Review: 🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️🏃🏻‍♀️/5

“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.”

Virginia Hall is known as “LA DAME QUI BOITE—The Lady Who Limps, Most Dangerous of Allied Spies.” She has an artificial leg, but is as daring as those that don’t have artificial limbs. I didn’t realize at first this was considered biographical historical fiction, but, I do love how this was written. I absolutely loved that we start out with Virginia being this wide eyed innocent woman, ready to take on the world, and watch her grown into a literal badass hero. This book sparked so pride and emotion that I was so excited to see a woman be the hero of her own story, and many others. Like my TCO friends say, “Let the women do the work”.

I enjoyed how detailed this book was. I honestly do not think we really appreciate how detailed agents go undercover. From painfully changing her fillings from American to French to pass off as not American is something I could never imagine doing. I usually am a skimmer of articulate details, but I was absolutely sucked in by Robuck’s writing. I sat in anticipation clinging to every word trying to understand Hall’s next move.

Overall, I loved this book. It’s a bit over 360 pages, but yet, I read it in a day. I was glued in for this ride. Thank you Berkley for the gifted copy of The Invisible Woman. This is out Feb. 9th.

"With such an abundance of love, there is much to lose."

The famous Virginia Hall, the American spy who dedicated much of her career to winning WW2 via the French Resistance is a storied figure. While I tried and couldn't get through the recent 'A Woman of No Importance', I was excited to try Virginia's story again via a novel rather than nonfiction, and I wasn't disappointed.

The Invisible Woman tells the tale of Virginia's second 'tour' of France as she works clandestinely and dangerously to arm the French Resistance in rural mountainous communities of occupied France. Stoic but not without heart, Virginia is painted as a formidable figure and one who not only commands respect, but demands it....though it's clear it's well earned.

The novel does a wonderful job of developing Virginia's character and those around her, many fellow women of the resistance, and making clear how much they are putting on the line by risking themselves for a greater cause. While there's plenty of action and suspense, it never felt like suspense for suspense's sake, rather a realistic portrayal of the terrified circumstances they found themselves in regularly.

I was captivated by the story and I'm whole-heartedly looking forward to returning to more research and books on Virginia's life - a true trailblazer. Thank you NetGalley for the epub ARC!

Virginia Hall was truly an amazing woman. This tells her journey as an Allied spy during World War II. Robuck did an incredible job of telling her story and bringing her heroism to life. This is an excellent book about a very courageous woman.

The Invisible Woman features Virginia Hall, who was a real-life WWII SOE/OSS agent and all-around brave, fierce and amazing woman. The SOE (Special Operations Executive) was in charge of coordinating and supplying local Resistance groups and engaging in espionage and sabotage in enemy territory.

My favorite things about this type of historical fiction are that it reads almost like a memoir and I always learn something new. The research that this book entailed is evident in the details included about the life of a woman who for all intents and purposes was invisible due to the work that she did.

"You're still in there, she thinks. But, for now, you must remain invisible."

In addition to this book, I also highly recommend three other books by this author, Fallen Beauty (5 stars), Hemingway's Girl (4 stars) and The House of Hawthorne (4 stars).

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced copy; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

3.5 stars for this WWII historical novel. This book brought to light a new element to the war that I hadn't read about in the past - the French resistance. This book was about Virginia Hall, an American operative working with the French resistance. The characters in this novel were all actual people, which gave this story a unique spin. The fact that these things actually happened to these people was sobering and inspiring at the same time. Virginia is listed as the Invisible Woman, in part because she was a woman, but in part because after she became well-known, she went undercover as an elderly woman, rendering her completely unseen to the enemy. Her missions and perspective were fascinating. My sole complaint is that because of the historical fact of her life and the tense used in the writing, this book felt more like a memoir than a novel. If you enjoy fictional stories about factual characters that read more like memoirs though, this is one I can heartily recommend.

As an aside, for those who follow my reviews knowing that I read only Christian fiction, this book is not considered Christian. While the church is mentioned in a positive light and the author gives thanks to God in her acknowledgements, this book is marketed as general fiction and as such, includes a handful of swear words and one steamy-ish scene towards the end (though it was not offensive and lacked detail). It was an otherwise clean and inspirational read.

Special thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book. I was under no obligation to provide a review and the thoughts contained herein are my own.

Virginia Hall was an American embedded in France who eventually became well known for her way to get much needed supplies to the resistance fighters hoping to rid their towns of the Nazi regime.

