Henri slowly woes Nancy, they marry in 1939 and the Germans invade France. Henri is called up, Nancy drives her own ambulance at the front and she helps the resistance by smuggling documents and people. The Germans give Nancy the title of, 'The White Mouse', with a bounty on her head, Henri makes her leave France and she crosses the snowy Pyrenees Mountains and travels to England. Publishing March 31, 2020, I am deeply grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an early peek at this gem of a novel. PUT. IT. ON. YOUR. READING. LIST. NOW. No, before I read this book, I had no idea who Nancy Wake was, or anything about the woman behind the many aliases she had including The White Mouse, Madame André, and of course, Hélène. In fact, Lawhon begins her book with the line “I have gone by many names.” The fact that I wasn’t familiar with any of these names, despite her being one of the Gestapo’s most wanted spies, and the extraordinary number of awards heaped upon her after the war (literally across the globe), makes me ashamed, both for myself (as a lover of historical fiction, particularly biographical, women’s fiction from this era), and for the oversight of history not shouting her story out from the rooftops. Well, thank heavens for Ariel Lawhon, and for her writing her story so beautifully (or should I say, righting history). I will now take this opportunity to reiterate what Lawhon says as introduction to her author’s note at the end of the book: do NOT read those notes before you read the novel! PLEASE! Victor Hugo and his works play a big part throughout this story and many quotations from his books are used as epigraphs. I am sitting here, hands hovering over the keyboard, trying to figure out how in the world I am going to put into words how much I enjoyed this book!

It made the reader once again realize that women, along with men, fought for freedom, for justice for all, and for the ability to throw off oppression and totalitarianism narrator, Barrie Kreinik, brings Nancy Wake to life! It wasn't like she was reading it; more like living it on the spot! Her realistic retelling was like watching a good movie! We couldn’t be happier to have her on board, along with our partners Philippe and the Vendôme Group team, to bring Nancy’s legacy to audiences around the world,” said Redmon. Nancy gets arrested while on a train. O’Leary saves her by telling the police she is his mistress. Henri gets arrested by Marceline and Police Commisionner Pacquet. O’Leary gets arrested, causing Nancy to flee France through the Pyrenees. There is something for everyone here. There’s the tension and thrills as the resistance fighters pit themselves against the German war machine and that’s countered by the touching love story of Nancy and Henri.In Part Two, Hélène and Hubert help train Fournier’s men. One day while visiting a nearby village, they witness the wife of a maquisard being tortured by the Germans. Hélène recognizes one of the officers, Wolff, from Vienna. Gaspard invites them to interrogate a captured Gestapo agent named Roger le Neveu. Hélène is disgusted. She demands that Gaspard disperse his men instead of keeping them all in one place. The consequences of Marceline’s betrayal are staggering. Do you think her obsession with Henri is the only reason for her choices? Or is her decision deeper and more complex?

Nancy Wake... Nancy Fiocca—is the kind of woman who conquers the world. Fearless. Ferocious. Nancy is the sort of woman who bathes in a meteor shower. She is not the kind of woman who concedes to anyone. (c) World War II heroine Nancy Wake should be so widely celebrated that whole bevies of schoolgirls dress up as this brave member of the French Resistance for Halloween. It’s a mystery — and a travesty — that she isn’t. But perhaps New York Times bestselling author Ariel Lawhon’s novel Code Name Hélène will finally bring her the recognition she deserves. Did you read the Author’s Note before or after finishing the novel? How did it change your feelings about the novel? This book has it all – suspense, intrigue, romance, so much more! I absolutely love Hélène AKA Nancy. She is honest, brazen, gutsy, and persuasive. She speaks first and thinks later. This book is intense and addicting, I was so enthralled I could hardly bear to pull myself away from it.Men don’t know what to do with a woman who can clip her own cigar.” What are the implications of Stephanie’s statement? Anddoes it still hold true today? Nancy's different identities, totaling four, are not exactly told chronologically. The book is told in dual timelines, but two of her identities are not described until much later in the second half of the book. But, what happens is kind of all over the place. The story of Nancy as the WWII heroine was scattered and rambling. The story of what she did under each identity isn't balanced, and the reader sees more from her as the fighter Madame Andrèe. It once again disappointed me because I felt that this courageous stalwart woman's story was overwhelmed by the love at first sight and titillation of the sexual attraction between her virile, gorgeous wealthy husband and herself. Was this not a story of how Nancy could and did stand on her own?

It is 1936 and Nancy Wake is an intrepid Australian expat living in Paris who has bluffed her way into a reporting job for Hearst newspaper when she meets the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. No sooner does Henri sweep Nancy off her feet and convince her to become Mrs. Fiocca than the Germans invade France and she takes yet another name: a code name. Genre/Categories/Setting: Biographical Historical Fiction, World War 11, French Resistance Movement, FranceStarred review) [P]lenty of fireworks and heroism as they converge to explain all. The author begs forgiveness in an informative afterword for all the drinking and swearing. Hey! No apologies necessary! [C]ompulsively readable… Lawhon's best book to date. Leading the Resistance, Nancy was a formidable force. Strength of character, her determination to never give up, her loyalty to the men she worked with, and her hatred of the brutality of the Bosch gave her the respect that kept her men by her side. The memorable push bike ride over rough terrain through France, avoiding German patrols, pedalling for 250kms to her destination, then discovering she had to return immediately to notify her men in the camp of a drop – almost 500kms in 72 hours; the admiration of her men, but the exhaustion and pain for Nancy was just one of the many feats by this astonishing woman.