3 ½ rounded up to 4

I’ve read several books about women spies during WWII but was glad that this one featured an American working with the French resistance. Virginia Hall was an American who was residing in France and became part of the United Kingdom's Special Operations Executive.

I found Virginia Hall’s background story to be very interesting but wish that it was laid out beforehand rather than interspersed within the story. I found that stopped the flow of the novel at times. The fact that Ms. Hall was even allowed to do her work while having a prosthetic leg, is a testament to her strength, determination and bravery.

I found that some parts pf the novel grew repetitive. Finding an appropriate place for a drop site, then getting the people to believe that the Allies were REALLY GOING TO HELP THIS TIME!! Many of these people had been promised that the Allies were coming many times. She then has to set up the drop site with HQ and wait for the right weather to deliver the supplies.All of this depends also on her ability to transmit from just the right place.

The part of the story that really touched my heart were the people of the town that helped hide Jewish children, literally thousands of them!

I loved this description of the French liberation “Liberation does not happen all at once. It’s many small swells leading up to the crest of a wave breaking on the shore of freedom. Then it retreats and builds again, crashing over and over”. Beautiful prose.

The Epilogue showcases the trial of Robert Alesch which detailed his “hideous war crimes, the mistresses he keeps, and the wealth he accumulated from turning over Resistance members to the Nazis for money”. “Once the resistors were arrested, Alesch would break into their apartments and steal their belongings, including thousands of francs’ worth of furniture, art, and jewels.

The Afterword by the author reveals a wealth of information and details including which facts and people are real and which were fiction based on true events.

I agree with the blurb for this book, if you read only one more book about WWII this year, it should be this one. This is the story of a true American heroine and her name needs to be known!

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through NetGalley.

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit: https://www.ManOfLaBook.com

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck is a World War II espionage historical fiction, following Virginal Hall making her way through occupied France during World War II. Ms. Robuck is an award-winning, best-selling author from Maryland.

An American from Baltimore, Virginia Hall considered France to be second home. Virginia volunteers to work with the SOE and the OSS to coordinate the response of the French Resistance with the Allies, prior to D-Day.

A wanted woman, the Nazis know who Virginia Hall is and what she looks like. The French Resistance, on the other hand, hold her in such high regard that they could blow her cover. The fact that she has a prosthetic below the knee doesn’t help her hide.

This book is the tale of Virginia Hall’s time in Occupied France. Virginia Hall was an American spy working for England and the US during the war. Ms. Hall had skills which a spy needs, a knack for languages, a sense of adventure, and as an embassy worker knew her way around politics.

The American Foreign Service refused to employ her due to her disability, a wooden leg she called ­“Cuthbert”, which she acquired after a hunting accident. A woman that could not be deterred, Virginia Hall applied, and got accepted, into the British Special Operations Executive (SOE). There she was trained in spy craft and sabotage.

Virginal spent time in occupied France, organizing spy networks, gathering intelligence, and running safehouses. Germany’s Gestapo called her “The Limping Lady”, and while she managed to leave France in 1942, she came back in 1944 to organize resistance before the Allied invasion.

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck is a wonderful novel, a true to life heroine, flowing narrative and excellent prose. I believe the author captured the essence of Ms. Hall, and of the time – something that every historical fiction novel attempts to do. The hardships and dangers which are around every corner in Occupied France during World War II are always present, even though they are not forefront and center.

Wow!
This is an amazing read! I couldn’t put it down!
There are a lot of characters and details. You can tell extensive research has been done.
I loved learning more about the historical details. And immediately started researching Virginia Hall. What an amazing woman!
I’m looking forward to Erika Robuck’s next book!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Berkley, & Penguin Publishing Group for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

I was a little worried going into this that I was burned out on Historical Fiction, especially WWII, and that it would be a slog that would inevitably reading-slump me ... but I could not have been more wrong.

I was completely immersed in this novel (based on the incredibly true exploits of "the most dangerous of all Allied spies," Virginia Hall) from the very beginning, and even though every thing she endured was worse than the last (made even more so by the guilt and ghosts that Virginia brought with her everywhere) I couldn't stop reading. (Is that a run-on sentence? Yeah, probably.)

