A super interesting novel based on Virginia Hall, an allied spy who worked with France, I loved every minute of it and I appreciate the fact that it was based on a true story and a woman! All too often these stories are forgotten so I appreciated that Erika shared this story.

It took me a few tries to get into this one, but I'm glad I gave it another shot. This novel is based on the life of Virginia Hall, dubbed by the Gestapo as the "the most dangerous of all Allied spies." Hall is a risk-taker, but she's incredible at her job. She sent messages, arranged drops, and armed and trained members of the French Resistance. Oh, and did I mention she did it all with one leg? She accidentally shot her foot off in an accident years earlier. Author Erika Robuck did an incredible job weaving historical fact with fiction to immerse the reader in the dangerous landscape of WWII, while providing moments of hope on the way to Hall's ultimate mission.

What the book is about

The Invisible Woman is based on the remarkable true story of World War II heroine/spy Virginia Hall who helped liberate a nation. She is disguised as an old woman with a limp and invisible to the Nazis while she handles the wireless transmissions and airdrops that bring supplies, food, and weapons to the area she is working in. Projected to survive for six weeks, she is far from invisible, and she defies her odds and becomes one of the most respected spies. Virginia is haunted every day by the betrayal that devastated her first operation and is out to avenge the brave people she lost.

What I thought

In real life, Virginia mainly stayed invisible. A lot about her is unknown. I thought Erika Robuck did a great job weaving fiction with facts and shining a light on Virginia and the brave, resourceful women and men involved in the resistance. Erika Robuck creates a compelling and engaging portrait of Virginia with a realistic, vulnerable and strong side. Virginia is a complex character to connect with because she is tough, guarded, and distant like I would imagine her in real life. It didn’t entirely give me the emotional pull I was hoping for, and at times I did lose focus while reading. However, I love the different storyline here that focused on something a little different than I have read before and with an empowering woman like Virginia Hall! I highly recommend it!!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to get into the story so will not be leaving a full review.

I love Erika Robuck's writing, and I found this novel so interesting as I've never heard of Virginia Hall. If you know my blog, you know I love, love, love reading about WWII and espionage. As with all Erika's writing, this was well-research and well-written.

Thank you to Netgalley & Erika Robuck, for my copy of The Invisible Woman, for an honest review. I had the pleasure of reading Hemingway’s Girl, she takes a true story and expands on it, fictionally. The Invisible Woman is the true story of Virginia Hall a WWII spy. She could have been a Baltimore social life but choice to head to Europe to help during The war. Her effort’s didn’t go unnoticed and soon she was asked to complete more missions. An unfortunate accident takes her lower leg and even that won’t stop her from helping the resistance. She is plagued by the accident and the loses from her first mission but courageously moves forward and won’t stop until the Americans come to Europe, to help end the war. Such a great story of such a unique woman. I love the way Robuck develops Virginia Hall’s character. I couldn’t help but envy this young woman , who gave up all the comforts of her home to be in France. She never did give up and this is such a great story. I can say I didn’t know about Virginia Hall but I am glad I was able to read about her. This was a four star read for me.. and I keep telling friends & family to read it. I want to be able to speak about it with someone. I have also shared on Instagram and shared my review on Barnes & Noble. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

Amazing story of guts, determination, and fearless perseverence! I'd have thought the story a stretch if it wasn't based on a real woman's life! I'm so impressed with everything Virginia accomplished and often googled more information about this fascinating woman.
The story was well told, and I cared about the many characters introduced throughout the story.
It's another WWII book that shines light on heroes behind the front line.
Impressive research, impressive characters, and a very interesting book!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy of this great historical fiction story.

An inspiring tale of an American agent who worked in France and was dubbed by the Germans as "the most dangerous of all Allied spies." I had never heard of Virginia Hall before reading The Invisible Woman but now hers is a name I will never forget.

