A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II

Written by Sonia Purnell

Narrated by Juliet Stevenson

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Chosen as a BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR by NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon, the Seattle Times, the Washington Independent Review of Books, PopSugar, the Minneapolis Star Tribune, BookBrowse, the Spectator, and the Times of London

Winner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography

“Excellent…This book is as riveting as any thriller, and as hard to put down.” -- The New York Times Book Review

"A compelling biography of a masterful spy, and a reminder of what can be done with a few brave people -- and a little resistance." - NPR

"A meticiulous history that reads like a thriller." - Ben Macintyre

A never-before-told story of Virginia Hall, the American spy who changed the course of World War II, from the author of Clementine.

In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: "She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her."

The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill's "Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and--despite her prosthetic leg--helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it.

Virginia established vast spy networks throughout France, called weapons and explosives down from the skies, and became a linchpin for the Resistance. Even as her face covered wanted posters and a bounty was placed on her head, Virginia refused order after order to evacuate. She finally escaped through a death-defying hike over the Pyrenees into Spain, her cover blown. But she plunged back in, adamant that she had more lives to save, and led a victorious guerilla campaign, liberating swathes of France from the Nazis after D-Day.

Based on new and extensive research, Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall--an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman's fierce persistence helped win the war.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Apr 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781984842725

Sonia Purnell

Sonia Purnell is a prize-winning and bestselling biographer, and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Her latest work Kingmaker: Pamela Churchill Harriman's astonishing life of seduction, power & intrigue, was published to huge media acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. Purnell is interested in setting the record straight on twentieth-century women whose lives have been overlooked, misrepresented or misunderstood by history, works that led to her recently being described as 'one of the most accomplished biographers of our time' (Liza Mundy). Her work on Virginia Hall, A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of Virginia Hall, WWII's Most Dangerous Spy, won the 2020 Plutarch Award for Best Biography and was a New York Times bestseller. Her book First Lady: The Life and Wars of Clementine Churchill was a book of the year in the Daily Telegraph and Independent, and was shortlisted for the Plutarch Award for Best Biography. Her first book, Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition, was longlisted for the Orwell prize.

Reviews for A Woman of No Importance

[KIMartin3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s barely fathomable to have gone this many decades having not only never heard of, but also not known the story of, this incredibly accomplished woman. As a lifelong true crime and espionage enthusiast, this is easily the top most enthralling WWII heroism stories of which I’ve ever heard. With every turn of the page or new chapter, I kept thinking that if an author made it up, it would be deemed too much, over the top. In my humble opinion, everyone should know her amazing story.

[jill.mackin · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wish the author hadn't written the story so sluggishly.

[spoko_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A very good book about a really incredible life. Virginia Hall had a stunningly successful career (even if it was rarely recognized as such during her time), and Purnell details it all. This admirable attempt to paint a complete picture does drag occasionally, but overall it is a compelling read.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Virginia Hall was a woman of great importance. Her undercover work in the Second World War marks her as one of the greatest spies in American history. The dangers she faced, the risks she took, and the hardships she endured all for the sake of helping the French Resistance are unparalleled. That being said, this book was a slog to get through. Poorly organized, with numerous characters and many code names, it was difficult to keep track of the characters and their actions. Though evidently well researched, I never really got to know the people in this book, including the main character, so little was actually said about the people. This should have been a gripping account of a fascinating woman. Instead, because of its dry narrative and over abundance of facts that overwhelmed the reader without grasping the heart of Virginia Hall, it was not.

[kalliegrace · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An amazing story of a disabled woman being better and braver than so many men. There were parts of this that I couldn't put down and other parts that seemed to drag on, so the book itself is mixed, but the things I learned are excellent.

[4bonasa · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of uncommon courage about an extraordinary woman.

[shazjhb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book. Like all nonfiction it is hard to follow all the people because they do not engage in conversation and therefore they are just names on paper. Important book about what women can do and how they are blocked

[michelleannlib · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! This book was amazing. It was both incredibly inspiring and also a little demoralizing. Virginia Hall's life story is captivating and exciting. It's a little hard to hear how sexism and discrimination kept her from doing even more in her career.

[witchyrichy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Woman of No Importance tells the story of Virginia Hall, one of the greatest, least known spies in World War II. Hall was sidelined by America because of her gender and a prosthetic leg, but she managed to work her way into the British forces and was a major force behind organizing the French resistance. She was known to the Nazis but managed to evade them, eventually escaping in a grueling hike over the Pyrenees into Spain. The book reminded me of Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini as, like that book, highlights the important work done by women that has been largely forgotten. And, like those women, Hall was often prickly and not the demure debutante most men wanted in that era.

[prudencegoodwife · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well researched and well written book about Virginia Hall. This woman - who lived mostly in the shadows - was an amazing woman who didn't receive all the recognition she deserved in her lifetime. A must read .

