An interesting look at some amazing women; well-written and a valuable bit of scholarship, as well. However, I (ultimately) found my interest waning over time and did not finish the book.

I would like to thank NetGalley and the Author for giving me the opportunity to review this ARC.

This book covers the role played by women in British intelligence in the twentieth century. The author had obviously done a great deal of research on a topic which is clearly difficult to track down due to its secretive nature. Although the writing style is very clear and understandable, I found it very much a descriptive and fact reporting approach without a lot of in depth analysis of background and operational detail. I wish there were more stories and details in the content.

However, I must note that as the book progresses, there does seem to be more detailed stories behind the people identified. This may be due to better more accessible records in later years.

I loved this in-depth look at some of the women who served their country during the World Wars. Erudite and knowledge rich without being dull or patronising, this book is a great addition to the many, many books about the period.

I loved finding out more about the role of women in two of the most important events in the history. We hear so many things about men doing or how much they did in history and most of the time it feels like that was all about but as read in this book women had an equal importance in the wars and it's good to learn more about it. All people, regardless their gender, should know this information.

I received an advanced reader’s copy through Netgalley, although the opinions are my own.
My taste in books is somewhat eclectic, I stumbled onto a biography not that long ago of a lady codebreaker in America, who came from my home state. And I’ve kinda been interested ever since. How cool was this book?! All the groundbreaking they did as women in a field you don’t hear much about. I have now added a bunch of books to my tbr pile. I like the format of this one with little nuggets of stories, it’s easy to put down and come back too without worrying I’ve forgotten too much. Highly recommend this book

Helen Fry’s latest book delves into the long and complex history of women’s work as spies and saboteurs in World Wars I and II. Focusing on the actions of women such as Mata Hari, Edith Cavell, Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, and Virginia Hall, Fry explores the actions of these incredible women spies and the risks they took during two immensely dangerous and high-stakes wars. With the added complexities of twentieth century technology and warfare, Fry explores the training, missions, and responsibilities of these clever, capable, and dangerous real women. Fry explores the duties of women back on the home front, filling government positions and other occupations vacated by men serving on the front lines at Bletchley Park and Whitehall, among other secret locations. Fry’s exploration of the interwar years and women’s intelligence work during this period is particularly fascinating, and she does an incredible job of bringing many historical narrative threads together in this incredible work of historical research. Fry’s prose is, of course, incredible, and she brings the many historical women to life, highlighting their accomplishments, risks, and bravery throughout this work. This latest book about the history of espionage and military intelligence is a complex, clear, and engaging read history fans are sure to enjoy.

The parts of this book I managed to read before I decided this would be a very rare DNF, was extremely well researched. Unfortunately I felt it was too much like a name-dropping history lesson and not what I was expecting. This was probably my fault for not reading the description carefully enough, my apologies. I've given it 4* to not detract from other reviewers' ratings.

A wonderful deep dive into the history of women in the world of spying and intelligence gathering; the decades of women's work going untold is shown and explored in great detail by Helen Fry, game changers coming from all around and the most unlikely of places. Every one of their contributions held significant weight, changing the world even as many would not have their attributions revealed to the world until long after their deaths.

Shining a light on the role played by women in Intelligence during the first half of the 20th century, this is an informative and refreshing read. Covering both war and its buildup this book is great for anyone interested in this aspect of conflict and the part women played. Thoroughly researched, using a huge variety of resources, it really brings home the dangers they faced and highlights their bravery. Sadly they did not all survive to tell their tale, but this book does it for them and their stories are both fascinating and thrilling. It's great to see these women recognised for the work that they did- a thoroughly recommended read!

Excellent book and very well researched. I learnt a great deal about the role of women in intelligence during WWII, and found the way in which this book was written not boring or dragging. It really doesn't read like the normal history books we associate with non fiction.

This was absolutely fascinating. It was so well researched, and yet didn't feel 'dense' as so often happens with books like this.