There are always so many books about World War II on by TBR pile but this one stands out. Virginia is such a strong, resilient and memorable person (I mean she calls her prosthetic leg Cuthbert!) and her story will have you on the edge of your seat. Virginia is a force to be reckoned with and Robuck does her justice. The story doesn't gloss over the horrors of war and the danger Hall put herself in, day after day, in order to fight the Nazis. It's clear Hall's life has been painstakingly researched and told with the utmost respect for her and all she achieved while helping the Allies. I'm so glad Robuck switched gears a bit from some of her other books (writing about the women behind some famous men) and I hope she discovers more unsung female heroes of history to introduce us to.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for the ARC.

Dang.

WWII books have been a 'thing' of mine for many years but lately I've really been digging those untold stories about what women did behind the scenes to further the fight against the nazis.

I had never heard of Virginia Hall and until the end of the book I kept really thinking that she couldn't be real! But real she was and what a badass she was!! This book was as gripping as any fictional tale of a made-up person but was (mostly) all real. I say mostly since there were things edited for ease of story telling but man, what a woman and WHAT a book.

High recommended for anyone that enjoys reading about WWII and/or fabulous woman in history.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advanced reading copy to review. This is probably the best book I've read in the last 6 months to a year. I loved the protagonist and found everything about her life as a spy fascinating. I'm looking forward to reading one of the non-fiction books written about her. There are 6! Two for children, 1 in French, and 4 others for adults in English. Three of the 4 were written in 2019. I'm not sure why there has been so much interest in her recently. Perhaps the CIA declassified some documents that provided new information? Anyway, enjoy!

RATING: 4 STARS
2021; Berkley

When I was first asked to review this one, I wasn't sure if I should take on the WWII novel. As you have heard me say many times now, I am really burnt out with the similar storylines. I want to love each story, but I usually ends up being a chore. I either skim just to get it done, and read someone I will like, or DNF. Added on top, it was about spies and espionage. Another subject I have just read and watched too much of. But, I have had Erika Robuck on my TBR author list for awhile too. I like that she takes on the subject of real women and showcasing their imprint on the world. I made a promise that I would DNF this one instead of disrespecting it by making it a chore.

I am doing some overtime at work as it's been busy since last year, and we really have never caught up to a point we can relax. One positive is that I get some of my audiobook time in. I am a bit meh with my podcasts right now. Nothing seems to hit right at the moment. Next on my audiobook eLibrary list was, The Invisible Woman. I thought the time was right. It starts off in Paris in the late twenties, and Virginia Hall intrigues me from the moment. The way this novel is written, I was drawn into the story, but felt really invested in Hall. I didn't know Hall's story, so that helped in keeping the suspense for me. I was tempted at times to turn to Wikipedia as it was killing me to see if she made it through this or that...and how much of this was true versus creative licensing. (I will leave all that unanswered in case you want to discover all that yourself). While this novel is about another strong woman during WWII, the thing that set it apart for me was that this was about Hall. It's hard to explain that in words other than this wasn't a survival story, or one of romance or friendship. I don't know, just listen to the sample of the audiobook, or read an excerpt. It's a god story about a complex yet simple woman. I forgot to add that Caroline Hewitt, the narrator, is great with the reading. She does the accents and different languages well. It added to the characteristics of the characters.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook/audiobook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

I have been reading so many stories of female spies and they are all fabulous. This one was truly one of the best.. Based on the true story of Virginia Hall who went from society balls in the U.S. to being a French Resistance fighter and spy for the OSS. The book is a total page turner. It has all the elements of great historical fiction, taking a true story, real person and making the story interesting rather than dry like an old history book. I hope we always have women like Virginia Hall! #NetGalley #TheInvisibleWoman

In the late 1930s, a young woman shoots herself in the foot while hunting, causing an amputation below the knee. She's fitted with a prosthetic--which she names Cuthbert--and eventually becomes a secret agent working with the resistance fighters and hunted by the Germans in Nazi-occupied France. It happened. It's true. Erika Robuck's electrifying thriller The Invisible Woman is based on the life of American spy Virginia Hall.