[mitchma · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Amazing woman who definitely should have been more well known for her contributions during WWII. While the subject matter is interesting, the book is a little dry.

[ladyofdreams-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great book! I had never heard of Virginia Hall before reading this book. She was an American operative initially working for the British and was directly involved in the French Resistance during World War II. She worked with resistance cells, transmitted information back to the British and helped the Allies leading up to and after the Invasion of Normandy. I highly recommend it!

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“This book is not a military account of the battle of France, nor an analysis of the shifting shape of espionage or the evolving role of Special Forces, although, of course, they weave a rich and dramatic background to Virginia’s tale. This book is rather an attempt to reveal how one woman really did help turn the tide of history.”

Biography of Virginia Hall, an American recruited by the British to work as a spy in France during WWII. She led an espionage network at a time when it was extremely rare for a woman to be in charge. She initially posed as a reporter, then operated undercover in Vichy France. At one point she had to escape over the Pyrenees mountains into Spain, which is even more impressive considering she had a wooden prosthetic leg! After the war, she worked for the CIA, and they later named a building in her honor. It is a well-researched and compelling story. It conveys the essence of Hall’s personality in addition to recounting her impressive accomplishments. Recommended to those interested in women’s history, true espionage stories, and WWII.

[lyndainoregon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fascinating and ultimately heartbreaking story about Virginia Hall, daughter of a prominent Baltimore family, who turned her back on her family's expecations for a most unusual life.

Discouraged, rejected, and outright barred from her first career choice because of her gender and because of a physical disability (she lost one leg in a hunting accident as a young woman), Hall persisted and eventually was sent into France to help organize what became the French Underground, whose efforts played a huge part in the eventual liberation of France.

Unfortunately, the book is dry and slow, packed with names and locations, but we never really begin to "know" Virginia Hall except by a catalogue list of her accomplishments.

If it were fiction, no one would believe the incidents related, but by cleaving strictly to records left behind, Purcell is never really able to get inside the mind and soul of her subject. Readers whose interest lie in people rather than in events may find it tough sledding.

[yukon92 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I knew absolutely nothing about this fearless, amazing woman who worked "behind the lines" during WW II in France. This, at times, heartbreaking and painful story was very inspiring. She is another one of these unsung heroes (think of K. Johnson working for NASA) and she deserves the same recognition as all her male counterparts!

[mickyfine · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sonia Purnell's biography of Virginia Hall is truly compelling non-fiction reading. The majority of the work focuses on Hall's years as an SOE, and later OSS, agent working to coordinate the French Resistance during WWII. Virginia's work was truly amazing, particularly as she was constantly underestimated due to her gender. In addition, she had the added disadvantage of an artificial leg (affectionately known as Cuthbert), which meant that while participating in various Resistance activities, she never had the option of a last minute run if things got dicey. Purnell does an excellent job crafting summaries of Virginia's missions, based on a wide range of field reports, recollections, and other primary sources and also gives the reader a good sense of the personality behind the actions. An excellent read of a too often overlooked woman who played a massively important role in the war in France. Highly recommend, particularly for those interested in the period, the French Resistance, or women's history.

[murderbydeath · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An outstanding story from start to finish. I listened to the audio and the narrator did an outstanding job, making an already riveting story one that I wanted to just sit and listen to, rather than serving as just a diversion while in traffic.

Virginia Hall, by any standard measure of time, accomplishment, daring, intelligence or bravery, was a heroine. Her gender makes no difference in this distinction, nor does her disability, but both render her accomplishments during WWII even more astounding.

Sonia Purnell does an excellent job chronicling the life of Hall, in spite of what she admits upfront was a daunting process of historical research in the face of archive fires, classified intelligence in multiple countries, and Hall's own ingrained reticence to discuss her work or accept accolades for her contributions to ending the war. Her speculations as to what might have happened during gaps in primary sources seem few, and the writing makes those speculations clear. She also doesn't just rely solely on chronicling Virginia's life, but covers quite a bit of the story of the French Resistance, especially in Lyon, during the Vichy government, and the Nazi take-over leading up to the invasion of Normandy.

The history is at times romantic in true Bond style, terrifying, and heartbreaking. The details of Vichy and Nazi interrogating techniques is NOT for the feint of heart, and the post-war years for Virginia were a mixture of recognition of her talents and accomplishments, and a disgusting record of 50's misogyny. I appreciated that the author made the effort to be accurate, not falling into the easy route of railing against all the discrimination and not giving time to those men in the intelligence and government sectors that stood up and gladly gave her the credit she earned and deserved. Purnell tries to be balanced, and I think she succeeds brilliantly, pointing out the CIA's mistakes and their own efforts to take responsibility for them.

I'm thankful I found this book, and I'm thankful Purnell wrote it, giving men and women around the world another authentic role model and hero to look to. I can't help but wonder, though, how Hall herself would view this fine work. I hope, in spite of her life-long secrecy and desire to remain unknown, she'd appreciate her life's achievements as the valuable legacy they are to future generations.