The research that Erika Robuck put into this book (and her afterword/bibliography) were evident and much appreciated - I love historical fiction for introducing me to these characters/stories, but I love even more finding the historical sources for the things that I've been introduced to.

I could not put this book down, and I will always hold Virginia Hall in the highest esteem - this one is much recommended and I'm going to have to look up Erika Robuck's backlist ASAP!

(Also, I got maaajjjooorrr Code Name Hélène vibes with this book - another brilliant WWII Historical Fiction about a not well known female spy, Nancy Wake. If you liked The Invisible Woman, definitely check that one out too!)

I've read many stories of heroism and resilience during World War II, but none quite like The Invisible Woman, detailing the journey of American spy Virginia Hall.

The story centers around Virginia, code name Diane, as she returns to France after suffering a devastating loss on her last mission there. When beginning the mission, her superiors tell her it's likely she will only last six weeks in the war-torn country during this time. Virginia is an unlikely candidate to lead Resistance troops and carry out this mission, posing as an elderly infirm lady. However, her actions are nothing short of miraculous. I found the novel to be very enlightening and was inspired not only by Virginia, but also all the many other characters in the novel, representing the real life sacrifices so many made to fight this war any way they knew how.

The novel was very well researched and I always appreciate when historical fiction novels provide you with the information on what has been fictionalized and what is historically accurate information. After reading the novel, it definitely motivates me to delve further into Ms. Hall and her real-life story. The author does a tremendous job of engaging the reader and providing a window into this interesting hero.

I received this book courtesy of the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A gripping, tense book that shows the courage and steel of real-life spy Virginia Hall. Virginia is a complex, compelling character, and the world she occupies is expertly drawn by Robuck. I couldn't put this book down!

𝔹𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳: This is a WWII spy story about the life of OSS agent Virginia Hall in France, 1944.

𝕃𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀: I loved the author’s depiction of Virginia’s courage and tenacity.

𝕌𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: It highlights the humanity and selflessness people can display during the most trying times.

𝔼𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: This was really enjoyable until about halfway through when I realized the story was framed around a series of organized supply drops. Reading about the strategies and techniques Virginia implemented for the first drop was pretty interesting and suspenseful, but that was enough for me. I didn’t care to read about another one.

I love historical fiction and The Invisible Woman is going on my favorites list! One of the ways I judge historical fiction is if it makes me want to learn more. Immediately after finishing this book, I went searching to find out what I could about Virginia Hall. What an amazing woman!

Virginia Hall is an American woman who went over to France during War II to help France liberate themselves from the Germans.

This is the story of her second mission (though we do learn bits about her first mission) when Virginia goes back to France in 1944 as a wireless operator. The life expectancy of a wireless operator out in the field was 6 weeks, so she knew what she was getting into.

The story is so well written, you can feel the constant tension Virginia feels. She is there helping people liberate themselves, arranging drops, training the men. Yet she knows that just by helping them, by being near them, she is putting them at risk. The German’s would love nothing more than to capture her and anyone she is helping.

You feel the courage of the people, the despair and yet the hope. In small villages, when Virginia questions why there are so many children, she learns that they are Jewish children who have been taken in by families. Whenever German’s are sighted walking through the town, the children are whisked off into the woods “to pick mushrooms.”

Such a moving story and made even more amazing that it’s based on real events and real people. Be sure and read the sections at the end by the author to learn how she chose what to include and what not to include and how she might combine a couple of characters into a single character, or possibly change a setting. Really interesting.

When I think of WW II, I tend to think of DDay and the organized forces that stormed the beaches. The Invisible Woman gives us a glimpse of what needed to happen to keep the resistance going and support the invasion of France from behind the scenes.

In this historical fiction piece, Ms Robuck does an excellent job of pulling us into the world of Virginia/Diane as she returns to France of the eve of D-Day. The emotions of the days and weeks radiated so that as a reader we felt the fear and peril that Virginia/Diane and her collaborators were experincing.