After the terrible accident, Virginia's options are keep the leg or keep her life. She chooses life, and becomes a legend in the world of intelligence. Trained in explosives, subterfuge and combat, Virginia is sent to France to prepare small bands of resistance fighters for the invasion of Normandy (aka D-Day). She carries with her a wireless transmitter for sending intelligence back to the Allied Forces. Each transmission takes time, and the Nazis need only 20 minutes to pinpoint her location. Razor-thin escapes result in her likeness plastered on wanted posters. Virginia takes advantage of her limp and disguises herself as an old lady; the Germans dismiss her appearance as non-threatening and easily overlook her. Even resistance fighters disregard her. She must struggle between being ignored by one group and worthy of attention by the other.

Robuck (Hemingway's Girl) was working on a wife-of-a-famous-male-writer book when an editor suggested she write about a woman who was special in her own right. The incredible story of Virginia Hall entered her radar. Robuck combines many real characters into fewer, serving to highlight Hall's remarkable exploits and resulting in an epic that is deeply engrossing. --Paul Dinh-McCrillis, freelance reviewer

Discover: This electric spy thriller is based on the real-life exploits of American World War II secret agent Virginia Hall.

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=1000#m17476

Virginia Hall, you were one fantastic lady! It doesn't matter how many women spy novels I read during WWII, I will never get tired of them, and I will probably love them all. This novel was wonderfully heartbreaking, with an astounding amount of research put into it. I enjoyed it so much, and felt the terror, horror, and pain Virginia and her comrades went through.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the copy in exchange for my honest review!

La Dame Qui Boite--The Lady Who Limps, Most Dangerous of Allied Spies

Author Erika Robuck weaves fictional details with historical facts in The Invisible Woman and the resulting story is one that I won't soon forget. As I read the amazing feats of OSS agent Virginia Hall, I concluded that she could have also been called a wonder woman as she feverishly worked to aid the war effort while wearing a prosthetic leg she had named Cuthbert. Hall was the ultimate spy and freedom fighter, the only civilian woman to ever be given the United States Distinguished Service Cross., and a CIA operative after the end of WWII.

I love a book that entertains as it enlightens and this book certainly delivers. Robuck stirred my emotions as I was plunged into a world of spies, war, and the uncertainties of justice versus revenge. The Invisible Woman is exceptional historical fiction!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. There was no obligation for a positive review. These are my own thoughts.

The Invisible Woman by Erika Roebuck, a historical fiction novel based on a true story, is excellent reading. It is based on the life of Virginia Hall, an American, who worked for the British SOE (British Special Operations Executive) during World War II in France. Hall had a powerful impact on coordinating the response of the French Resistance with the Allies prior to D-Day in numerous regions of France, despite the fact that she had a prosthetic below the knee of one leg.

The American Foreign Service would not employ Hall as a spy after an accident that left her with her disability—a wooden leg she called “Cuthbert”—but the British did. And she accomplished amazing feats in France where she was held in high regard by the French Resistance.

Virginia was actually in France before it fell to the Germans while the fighting was going on. A 1940 flashback from the book:

“ON HER LAST ambulance trip, fifty yards from the convent hospital, Virginia and her partner run out of gas. The wounded soldier has to be carried the rest of the way. Blood from the blisters on Virginia’s knee stump soaks her sock. She can smell it through the soldier’s gore, and her own stink. Blood falls from the man’s blasted leg like water from an open faucet. It bleeds the way her foot bled from her own accident. She carries him the way her friends carried her.

Once they get him to the hospital, she helps a nun hold the soldier down while the doctor saws. The screams go through her. There’s no anesthesia.

When it’s over, she limps to sit on a stone wall outside the hospital, and soon the nun joins her, wrapping her in a coat. It smells of tobacco and sweat. Another aroma reaches her: lily of the valley, threaded through her bootlaces. Little beauties in the horror. Virginia pulls out a stalk and brings the flowers to her nose.

“Mary’s tears,” the nun says.

She lights a stub of a cigarette, a tiny torch in the night. She must have found it in the soldier’s jacket.