The thing that I liked about this book was the different perspective of this war that has been written about time and time again. Seeing the resistance fighters up close and personal and finding out the work that went in to get them supplies and to keep all of the things hidden was so interesting. Knowing before starting this book that the main character was based on fact made reading her story so much more impactful.

I also enjoyed that this book didn't end on D Day. This made me learn more about how long it took for the Nazis to leave France and that it was a snap on D Day and life went back to normal - it was a slow return to a more normal French way of living.

What I didn't love about the book were the oddly placed flashbacks to Virginia's past. For me, most of them were distracting from the story and I thought that they possibly took away from the greater story. If they had been more easily marked and pulled out from the story, I think I would have enjoyed those moments more, but just a thought.

I also felt as though the story lost its pacing towards the middle. Part of this could have been my timing as to when I was reading it, but the beginning was great getting to know Virginia and her mission and the back third was so good as she was finishing her missions and the reader is waiting for the Nazis to vacate the towns.

I must say that I have read a few other books by Erika Robuck and loved them, this one just didn't completely work as well for me. I loved the character and the unique viewpoint of World War II, but there were just a few things that I didn't fall in love with.

Virginia Hall is a member of the SOE, the British Secret Operations Executive of WWII. After being ratted out in Lyon, France and losing most of her team, she's been back to London for more training and is now back in France as a pianist, a woman spy who sent coded messages back to the Allies, using a wireless transceiver, Their main goal was to organize drops of supplies to the Maquis so that once D-Day arrived, the resistance was able to aid the Allies by causing travel problems for the Nazi's. A Pianist was only thought to live for about six weeks before being captured or killed. Virginia, code name Diane, defeats all odds. She's also not your average woman. She lost her leg in a hunting accident and uses a prosthetic she calls Cuthbert. None of that slows her down as she does all that she can to help the resistance and to hold on until liberation.

World War II fiction is a dime a dozen these days and sometimes you wonder if you'll read a book that truly surprises you. While this is not the first book about the women in the SOE that I've read, I was pulled along by Virginia's story. But not that of just Virginia but of all the members of the resistance she helped along the way. I was heartened by the group of people who helped the ghosts, or the Jewish orphans that were being sponsored and hidden by French families.. I admired the women who had no training of their own but gave of themselves, their homes, their supplies, and their families to aid the Allies and fight for their country. Knowing what we know about the Nazi's and WWII, it's still easy to read these stories and wonder about the cruelty of man and how the world could have gotten to a point where basic human rights and decencies were not the norm, where people were killed because the color of their skin, where they were born, or their religion. The sad reality is that I read these books now and wonder if we haven't really learned anything in 60 years since WWII and I pray that if a day ever came in my lifetime that I was faced with the same kind of war and evil, that I would stand with the likes of Virginia and other woman and men, who did what they could with what they had to bring light to the dark and to overcome evil with good..

If you are looking for a new and well-written piece of WWII historical fiction, The Invisible Woman is the book for you. NPR wrote, “Virginia Hall is one of the most important American spies most people have never heard of.”Virginia, the American protagonist, lived her adult life in service to the greater cause of fighting Nazis an ocean away in France, and her bravery is legendary. But she is haunted by her unexpected continued survival as she seems to curse the fate of those around her. This book is an emotional one and had me up into the wee hours with a need to find out what happened next. I loved every page of it, and I am inspired to learn more about this heroic woman.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for advance access to this ebook. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

This is spectacular book of historical fiction based on the real life American spy, Virginia Hall. The tension builds throughout the book as Virginia, a “pianist”, who is someone who transmits information through the wireless, works to bring supplies and weapons to the Maquis, the French Resistance during WWII. I was most intrigued by the story of Chambon-sur-Lignon, where the Protestant Huegonots worked with their pastor to save Jewish children from the Nazis. I am in awe of Virginia Hall, but also the author, with such extensive research and the ability to tell this most important and little known story of a true heroine. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I highly recommend this book.

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck is a daring story based after Virginia Hall, a real life heroine of world war 2. This book was gripping from beginning to end and made me proud to be a woman. Erika Robuck writes all her characters with passion and intensity making this a must read novel!

I cannot put into words my awe for Virginia Hall. and for Erica Robuck, who brought Virginia to life through extensive research and exemplary prose.

Solid writing by one of my favorites. It's unfortunate that there were a couple recent books on the subject of female spies that stole some of the shine from this release. (Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon was a favorite of mine in 2020.) I think it's great that famous historical females are being remembered as heroes; they truly deserve to be recognized for their heroic deeds. Erika Robuck has a knack for writing biographical historical fiction well, so I'm glad that she took a slight turn from her usual literary figures to tell the story of Virginia Hall. What a fascinating woman she was!

