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

This book offers a powerful and deeply moving portrayal of real-life experiences during wartime. Through vivid storytelling and authentic accounts, it immerses the reader in the harsh realities and emotional depths of life during conflict. The writing is so compelling that you find yourself eagerly turning the pages, not wanting the story to end. What makes this work especially meaningful is its focus on individuals who chose to live selflessly—driven not by recognition or reward, but by a profound sense of duty to humanity. Their courage, compassion, and resilience serve as a timeless reminder of the human spirit’s capacity for good, even in the darkest of times. Reading this book is not only an emotional journey but also a necessary one. It brings to light the lives of truly admirable people whose stories deserve to be remembered and honored. It’s a testament to the power of empathy and the importance of preserving history through personal narratives.

This is a spectacular account of an incredible, generally unacclaimed, woman named Virginia Hall! A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II is a fascinating biography that reads much like an adventure thriller. I became completely enamored with Virginia within the first few pages. Despite this, it took me quite a while to read the book because the story is so intense that I had to set it aside several times — especially after the brief reports of horrendous Nazi torture. The author’s research was copious and meticulous, the writing fast paced and clear, and the courageous brilliance of the subject unforgettable.

Virginia Hall was one of America’s most successful spies (and one of the Nazi’s “most wanted”). In A Woman of No Importance, Purnell brings to light this amazing woman’s story which was buried in the detritus of the war department. Rejected for employment by the U.S. State Department due to her gender and her prosthetic leg, Hall, fluent in 5 languages, talked her way into Churchill’s “ministry of ungentlemanly warfare” where she "willingly jeopardiz[ed] her life far from home in aid of a foreign country”. She became one of the most successful spies in history by helping "to pioneer a daredevil role of espionage, sabotage, and subversion behind enemy lines in an era when women barely featured in the prism of heroism, when their part in combat was confined to the supportive and palliative.” A pioneer in clandestine warfare, Hall was “tasked with coordinating the work of local Resistance leaders and future SOE agents, assisting the French to rise up against their oppressors when the time was right and to eliminate without mercy those who got in the way. Recruit and train guerrilla forces to agitate, spread propaganda, and ultimately kill and destroy. She was collecting details of the political situation in France; the scope and effect of Vichy propaganda; the use of dummy wooden aircraft to fool British aerial reconnaissance; the identity and movements of German regiments; the warring factions within the French Resistance; the installation of machine gun nests on the flat roofs of Paris; and lists of possible sites for future sabotage attacks that would reduce the need for aerial bombing raids with their inherent dangers of civilian deaths.” Her work was "varied and vital it was described after the war as of “universal character.” Having been rejected and belittled by most of the men in the war department, those same men later acknowledged that Hall "played a pivotal part in liberating huge swaths of France”. I struggled with rating this book. On the one hand the story of Virginia Hall, an American, who became the first woman spy in Britian’s spy organization is fascinating. On the other hand, the book is so laden with details that it almost takes away from the story. The book is, for the most part, well written and Purnell makes the reader feel the tension; however, I found myself skimming whole pages at times as the details were a slog. I marked it down one star for that reason. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is so mesmerizing it is very difficult to put it down

When we think of spies we think of James Bond or George Smiley. When we think of real spies maybe Kim Philby or Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Over time we have forgotten a lot of the World War II spies and special agents. Our memories of the efforts of so many brave people in France and other occupied countries has been clouded by the myths and legends of SOE, MI6 and OSS. This is the story of a great woman who served the allies in France, who survived despite physical hardships and who contributed so much to the war effort. Virginia Hall was an American citizen who worked in the state department. She lost a foot during a hunting accident in Turkey. She battled discrimination in the State Department and eventually found herself in France during the German invasion of 1940. Despite having a wooden leg, nicknamed Cuthbert, she acted as an ambulance driver and a reporter until the formation of VIchy. She ended up in Lyon, which became the hub of anti-German activities. There she acted as a co-ordinator and spy master, gathering like-minded people to her and funneling information to SOE. When her network was betrayed she escaped via the Pyrenees in WInter (remember Cuthbert). Eventually she joined OSS and was returned to France where she helped with the liberation ofthe Haute-Loire department. Virginia's story had been lost to history. She received a Distinguished Service Cross and a Croix de uerre, she told no one. She battled sexism, betrayal, fear, pain and distrust. She saw the horrible death of friends and colleagues to accidents and to terrible betrayal. She kept on fighting; nothing would get her to stop. Sonia Purnell tells her story in this book. The written style is a little dry but the story flows along well enough despite this. This is a true story of World War II heroism. The hero (heroine) overcomes terrible odds and, in the end, helps the allied victory. Her male colleagues were mostly glory-hound dunces who resented her. Her bosses frequently didn't understand how important she was. She overcame all of this. If you want a female role model her she is. If you want a hard-bitten, true life story, here it is. This is an excellent book about a brave, charismatic woman. Net time you see a glorified spy movie this should remind you of what it was really like. Highly recommended.

The book keeps you in the edge like a spy thriller movie more than that it is the characteristic of Virginia which I found very interesting and not many people live like that..the inner quest, her courage, her command over others......She is truly a Wonder Woman...

Extremely well-researched story that reads like a really good novel. This could easily be a TV movie. Virginia Hall fought blatant sexism and a serious wound to run probably the most successful Allied spy ring, certainly in southern France, in all of World War II. Her staggering bravery, wit, loyalty and professionalism saved many, many prisoners - at the daily risk of arrest, torture and murder by the Gestapo official who knew of her and was actively hunting her. Her efforts were only partly recognized with serious medals from the British, the French, and the Distinguished Service Cross (our nation's 2nd highest award for valor) given by General William "Wild Bill" Donovan and President Harry S. Truman at the White House. To use some now ancient slang, this is a ripping yarn!

Foremost a story about an extraordinary heroine but the book also tells the story about the birth of the western intelligence agencies SOE and OAS

Cuando pedí el libro no conocía al personaje. Quedé sorprendida de lo valiente y dedicada que fue está mujer que vivió en las sombras. Muy bien escrito y ameno. Lo recomiendo ampliamente.

This true story of an American WW2 heroin tugs at the old heartstrings at times. Hopefully people still read books like this to remind us of the barbarity of the Nazi regime and the bravery of those that opposed it. One can't help thinking, as ever with such courageous women, that if she had been a man her name would be much more well-known. Thoroughly recommended.