I appreciated getting to "walk" in the shoes of this remarkable woman who has gone unrecognized in the general lexicon of WW II. I left The Invisible Woman wanting to know more about people like Virginia and the French Resistance.

Great story! So very well researched and so much historic detail, I feel like I know Virginia Hall. Full of grit and determination, with only 6 weeks to live, Virginia takes an assignment as an allied spy to help take down Nazis. Quick pace and lots of action. This would be a great choice for a book club.

I love reading about history and I think it's especially important to tell stories of brave heroic women. That being said, I just really couldn't get interested in this book. Perhaps it was all the characters I had difficulty keeping up with. I wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it though, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley Publishing for an opportunity to read The Invisible Woman

Book Rating : ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 💫

WWII ... France under Nazi occupation... allied spy network ... an American heroine...

What I liked :
✔️ so much of HF seems to follow the same format lately - multiple POVs in different time frames; a daughter/grad daughter trying to solve a mystery. I just really appreciated that this didn’t follow that format !
✔️ Virginia Hall was such an amazing and fascinating woman - I loved learning about her

What I didn’t like
✖️ really slow paced at times and took me a while to get through it 🤷‍♀️

WOW. I mean, wow. Love, love, LOVE! I love novels set in WWII times and this was perfect!

The Invisible Woman is based on the true story of Virginia Hall, a woman working for the Allies behind enemy lines in Nazi-controlled France. She is in constant danger and shows great determination in helping derail the Germans’ plans. Her efforts become even more important when she finds out exactly who is counting on her.

Overall, I give this 5 stars out of 5. The historical fiction pubs coming out in 2021 are not playing! I adored the characters. Virginia was such a powerful, strong, and resilient MC. I took some time to look into the people and events this novel was based on and I think Robuck did a magnificent job portraying the story.

Thank you so much to @berkleypub and @erikarobuck for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review.

A riveting story about a remarkable woman. The strength, resilience and compassion of people never fails to amaze me. This is the fictional story of a real lif hero Virginia Hall. Virginia was an American working for the UK as an ally spy at the end of WWII. Working behind enemy lines in France helping get supplies and weapons to the French resistance. The story was informative, compelling, and heartbreaking. The bravery and tenacity of the French people was commendable.

Whenever I read a story like this I always question how I would behave in the same situation. Would I have the same strength and resilience as the characters in this book? Virginia lived a comfortable life in Baltimore, what drove her to sacrifice her life for the French people? She knew going in the average lifespan of an ally spy in France was six weeks., And yet that did not deter her. Virginia was hard to get to know both by the reader and those around her. She took her job extremely seriously as I would imagine was necessary for survival. She never let anyone too close and never showed anything in the way of emotion. And yet you just knew she had a big heart by the way she connected with the other characters in the story, especially the other women and the children. If you are like me and a little burned out on WWII stories I strongly recommend you pick this one up. I learned so much I did not previously know and appreciated that not only Virginia but most of the other characters were based on real life people. Well researched and well told.

*** Big thank you to Berkley for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Robuck hit the sweet spot of accessible literary writing with an elevated prose that pulls the reader along on an enlightening and increasingly exciting journey. Virginia Hall, "the invisible woman," is one who deserves a book like this, and Robuck honors her with intense research, thoughtful story writing, and respectful humility. WWII historical fiction seems to have no limits, and The Invisible Woman proves this by amplifying the story of a spy, her colleagues, and the people they sacrificed to protect, none of whom should ever be forgotten. I would recommend this book to book clubs and historical fiction lovers.

Thanks to Berkley and NetGalley for the opportunity to learn about Virginia Hall. Erika Robuck's story took hold of me from the get go. Hall, an Allied spy, worked with the Resistance to take back France from the Nazis. I was riveted as missions were carried out that would eventually attain that goal. The Invisible Woman is a tribute to an amazing woman and the spirit of the French people. An inspirational story that I won't forget.

Wow! The Invisible Woman was such a great book. If you loved Ariel Lawhon's Code Name Helene, then you must get this book.

The Invisible Woman is my first book by Erika Robuck so I wasn't sure what to expect To tell you I was blown away is an understatement. I loved this book. Like Code Name Helene, Robuck's story is based on a real female OSS operative. I've read a LOT of WWII stories and never knew about such women. I'm so happy that their stories are finally being told.