[Víctor Gonzalo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is incredible how a woman with a wooden leg managed to perform so many extraordinary feats to free her beloved France from the Nazi horror, and it is surprising that this story remained in anonymity for so many years; thanks to the author Sonia Purnell for bringing us and introducing us to this great woman. (Translated from Spanish)

[Merchepo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed reading an interesting story very much. (Translated from Spanish)

[kittycunningh-815148 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Made me want to smack a lot of very old men.

[northwestknitter · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I experienced this as an audiobook and my review should be considered from that perspective.

Sonia Purnell does an excellent job of researching historical documents and interviewing subjects to piece together the story of Virginia Hall and bring her character and determination to life for the reader. By the end of the book I felt like I knew Virginia personally as someone I could relate to and admire. The story itself is interesting and inspiring, a young society lady ignores her family's wishes and aims for a career in diplomacy, comes up against a large amount of discrimination both as a woman and as someone with a disability, and becomes one of the best spies and organizers for the French resistance.

I appreciated the difficulty that Sonia Purnell must have had in gathering information about someone who avoided the limelight and who's work was secret. There are areas where I wanted more information about Virginia Hall's work, particularly at the start of the war while she was working with the British. The book discusses her network at length but doesn't really explain what she or her network was doing. I would have liked to have heard more about what the resistance and her group were specifically doing that thwarted the Nazis, but instead I got the impression that many of the people she was sent to work with were bumbling fools and most of her efforts were in getting them out of trouble.

There were some small issues I had with hearing this book as an audiobook. Chapters did not begin with the chapter titles being stated and there were times when it wasn't clear to me what year we were in and so that context was sometimes missing. As well, there are many people introduced who later have name changes and this was sometimes confusing (in a written book I would have easily flipped back and reread a passage to figure it out). As I said, these issues were small and not worth getting discouraged over.

The narration and sound editing of this audiobook were superb, probably the best I've ever heard. Juliet Stevenson's voice was clear but relaxed and her switching of accents and tone between narration and quotes was almost flawless. I could picture the paragraph breaks, font changes and punctuation on the page as she spoke. The volume was even throughout the book with not one sound of breath or unnecessary pause by the narrator.

[samba7-100086 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The incredible account of the life of Virginia Hall, a socialite who became a spy in WWII.

[hemlokgang · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quite astonishing true story of courage, determination, and sheer chutzpah! Virginia Hall, an American socialite, becomes one of the most daring and successful leaders of the Resistance in WWII France. This book is very well written and kept me fully engaged throughout. I walk away in awe of her courage and wishing her story was better known!

[ikeman100 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing history well told. If you are interested in real spy accounts or France during the Nazi occupation you will love this book. Sometimes it takes the right kind of person at the right time to make a difference. Virginia Hall was the right person.

[marshapetry · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent with periods of non-interesting review. Good narrator for audiobook

[kheders_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic non-fiction story. Virginia Hall is my latest female hero!! If you love spy novels, this is even better since its true.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Virginia Hall was an American who became a major organizer of the French Resistance, a woman of amazing courage, ability, and magnetism. This book describes her accomplishments, and pays tribute to her qualities. So far so good. The problem is that the book is poorly written and could have used much, much more editing. Early on, we are continually told how amazing Virginia was, rather than shown. Later, the story gets very cluttered, with little clarity about what was most important, and too many character with too many names and too few defining characteristics. Virginia deserved much, much better, but the book is still worth reading.

[breic-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The problem with Purnell's hero-worshipping tone is that it makes her untrustworthy. I have no idea how much of this story is real, or is distorted or disputed, nor what Purnell isn't saying. From the subtitle, "Helped win World War II," is a strong assertion, but there's almost nothing here about the effectiveness of Virginia Hall's operations. A lot of the stories don't make much sense to me. For example, Purnell constantly hypes Hall's security, in an abstract way. But when she gives details, there seems to have been no security.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Virginia Hall was the most important American spy during WWII that was not recognized for her greatness by so many during the war. Because of her tenacity and her desire to help, she was a valuable source of info for the Allies.
It is fascinating to read about someone like Virginia Hall, a trailblazer. However, I felt that the writing was a bit tedious, although the research and amount of information shared was impressive. Perhaps I am weary from reading many WWII books - while the story is fascinating, I wasn’t engaged with the book.
I am glad I read it, and learned more about this amazing woman. It is a shame that the men in the government were unable to see her value while she worked against the Nazi regime.
#AWomanOfNoImportance #SoniaPurnell

[kamgeb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story was very interesting about a female spy in occupied France. The one problem I had was that the book was written more like a history book than a novel so it gave so many facts and names my head was swimming at times. This book definitely gave me a lot to think about and I learned a lot about the war that I wouldn't have known otherwise.