I loved reading about all the women, without whom we may not have won the war. Their dedication to their country and the bravery they showed really was astonishing.

Highly recommend.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley as I was attracted to the book by the title. I am on a massive military intelligence/spy kick at the moment so I was excited to read this book. (doubly so considering that this is a non-fiction book.) I found the cover a very eye-catching piece too.

It is clearly set out and goes into detail about the various women that were recruited as spies; obviously these are all true tales and not all of them have happy endings. (there are references to death in this book, which I suppose goes with the territory.) I found this a very interesting book and I certainly learned a lot from it. (I didn't realise before just how many female spies there were. I think that that was the point/driving force behind this book to reveal their stories and their incredible courage.) I think that this is a very important book to read.

I adore reading about how different intelligence services were formed, grew, and stories about the people involved. Whilst there have been books about individual females, I think that this is the first history of women in the service . Highly recommended!

This was a really well done history book about something that I never really heard about. I enjoyed the way Helen Fry wrote this, it felt like a well written and researched book. I’m glad I got to read this and learn about the women in British intelligence.

Just a fabulous look at women in intelligence. I haven’t read anything like it before, and am so glad for the look. I will definitely be recommending it.

I've always adored spy stories, especially non fiction. This is an extremely well researched collection of women who would definitely deserve more recognition for the incredible work they did. I really loved so much reading this one and I definitely recommend to anyone who likes the period of World War II.

I really enjoyed this. What an interesting read. This is everything I love ! Cannot recommend enough.

Helen Fry, Women in Intelligence The Hidden History of Two World Wars, Yale University Press, October 2023.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

Helen Fry has achieved two things in writing this book: she has assembled a wealth of information that ensures that women take their place in the history of intelligence, and she has, particularly in the World War two section of the book, delivered some awe-inspiring stories in detail. This is not to say that the earlier information is not awe inspiring- it is – however, the easier access to information in the later period has made given the writing a liveliness that is not so readily apparent in the accumulation of facts in the earlier chapters.

Helen Fry explains the discrepancy in her very informative conclusion. Many of the files associated with women’s intelligence work during World War 1 remain classified. This includes in particular SIS operations which involved men’s work as well. She mentions trailblazers of the period, suggesting that at least some material is available, and hope is held out that more will appear.

In the meantime, this book is a marvel of information. As expected, there is a huge commitment to the women who worked at Bletchley. However, this does not overtake the achievements described by Fry that took place in the various secret services, even the boy scouts and girl guides, and in Britain and overseas. The sexism that dogged the services, as in other aspects of society, is referred too. But so too, is the actions of men who believed that the women in their areas of expertise and command deserved more, and fought for better treatment, pay, conditions and work for women. Fry is meticulous in providing both single and married names for the women she discusses, adding to the ease with which other writers might follow up these women in both their professional and domestic spheres.

The citations are numerous and informative, and the bibliography a dream source of further information. The professionalism of these rounds off an excellent read which is thoroughly engrossing. Thank you, Helen Fry, for an insightful compendium of information about the women who worked in intelligence.

This book was very well researched and as a result a bit dense. However I found all of the stories very interesting and enjoyed all of the intersections to history I already have some experience with. It was a great book to enhance my knowledge.

Who knew so many women were involved in spy-work during the two world wars? I knew that there was women involved, but it was always made to sound like it was one or two extraordinary women, not the many, many brave and patriotic women that actually were. Sadly, we know about many of these women because they were caught and faced a deadly end that brought shudders to me as I read about them. I did sigh in relief when spy or spymistress managed to survive because dang, even though it was many years ago, I am still rooting for them! As for the women who worked in the Homefront with the War Office or SIS or MI5/1, I enjoyed learning about how they did all this un-sung work they did in both making the offices work but also being incredible women who did amazing contributions (and this was made even more enjoyable thinking about Bletchley Park and when I visited it earlier this year-- remembering made it all the more vivid as I learned). I only wish we got to spend more time with these women!