“This fully animated portrait of Nancy Wake . . . will fascinate readers of World War II history and thrill fans of fierce, brash, independent women, alike.” –LISA WINGATE, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours BASED ON THE THRILLING REAL-LIFE STORY OF SOCIALITE SPY NANCY WAKE, comes the newest feat of historical fiction from the New York Times bestselling author of I Was … from the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia, featuring the astonishing woman who killed a Nazi with her bare hands and went on to become one of the most decorated women in WWII.
Told in interweaving timelines organized around the four code names Nancy used during the war, Code Name Hélène is a spellbinding and moving story of enduring love, remarkable sacrifice and unfaltering resolve that chronicles the true exploits of a woman who deserves to be a household name.
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.
As LUCIENNE CARLIER Nancy smuggles people and documents across the border. Her success and her remarkable ability to evade capture earns her the nickname THE WHITE MOUSE from the Gestapo. With a five million franc bounty on her head, Nancy is forced to escape France and leave Henri behind. When she enters training with the Special Operations Executives in Britain, her new comrades are instructed to call her HÉLÈNE. And finally, with mission in hand, Nancy is airdropped back into France as the deadly MADAM ANDRÉE, where she claims her place as one of the most powerful leaders in the French Resistance, armed with a ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and the ability to summon weapons straight from the Allied Forces.
But no one can protect Nancy if the enemy finds out these four women are one and the same, and the closer to liberation France gets, the more exposed she–and the people she loves–become.
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Ariel Lawhon delivers in Code Name Hélène. This fully animated portrait of Nancy Wake — underground operative, charmer in red lipstick, loving wife, and hard-hitting woman of her times, will fascinate readers of World War II history and thrill fans of fierce, brash, independent women, alike. A stark exploration of the remarkable difference one person, willing to rise in the face of fear, can make.
Until I read this book, I had never heard of the amazing Nancy Wake. Her incredible journey should be taught in every textbook all over the world. Truly. CODE NAME HELENE is based on the true WWII story of “The White Mouse,” a female spy who voluntarily put herself in danger, time and time again, to help Allied forces and the Jewish people escape the Nazi’s evil grasp.
The story is told in two timelines (usually, I’m not a fan of that structure, unless it’s done very well, like it is with this book), near the start of WWII, and near its end. The first page captured me, and I knew I was hooked (what a way to start a novel!).
Sometimes, the story for a WWII book is stronger than the writing itself. That is not the case with this novel. The writing is bold when it needs to be, delicate when it needs to be, and highly creative. I even read out a portion of it to my creative writing students, as an example of “poetry in the prose.”
I highly recommend CODE NAME HELENE. I’m putting it near the top of my WWII Favorites list (which includes THE ALICE NETWORK, THE NIGHTINGALE, AND WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES). I will be reading more novels from this author in the future.
Disclaimer: This book is not for the faint of heart . There were about 3 short scenes where I had to skim with my eyes because of the graphic violence. But the author is not gratuitous with it. This was real. These horrible events actually happened, and to honor the victims, those scenes were absolutely necessary.
I read a lot of WWII fiction and I also can’t help feeling a little protective of Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, who is something of a fellow Australian – although she was born in NZ, she moved here when she was 2 and spent a good part of her adult life here – so it’s full credit to Lawhorn’s depth of research that her portrayal of Nancy’s heroism during the war and of Nancy’s character is just brilliant. I cannot recommend this one highly enough – go read it, now! Definitely one of my fave reads so far this year.
I’m late to the Ariel Lawhon fan club, but after listening to the audio version of this book, I’ll be reading the rest of her work. A fabulous peek in the extraordinary life of Nancy Wake. You won’t be able to put this down. Recommend the audio version just so that you can hear all the wonderful French.
A fabulous fictional account of the exploits of real-life socialist turned spy, Australian Nancy Wake, known by several codes names, including the White Mouse, by the Germans who hunted her. Forced to escape France, leaving her French husband behind, Nancy joins the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in England and is soon dropped back behind enemy lines to help prepare the resistance for D-Day. A story of love, courage and unwavering determination.
