Publication Date: April 9, 2019
Print length: 368 pages
Nominated the Best Book of the Year by NPR, the New York Public Library, Amazon and the Times of London, Winner of the Plutarch Award for Best Biography
Previous Author Publications:
Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Wonston Churchill (2015)
Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition, a Biography of Boris Johnson (2012)
SYNOPSIS
As a former debutante hobbled by a prosthetic leg, Virginia Hall was an unlikely spy when she was hired by Britain’s Special Operations Executive (SOE) and posted to Nazi-occupied France. Yet, despite the odds, she proved to be a legendary organizer for the French resistance as the underground spy network she created paved the way for the successful Allied invasion and subsequent occupation of France.
Purnell’s well-researched story brings Hall’s achievements to life as she recounts the perils Hall and her fellow resisters faced while Klaus Barbie and the Gestapo were determined to hunt them down. In this action-packed narrative, Purnell highlights Hall’s unique leadership skills and gives Hall the recognition she deserves for her remarkable and largely unknown contributions to the Allied war effort.
REVIEWS AND AUTHOR INFORMATION
Valentine, Genevieve, “Virginia Hall, The Subject of ‘A Woman of No Importance,’ Was Anything, But.” NPR, April 11, 2019. https://www.npr.org/2019/04/11/711773072/virginia-hall-the-subject-of-a-woman-of-no-importance-was-anything-but
Herron, Mick, “The Coolheaded, One-Legged Spy Who Changed the Course of World War II.” The New York Times, May 24, 2019. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/books/review/sonia-purnell-woman-no-importance-virginia-hall.html
Duffy, Bob, “A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II.” Washington Independent Review of Books. May 1, 2019. https://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/a-woman-of-no-importance-the-untold-story-of-the-american-spy-who-helped-win-world-war-ii
Gwinn, Mary Ann, “A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell: 2019 Biography Finalist.” National Book Critics Circle, March 9, 2020. https://www.bookcritics.org/2020/03/09/a-woman-of-no-importance-by-sonia-purnell-2019-biography-finalist/
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
As noted by the title of this book (A Woman of No Importance), Virginia Hall was an unlikely spy. Even her British handlers doubted she could be successful. How did she manage to defy their expectations and become the Nazi’s most wanted Allied agent in German-occupied France?
What were the leadership skills that enabled Virginia Hall to become a successful resistance leader during World War II? In what ways did being a woman either help or hinder her efforts?
Purnell details the treacherous environment in which the French resistance fighters operated. What were the spy craft strategies Hall used to stay ahead of the Nazi surveillance? What were the mistakes that led others of her compatriots to be caught?
After World War II ended, in what ways did Hall’s notoriety limit her career options when she worked within the CIA?
