's existence. But it's a phenomenal book written about one of the most understated heroes to date. Sorry, Agent Hall, this is an important part of history that people need to know about.

Fantastic storytelling work by the author.

This is one of the best books of the year for me. All the stars. It‘s so well written it almost reads like a novel instead of a biography. Virginia Hall was an amazing woman, who helped WW2 succeed for the allies. Highly recommend. #readwomen

An amazing account of an amazing, and critically undervalued hero of WWII.

My mom devoured this book in three days and is now recommending it to all of her friends! Adding to my TBR 📚📚📚📚 #womenshistory #wwiihistory #soniapurnell

Adding this one to my list! I can‘t wait to read it. I love all these great books coming out about amazing, strong women.