Violette Szabo
The Life That I Have
by Susan Ottaway
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Pub Date Sep 05 2017 | Archive Date Sep 20 2017
Description
A beautiful young widow and mother of a small daughter, Violette Szabo undertook two secret missions to France in 1944 as an agent for the Special Operations Executive. Just after D-Day, a few days into her second mission, she was arrested following a gun battle and sent to Ravensbrück, the women's concentration camp near Berlin, where she was executed at the beginning of 1945.
The first edition of this book, published in 2002, was written with the cooperation of some of Violette’s family members – in particular her elder brother Roy and her daughter Tania – as well as several of her friends and two of the only three SOE agents to survive incarceration in Ravensbrück. The author was also given access to letters written about his daughter by Violette’s father, Charles Bushell, which had never before been made public and remain in a private collection to this day.
This updated edition contains more information, available following the release of documents in 2003, which poses questions about Violette’s relationship with her family and highlights anomalies in the way the official version of Violette’s story was told.
Advance Praise
‘Ottaway confirms that she is a meticulous researcher and first-rate historian.’
Alliance Advocate
‘This excellent biography presents a vivid portrait of Violette as an agent and as a person. Extensive research and interviews with people who knew and worked with her have enabled the author to set out the facts and re-examine Violette's remarkable life. This is a moving and gripping read which offers a valuable insight into the character of one of Britain's greatest heroines.’
This England
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781910198421 |
| PRICE | $14.99 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Christine E, Reviewer
Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
Earlier this month, Kate Elliot re-tweeted a thread about little known heroes, women heroes to be exact. And this is true. In America, the story goes women in the Second World War built the planes and nursed. We are usually not taught about the women who dropped into Occupied France, and if it is mentioned, they are British.
And we usually don’t tell. Recently, a student read a selection of Julia Child. He didn’t hate it, but found it a bit boring. It was about food after all, but tell that same student about Child’s wartime work, and he gets more interested.
Violette Szabo wasn’t an American, and she did have a movie made about her. Yet, today, she is not well known by history books. At least the ones used in schools. After the death of her husband, Szabo joined SOE and went into Occupied France twice. Her actions during both missions were heroic.
Susan Ottaway’s biography of Szabo is in many ways, a counter point to Crave Her Name with Pride. Ottaway was able to interview not only Szabo’s brothers but also her daughter Tania. What is presented here is a pretty good and seemingly fair biography. While detailing the heroics of Szabo, Ottaway weighs the validity of stories, looking at not only the narrator but also the possibility of such action.
At times, it does feel that Szabo is just out of reach, but considering the scant sources, this is hardly surprising. What is interesting is looking at what Szabo and her daughter think about Szabo’s work and the “morality” of a mother doing such duty. Ottaway also details life after the war and how the family was treated by the makers of the film.
Michelle K, Reviewer
Violette Szabo
The Life That I Have
by Susan Ottaway
Thistle Publishing
Biographies & Memoirs , History
Pub Date 05 Sep 2017
I am reviewing a copy of Violette Szabo: The Life That I Have Through Thistle Publishing and Netgalley:
Violette Reine Elizabeth was born on June.26.1921, it is believed that she was born at a British Hospital in Paris.
In 1935 at the age of only fourteen Violette Bushell left school. In 1944 she was a beautiful widow and the Mother of a young daughter when she undertook two secret missions in France as a Special Operations Executive. Shortly after D-Day a few days into her second mission she was arrested and sent to Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. She was executed at the beginning of 1945.
I give this book five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
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