Set during World War II, this triumphant story is a great read for any book club with a French twist! Pair this book with a bottle of Bordeaux, a baguette, and some baked brie.

Historical fiction at its best. The core of this book is magnificent and rich in detail.
Many thanks to Berkley Publishing Group and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Robuck brings Virginia Hall to life in this fictionalized version of her story - an American hero who undertook many heroic deeds in WWII France, despite wearing a prosthetic leg. There are times when Robuck portrays Hall as larger than life and her iciness is hard to fathom. All-in-all this is an excellent read that will appeal to fans of WWII historical fiction.

I can’t believe we haven’t heard more about Virginia Hall until now! What a gritty, determined, tenacious character she was. Robuck’s well-researched story put me right there in those barren villages, the hunger and desperation of the French, hollow eyes, and yet they chose to resist no matter what it cost. You feel Virginia’s torment as she doggedly walks along with her prosthetic leg to the next village to organize and arm the next group of resistance fighters, dragging with her the demons that come with watching people she’s trained be captured and tortured. I had no idea that the allies trained and equipped French civilians to rise up and throw the Nazis out of their country, but I shouldn’t be. Or that BBC read out code at the end of their programming to communicate with the field. I didn’t want this story to end, even though I wished for the end of the war. This is one of those untold stories. A must, must read.

The publishing world seems saturated by WWII novels. And yet there always seems to be one more story to be told, a story unlike the others we have read. The Invisible Woman offers readers a character so amazing that it is hard to believe she is based on a real woman.

In The Invisible Woman, Erika Robuck brings to life Virginia Hall Goillot who went into occupied France as a "pianist," coordinating and supplying the Marquis as they sabotaged the Nazis. She was the only civilian woman to be award the U. S. Distinguished Service Cross, and one of the first women to work for the C.I.A.

It is a riveting read.

The average lifespan of a pianist was six weeks. "You will receive no praise or accolades for your service," Virginia was warned, "Without military uniform, if captured, you will not fall under Geneva protection." She would starve. She would feel guilt over the deaths of those involved in her work. She could be jailed, raped, tortured, or put to death.

Virginia accepted the challenge. She had a debt to pay.

Virginia wore a prosthetic leg but it did not stop her from her work. Masquerading as an elderly woman, she rode a bicycle for hours, trekked through deep mountain snow, endured danger and grief, gained the trust of the boys and men she worked with, and was aided by women and children.

The "nameless and faceless" army of common folks were true heros, enduring suffering and loss unfalteringly. A village of pacifist Christians hid thousands of evacuated Jewish children.

Virginia struggles with what she has seen. How do men become monsters? Is humanity redeemable? Can small acts overpower it? Was resisting worth dying for? Will her humanity be another victim of the war?

Readers will be gratified by the ending.

I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

Robuck brings real-life heroine Virginia Hall to life, highlighting her immense bravery as an Allied spy in German-occupied France during World War 2. She vividly depicts Hall’s extraordinary heroism amid the horror of the Nazi atrocities while also shining a light on the thousands of regular people who bravely joined the Resistance (and put their lives on the line) to ensure that their country would not fall to the Nazis. I read this one in less than 24 hours and absolutely loved it.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Erika Robuck has written a fascinating book about Virginia Hall, who was an American that was part of the French Resistance in WWII. Virginia Hall was a real person so Ms. Robuck did a lot of research in order to bring her to life and all the people that she met along her journey. Virginia was tasked with going into worn torn France with D-Day coming soon to assist the French Resistance in receiving supply drops from England and keeping them apprised of the Allies movement into France. I am always fascinated by the WWII stories and this was a story I had not known about. The book is beautifully written setting up the scenes and the people that Virginia encounters. Virginia is depicted as the woman she most likely was, a complex woman with the determination and grit needed to survive. This book is one that will stay with you long after you read the last page.

A truly fascinating and important book about the bravery and resilience of one woman. I'd definitely recommend this to history buffs and really to anyone.

The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck. An amazing and fascinating story about Virginia Hall and Cuthbert and all of brave people of the underground resistance network. The author opened up a segment of the history of WWII that I did not know much about and became curious to explore more. Details at the end of the book were enlightening. The further reading suggestions were a welcome addition. This book is historical fiction at it's best.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

STOP READING AND ORDER THIS BOOK. Ordered? Okay we can go on. 'The Invisible Woman' is one of those books that takes your emotions all over. Virginia Hall is such an amazingly fascinating woman that when you read it you think the author does a really great job but it is a fictional book and of course the hero has to do some scandalous and crazy things because she is a spy and spies do crazy things in books.

Virginia Hall was a real woman whose life story is finally starting to get it's due. I discovered Ms. Hall in 'Sonia Purnell's non-fiction 'A Woman of No Importance' and was beyond excited when I saw that Erika Robuck was doing a historical fiction book about her. This book does NOT disappoint. It makes Virginia come to life. She was a debutante who wanted MORE from life and the good ol' US of A was not willing to let a woman explore MORE at the time. She ends up in the Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret British World War II organization.

The Gestapo feared her and wanted her dead....“She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her" they said. Read this book and find out why.

Cuthbert is also a fascinating 'character' and once you realize how Cuthbert came to be and how much Virginia is able to do in spite of Cuthbert you realize even more how simply amazing Virginia Hall was and how her name and story deserves to live on.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!!

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishers for the advanced reader copy in return for an honest review.