A historical novel about a real female spy during World War II. Virginia, an American, is acting as a spy in Europe during World War II, helping the French resistance by performing as a radio operator and helping get supplies in to those on the ground in the lead up to D-Day. Dressed as an old woman and also with a prosthetic leg due to an accident, she may not seem like a secret agent, but that's why she makes it work. Along the way she faces a lot of danger and at any moment could be captured and killed, as what happened to some of her former aides. This is an intriguing story about a real person in history that you haven't heard much about.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Invisible Woman. Virginia Hall worked as a civilian in France during WW2. This novel, based on Hall's life ,is one of the best, if not best, historical fictions novels I’ve read! I first meet Virginia and learn she is from Maryland, which is where I am from and live. Virginia is a spy , trained as a wireless code operator in France. She suffered an accident early in adulthood and carried on her missions with a prosthetic leg, while working for the Allies. Virginia's interactions with the many characters in this story will leave you weeping and rejoicing. I will be recommending this book to my book club in the upcoming year.

A very remarkable story. I had no idea of this woman and what people like her went through. Fascinating account of one of the first women to work for the CIA. There's so much history and fascinating facts about the war and the so-called Virginia networks.
Recommended

Let me say that my 3 star rating has nothing to do with the heroine of this historical fiction. Virginia Hall Goillot, The Limping Lady, was brave, courageous and a true hero in the French Resistance during World War II.

Virginia was born into a wealthy American family, and traveled and studied extensively in Europe. After completing her education, she took a position with the U.S. Embassy in Poland, and then a position in Turkey. While in Turkey, a hunting accident resulted in the loss of her left leg below the knee. She received a prosthetic leg, which she called Cuthbert. Virginia joined the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and was stationed in France. She ran a spy ring, and when they were compromised she needed to escape as the Gestapo were hunting her. She crossed the Pyrenees from France to Spain, on foot with Cuthbert. That’s over 11,000 ft. in the snow and wind. It is harrowing to even imagine. Once she reached Spain, she was arrested and sent to prison. Upon her release from prison, she returned to France, gathering intelligence, managing Maquis resistance and organizing supply drops.

Virginia was one incredible woman! So why didn’t I like the book more? It took off with a bang, but didn’t keep that momentum. While Virginia and her story held my attention, the telling of her story never drew me in to Virginia’s character at all. Yes, she was portrayed as brave, courageous, strong and daring, but she was portrayed flatly and her emotions never quite jumped off the page. Also, the story was told in present with flashbacks to the past, however, the transitions were unconnected. It just seemed like bits and pieces thrown together without any logical thread tying everything together. I kept reading because I wanted to know Virginia’ story.

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This is a fascinating read of a woman I had never heard of. Virginia Hall helped to win WWII by being in occupied France and being a wireless operator and organizing sabotage to the Nazis and supplies to the resistance. She was on the German's most wanted list. Unfortunately it looks like she did not really talk about WWII much after the fact so this author took many liberties, but also staying true to the facts of the war. I am not big into WWII historical fiction because the Nazi's were just so awful, but this one was very interesting because it was about a real woman who helped get the Nazi's out of France while living among them. The best part is that she had a prosthetic and the Nazi's killed people with such flaws. She did have issues with men not wanting to take commands from a female.

"Virginia can't speak. Even with all she has seen, she can barely process this level of evil, an evil that not only tortures and kills, but makes sport and entertainment of it. How can men become such monsters?"

Tried to get into this book but, it was missing something and it was lacking in like ability. I think I would pass of this type of book time and time again.

Robuck paints a mesmerizing story of a woman determined to save herself and her resistance team members from discovery while being haunted by her past work in Nazi-occupied France. Never before have I encounter a story with nearly seamless flashbacks. Like Virginia, I would fall head first into her memories, jarred at returning to the present moment. I'm not sure how Robuck did it, but she created a fantastic story about one woman's work to liberate France while examining her earlier failed mission.

American socialite Virginia Hall goes into enemy territory during WWII as a spy/radio operator. The life span of her job is usually about 6 weeks. She is constantly in danger and not sure who to trust. This book is very well written and will draw you in right away. I am not usually a historical fiction fan but I loved this book, didn’t want to stop til I got to the end. Thank you to net galley for an advanced copy.