A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II - Rilegato

Purnell, Sonia

Rilegato

ISBN 10: 073522529X ISBN 13: 9780735225299

Casa editrice: Viking, 2019

Riassunto

 A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

“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

The 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.

Su questo libro

Recensione:

Praise for Clementine:

"An astute, pacey account of a woman who hardly ever emerged from the shadows. It is a sharp analysis of what it meant to be a politician's wife . . . that shows how much we can learn about Winston Churchill from his wife and marriage."—The Wall Street Journal

"Thorough and engaging . . . Purnell's extensive and insightful biography offers a much welcome portrait of Clementine Churchill, a woman whose remarkable life has long been overshadowed by her famous husband."—The Washington Post

"Thorough and engrossing."—The New York Times

"A fascinating and well-written account of a woman who played a key role in many pivotal moments of early-20th-century British and world politics."—Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Until this biography, Clementine's influence had been completely overlooked and undervalued by Winston's biographers. Clementine was a complicated, mercurial figure, and Purnell does a wonderful job painting a full picture of a woman who was an excellent wife, a mediocre at best mother, and privy to some of the most profound moments of the modern era."—Jessica Grose, Lenny Letter

L'autore:

Sonia Purnell is a biographer and journalist who has worked at The Economist, The Telegraph, and The Sunday Times. Her book Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill (published as First Lady in the UK) was chosen as a book of the year by The Telegraph and The Independent, and was a finalist for the Plutarch Award. Her first book, Just Boris, was longlisted for the Orwell prize.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Viking
• Data di pubblicazione: 2019
• ISBN 10: 073522529X
• ISBN 13: 9780735225299
• Rilegatura: Copertina rigida
• Numero di pagine: 368