Nancy Wake: World War Two’s Most Rebellious Spy

Written by Russell Braddon

Narrated by Nico Evers-Swindell

‘Of all the variously talented women SOE sent to France, Nancy Wake was perhaps the most formidable’ —Sebastian Faulks

This is the incredible true story of the greatest spy you’ve never heard of—as told to the author by the woman herself.

At the outbreak of World War Two, Nancy Wake’s glamorous life in the South of France seemed far removed from the fighting. But when her husband was called up for military service, Nancy felt she had just as much of a duty to fight for freedom. By 1943, her fearless undercover work even in the face of personal tragedy had earned her a place on the Gestapo’s ‘most wanted’ list.

Mixing armed combat with a taste for high living, Nancy frustrated the Nazis at every turn’whether she was smuggling food and messages as part of the underground Resistance or being parachuted into the heart of the war to lead a 7,000-strong band of Resistance fighters.

The extraordinary courage of this unequalled woman changed the course of the war, and Russell Braddon’s vividly realised biography brings her incredible story to life.

Revised edition: This edition of Nancy Wake includes editorial revisions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Jan 14, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799755531

Russell Braddon

Russell Braddon was born in Sydney in 1921. In addition to The Naked Island, his bestselling memoir of four years spent as a prisoner of war during the Second World War, he also wrote a number of biographies, novels, histories and TV scripts. He lived in Britain from 1949 until 1993, and died in New South Wales in 1995.

Reviews for Nancy Wake

[Terri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely love this book! Nancy is truly a bada$$ and a girl I would be proud to work for! So many lives she saved, many with humor and wit or just plain ol' "let's getter done" attitude. Wow. Just wow. I'd love to read a story from Dennis's perspective. I'm so sorry her husband was tortured so badly and was murdered.
5 stars!

[Marian Azdril · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story was very interesting. I enjoyed it a lot. However, I was not thrilled when the narrator used an accent.

[labfs39 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nancy Wake was a brilliant student, with a difficult home life. She ran away twice and ended up in France. At the age of 23 she met and married Henri Fiocca, a wealthy man fourteen years her senior. They led a posh life in Marseille until the war broke out, and Nancy began working for the resistance. At first, she simply helped people on the run, but she became increasingly involved as a courier and helped British airmen escape from German prisons. Eventually, however, the Gestapo began following the agent they called The White Mouse, and, Nancy's devoted husband decided that she must leave France for her own safety. This was a turning point for Nancy, because after this she was always on the run and always completely committed to the Resistance. It took her six attempts, but she finally made it out of France. Nancy became one of only thirty-nine women to join the SOE and, after some training, parachuted back into France. At one point, she was the British liaison for over 7000 Marquis. She proved to be daring, brave, and incredibly lucky. I first heard about Nancy Wake in the context of a different biography, a new one by Peter FitzSimons. However, when I looked at reviews of the two books, the older, Braddon biography received better reviews. Certainly Braddon had a leg up on FitzSimons, in that he interviewed Nancy Wake himself. He was also completely enamored with her, which may have colored his treatment of her story. Despite the potential bias, Nancy Wake was an amazing person and her story is colorful and full.

[robertgriffen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A fascinating biography of a very brave and inspiring person to whom very many owe their lives. To those interested in France both Occupied and Vichy France this biography will be very interesting.

[jontseng · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A biography of someone who is, at the time of writing, probably the Greatest Living Australian. Scarcely believable.