2.5☀️. I love a good WWII era novel, but I had a hard time getting into The Invisible Woman. While well written, the pace was slow and I found the plot to be a bit choppy. I will say, I was impressed to learn how much of the story was based on true events, and that escalated my overall opinion of the novel to a three-star.

This is such an amazing story. I had never heard of this heroine who risked her life every day in France during WWII. Because of the descriptions of the people and their sacrifice,, I couldn't put this book down until I finished it. What a tribute to Virginia Hall and her courage.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Virginia Hall, an American woman working with the British during WWII as a wireless operator in France is a national treasure. She was told that she would have 6 weeks to live as operators don't survive. Virginia took on the mission and through her determination, she helped liberate France. This novel takes you from village to village meeting with French resistors and reporting back to HQ in England on their needs of food, medicine and weapons which would be dropped by plane for them. In reading the novel, you come to know the people, their sacrifices and dedication to the love of their country. This is a marvelous book.

Wow! I was completely blown away by The Invisible Woman by Erika Robuck. Erika Robuck is a veteran at writing amazing pieces of historical fiction and The Invisible Woman is no exception. This novel tells the exciting and heroic tale of Virginia Hall - a spy tracking the Nazi's every move. One wrong step and she can fall headfirst, plunging into blackness.

If you have any interest in spy novel or WWII, I would highly recommend this novel. The pages flew by! Absolutely exceptional!

``You will only have six weeks to live.`` These are the last words that her superior officer gives Virginia Hall, (Code name Diane, AKA Artemis to the Germans) as she embarks on a mission to relay messages from occupied France during WWII. D Day is coming, and she is to help set up the resistance fighters by transmitting messages and receiving supply drops. The Germans are on the alert, and are searching everywhere for the spy they call Artemis. Can she avoid capture and survive beyond the six weeks?
This is a historical fiction account of real life heroine Virginia Hall. The author has created a compelling and thrilling account of the many missions and accomplishments of this very brave woman. The author weaves historical fact with fiction to create a story that is inspirational during a very bleak time.
When I first began reading this story I didn’t realize that the main character was a real person. I found myself on the internet searching more details about this amazing woman. If you enjoyed “The Lilac Girls” by Martha Hall Kelly and ``The Alice Network`` by Kate Quinn, you will enjoy this book.

Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for the advance copy of this book!

This book got my heart strings!. The atmosphere was everything I wanted it to be. I loved the plot and storyline in the book. I loved the characters in this story. It gave me all the feels I was looking for when I started reading this. I highly recommend this author. I loved the writing. I will be looking for other works in the future from this author.

The most fascinating part about this book is that it's about real people. Obviously, some of the details are made up or exaggerated or changed to fit the novel, but most of these characters really existed. Due to the nature of working as a clandestine agent, it would have been impossible to know every detail and I think the author did a great job of working with what she had and adapting it to a novel format.

Virginia is being dropped into France with the intention of working as a wireless operator (a pianist) and coordinating supply drops with the Allies in order to help the French Resistance, the Maquis. She has an American accent and a limp, which might give away her identity. This is not her first mission. This story is impossible to put down. Will she survive the expected 6 weeks (the average life expectancy for pianists in France)?

I definitely recommend this one to anyone that's interested in WWII historical fiction or a good adventure/spy story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eAR C of this book.
Incredible piece of historical fiction about Virginia Hill, a resistance fighter at the end of WWII.
A story of an amazing woman. Lots of characters who are well developed, presented in a way that was never confusing.. Loved the book. Watch for it in February 2021.

“It is better to light just One Little Candle than to stumble in the dark.” *

The opening line to one of my favorite Christmas carols kept playing in my head as I read this inspiring book. Occupied France was in dire need of hope and in the midst of terrible darkness and oppression, some tiny points of light did shine through. This book is a fictionalized, but accurate account of Virginia Hall and the people she worked with in 1944.

American Virginia Hall was a well-educated young woman who began her career with the American Consulate service. During WWII she became an Allied spy, working with the British in France. Her basic mission as a wireless operator was to get supplies to the resistance fighters in France, organize them in acts of sabotage and train them to overthrow the Germans after D-Day. In the midst of evil, could she bring forth the hope of a brighter world?

The typical wireless operator survived in Nazi France for six weeks. Virginia was not typical. In spite of a physical handicap, she persevered. Her story is one of fear, loneliness, hardship and danger, but also moments of friendship, love and opportunity to witness acts of great mercy and bravery.

Readers will find the actual “spying” details fascinating. In an evil and constantly life-threatening world- a world without computers and high-tech??- how did Virginia accomplish her mission? Spies communicated through coded messages. Also, the BBC broadcast coded messages each evening. Even crossword puzzles could convey a secret message. It’s thrilling to be crowded in a dark room with Virginia and her cohorts, breathlessly listening to the radio for the words that would signal a delivery of supplies, or the start of the D-Day invasion. Through Virginia, we get to know many amazing and unsung people with true hearts for good.

A section of the story that deserves a whole book of its own, is Virginia’s time in Le Chambon-sur-Ligne. Saving the “Old Testaments” will have you weeping. Virginia was deeply affected too, but the love and valor she observed also helped to thaw her icy heart of emotional self-protection.

Well-paced, with wonderful historic details that enhance rather than slow-down the story, you will be awestruck by Virginia and thankful that people such as her rose up during a dark period of history. This is a must read! Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advance review copy. This is my honest review.

*Sung by Perry Como
Music by George Mysels
With Lyrics by Joseph Maloy Roach, Published 1952