She holds the cigarette out to Virginia, but she declines.

“Another name for the flower,” the nun says. “Legend has it that when the Virgin wept at her crucified son’s feet, these bloomed. No wonder our fields are thick with them.”

“This is hell,” says Virginia.

“Hell?” says the nun, a dark laugh escaping her. “You are not old enough to remember the Great War. My dear, we are only at the gate.” “

From the book when she is being interviewed by the British prior to being sent into France:

““What did your training for the French ambulance service entail,” Vera said.

“Basic first aid,” Virginia said. “Automobile repair and operation. Physical fitness.”

“Good. I hear you’re a linguist. Which languages do you speak?”

“French, Italian, Spanish, and German, fluently. Passable Russian.”

If Vera was impressed, she didn’t show it.

“Tell me about war,” Vera continued. “What has surprised you?”

“Human capacity for evil.”

“What about yourself?”

“Endurance.” “

And Virginia shows endurance! Virginia spends time undercover in occupied France organizing spy networks and gathering intelligence, until a traitor causes the death of many of her fellow operatives in 1942. She, however, escapes via the Pyrenees—yes!!!despite snow and her wooden prosthetic—and makes it back to Britain. She becomes a wanted woman by the Nazis and the Gestapo calls her “The Limping Lady”. Against all odds, Virginia convinces the British to send her back to France undercover in 1944 where she helps to empower and organize several resistance groups before and after the Allied invasion on D-Day. She also becomes a part of an amazing village of French men and women who shelter and hide Jewish children during the war.

I literally did not want to stop reading this novel and was very moved and inspired by it and by this real life heroine Virginia Hall.

By the way, historical fiction many times does not meet with my approval because the author is not able to incorporate enough factual information to make the prose, character’s actions, and settings seem true to the real events. That was not the case with this book. The author did an excellent job! At the end the author delineates sources and facts the book is based on.

I highly recommend this book which was published 9 February 2021 and thank its publisher Berkley and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of the book and for allowing me to review it.

Most of us have heard of Virginia Hill, the notorious girlfriend of Bugsy Siegel but how many of us have ever heard of Virginia Hall the US super spy who worked for the OSS during World War II.

Author Erika Robuck, noted for her historical writings featuring little known women, has brought Virginia Hall front and center as she relates the story of this previously unknown woman super-spy with a prosthetic leg whose heroic actions included working behind enemy lines arranging airdrops of much needed food, weapons and other supplies to resistance forces and assisting in the escape of downed US and British airmen not to mention other dangerous escapes.

Rather than review the exploits of this unusual woman, I suggest you set aside a few hours of your day and enjoy discovering this fascinating woman for yourself.

I read A Woman of No Importance during quarantine and I was excited to pick this one up, but unfortunately it didn’t hold my attention. While it was easy to read and I appreciated the author condensing the characters so it was easier to follow, it never felt like there was a climax being built up to. Virginia would arrive at a new town, get everything set up, then there would be an issue, but she would get it figured out and then move on to the next town.

I finished The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck two days ago and I cannot stop thinking about it. It was all I could talk about over the weekend! This book is based off of true story of Virginia Hall. She was an American that became a World War II heroine after she was recruited to be an Allied spy. This book is gripping, edge-of-your-seat, and intense. It grabs your attention from page one and does not let go until the end. I found this book so engrossing and could not/did not want to put it down.

In this book it shows that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. We don't know what life has planned for us and what we can accomplish when we least expect it. Virginia Hall and all the resisters in WWII were brave, ruthless, and determined to take their country back. The poise and leadership she showed during these times are unprecedented. They defied all odds to liberate their country (and nation) from evil.

This is the first book I have ready by Ms. Robuck and it definitely will not be the last. If you loved The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, The Alice Network by Kate Quinn or The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel you will LOVE this book. I highly recommend it.

I shared my thoughts about this book on my blog and on GoodReads. I will provide the details directly to the publisher in the next round of this process.