Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon. The story is inspired by the gripping true story of World War 2 spy Nancy Wake.
Ariel Lawhon, author of I Was Anastasia (2018), Flight of Dreams (2016) and The Wife, The Maid And The Mistress (2014), is a critically acclaimed writer of historical fiction. She lives with her family in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee.
Follow @ArielLawhon on Twitter, on Goodreads, on Amazon,Visit ariellawhon.com, Buy Code Name Hélène
About the book
In 1936, foreign correspondent, Nancy Wake, witnesses first-hand the terror of Hitler's rise in Europe. No sooner has Nancy met, fallen in love with and agreed to marry French industrialist Henri Fiocca, than the Germans invade France and force her to take on her first code name of many. The Gestapo call her the White Mouse for her remarkable ability to evade capture when smuggling Allied soldiers across borders. She becomes Hélène when she leaves France to train in espionage with an elite special forces group in London. Then, when she returns to France, she is the deadly Madame Andrée. But the closer Frances gets to liberation, the more exposed Nancy - and the people she loves - will become.
Inspired by true wartime events, Code Name Hélène is a gripping and moving story of extraordinary courage, unfaltering resolve, remarkable sacrifice - and enduring love.
This story is inspired by the gripping true story of World War 2 spy Nancy Wake. A nurse and journalist, who became a decorated heroine of the French Resistance and then later during the war a British S.O.E working with the French Resistance.
Her need to intervene and help in some way was driven by the events leading up to the Second World War. Witnessing first-hand the oppression, violence and torture of Jewish men and women in the streets, during the mid to late 30s, by the Brownshirts and their supporters, made her determined to do her part.
She certainly did that, and became infamous for evading those who tried to capture her. In fact she proved that her mission/s were more important than individual loyalties. Personal sacrifice was often necessary to keep many others safe, to be successful in the face of great opposition.
It's historical war fiction based on a true story. A story about one of many brave men and women who tried to influence the course of history by doing their bit, knowing that capture would mean torture at the very least and almost certainly death.
Lawhon doesn't bow to preconceived ideas and make Nancy something she wasn't. She was a strong woman capable of making hard and ruthless decisions for the greater good, which is definitely the kind of woman she comes over as in her interviews. If the torture and death of one is necessary to save the lives of hundreds, thousands - perhaps even more - then that one death is justified. No matter who that person may be.
Buy Code Name Hélène at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: Headline Review; pub date 31 Mar. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.
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