I'm in awe of these women. While things were starting to change for women by the 1940s, they were still mostly viewed as being wives and mothers. And when we think of intelligence officers today, most have had years of training (by other officers who have years of experience). The thought that during WWII, this was a whole new ballgame - intelligence gathering in its infancy. They had mere weeks to be ready to drop into Nazi-occupied countries. It not shocking that these early spies were often only given a life expectancy of 6 weeks on the ground. Add to all that, there's Virginia Hall (aka "Diana"), the protagonist of the novel, who isn't only an American woman from a well-to-do family, she has a prosthetic leg.

Prosthetics of the 1940s are nothing like the high-tech, light-weight prosthetics of today. There were often heavy and bulky, only slightly better than a wood peg. Virginia is lucky that her prosthetic leg has a hinged ankle. Her family's wealthy status is also a bonus for her. She is well-educated, having attended university in Paris. She had worked in several consulates before the hunting accident. Her skills as a linguist and having lived extensively in France probably weighed heavily in her favor in getting a job first with the SOE and then the OSS when the U.S. entered WWII.

For those that have read Code Name Helene, some of the plot will be familiar as Virginia works with the Maquis and organizing airdrops of supplies. But Virginia's role as a radio operator is different than Nancy Wake's (Helene) role as a spy. The Invisible Woman is also set in a different part of France, near the mountains on the Swiss border. So there is plenty of new information to feast on. I love learning new things about WWII, even after reading countless books set during the time.

The story is well-written and you will come to care deeply for all the secondary characters. I'm so glad that Robuck gave the fate of the characters in real life in her note at the end of the book as I had to know what happened to them but it would have been difficult for me to find out as often only their code name is given in the story.

My only regret with this novel is that I didn't have more hours in the day to devote to reading it. If I could have, I would have read it in a day. But then again, I got to spend nearly a whole week with these characters and had something to look forward to each evening.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Friday, Feb. 12 - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2021/02/the-invisible-woman-by-erika-robuck.html

Virginia Hall never wanted to stay home in Baltimore with the other girls, wearing dresses and going to balls. A life abroad in Europe was what she wanted, and all was well there, until it wasn't. Thrust into the middle of the Second World War, Virginia joins up with the British Secret Operations Executive. Life as a spy is difficult, and a botched operation haunts her as the war progresses. Returning to her duties in France in March of 1944, Virginia's role is to be an undercover "pianist," a person sending encoded messages back home to coordinate supply drops for the French rebellion force called the Maquis. While most pianists only stay alive for less than two months, Virginia is determined to defy the odds, confound the Nazis' plans, and not let anything, even her prosthetic leg, stop her from fueling the resistance until the day of liberation.

Reading about unsung heroes of World War II is always interesting for me. Virginia Hall was an amazing, real woman who was very crafty, resourceful, and sincerely wanted to do the right thing. She wonders about the nature of humanity, and does her best to help others while also trying to stay alive. Most of the story is about her work as a message-sending pianist, but her failed mission is also experienced through flashbacks over time. It was inspiring to read about the Maquis ("thicket" or "the bush"), and how otherwise ordinary people did extraordinary things to escape forced labor, save children, or sabotage the Nazi occupation. I enjoyed the small touches such as Virginia giving her prosthetic a name, or the seemingly mundane (yet very cool) way that messages would be received back from the Allies. Virginia thoroughly disappeared into her role, and that is how she stayed alive, yet the nature of such competent undercover work is that it often isn't recognized. I'm glad to have read Virginia's story, to have felt some of the tension and heartbreak she must have felt, and to know about yet another remarkable woman accomplishing tremendous things against impossible odds. Stories about World War II are common, but I recommend this one as an uncommonly great account of a tireless unsung hero.

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck is a story of immense courage and daring determination. The characters are powerful and moving with stories of strength against the odds, loyalty, and dedication.

True story of World War II of Virginia Hall. She was recruited as an Allied spy. Her bravery and the people she lost. Failure was not an option.