This fantastic new novel is based on the life of Nancy Wake who became one of the most decorated women in WWII. She is an Australian who moved to Paris to become a reporter but soon fell in love with a rich French industrialist. After the Germans invade Paris she decides that she has to help Jewish people escape from France before they are found by the Germans. When she is suspected of helping people escape, she moves to Marseilles where she feels like she will be safer. The Germans refer to her as the White Mouse and she soon has a bounty of five million francs on her head. She escapes from France into England and then after training in England she is dropped back into France to help train the members of the resistance who are loyal to France but often lacking in training and guns. She was one of the most powerful leaders in the French resistance and even though she always insisted on wearing her red lipstick, she was a ferocious fighter and a hero for her accomplishments in the war.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Nancy Grace Augusta Wake was born in New Zealand in 1912, and her family later moved to Australia. She ran away from home at 16, finding work as a nurse’s assistant. Eventually, she found her way to London, where she bluffed her way into a position as a freelance journalist for Hearst newspapers. Settling in Paris in the 1930’s, she witnessed and reported on the rise of Hitler, the start of World War II and the atrocities being committed throughout Europe. In 1937, Nancy met met wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. One tango later, they fell hopelessly, madly in love. They married in 1939, setting in Marseille, France.
Henri was soon called to service, and Nancy decided to do her part by becoming an ambulance driver. She had told Henri that she wanted to pick her own wedding gift, and she chose for him to convert one of his company’s trucks into an ambulance. While Henri was away, Nancy went to the front lines as an ambulance driver. Henri returned, with a bullet hole in him, but alive. He soon learned that Nancy was deeply entrenched in the French Resistance, earning the name White Mouse, due to her reputation of remaining elusive and not attracting attention. Henri discovered that the Germans were on to her, and packed her trunk while she was out, insisting she leave immediately. Their plans were to meet in London in a week or so. Nancy left, making a harrowing escape to Spain and eventually Britain. She then became a full-fledged spy and saboteur, commanding thousands of men of the French Resistance. She was courageous, daring, bawdy and brave. You would have to be in order to parachute out of planes into occupied territory, kill an SS officer with a single karate chop to the neck, execute traitors, get shot at, break-out a fellow spy from a concentration camp, and ride a bicycle over 300 miles in 72 hours to deliver radio codes to the Allies. It was the bicycle ride that she felt was her best moment. And why did she do these things: Freedom is the only thing worth living for. While I was doing that work I used to think that it didn’t matter if I died, because without freedom there was no point in living.
I have heard of this incredible woman, and have the book, Nancy Wake by Peter FitzSimmons, on my list of books to be read. Lawhon appears to have taken time researching the book, and indicates she tried to stick as close as possible to Nancy’s version of events, as depicted in her autobiography, White Mouse. It is historical fiction nonetheless, so be aware of that. Nancy was a special woman who lived an incredibly amazing life, and I think she is depicted well in this book. The only exception I have is the timelines. They jump around continuously, in more than just past and present, and it gets terribly confusing. Also, I think I may have preferred her story told start to finish.
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I was recommended this book by a friend and was skeptical because I am not a big fan of WWII genres. But the story of Nancy Wake is so amazing that even though it takes place during WWII I was captivated by her and did not want to stop listening to this story. The Audiobook was perfect for me, yes it was 17 hours long but I was never bored by the story. The narration was done by Ariel Lawhon, Barrie Kreinik, and Peter Ganim. They were wonderful. If you are a fan of independent, brash, fierce women and a true love story then this book will not disappoint.
This is a well-crafted and engaging World War II adventure based on the myriad contributions of the colorful Nancy Wake. Lawhon is a superb author and if you like wartime derring-do, you can’t do any better.
Well researched and so very close to the reality. Inspired to read the autobiography of “Helene”
Whew. How do you take a story with so much tragedy and make it so doggone inspiring?!? This story is an intense, riveting, page-turner that happens to be mostly true. I was utterly blown away by the heroism of “Helene” and humbled by my own grumbling in much less challenging circumstances. Lawhon does an incredible job of bringing Nancy Wake to life and telling her story in a non-linear style that was just about perfect.
I have enjoyed over 30 novels in this historical fiction genre, and Lawhon’s “Code Name Helene” ranks in my top five. The author brilliantly brings to life Nancy Wake’s heroism and loss. The main characters are cleverly created and intertwined, and Lawhon made me feel like I was there. If you enjoy reading about the strength of women and their unrelenting resolve during WWII, this will be a must read and have a place of honor on your shelf.
I LOVED it!!!!!
I was impressed by the story and that it was based on true life characters.
I didn’t finish this book, so I’m not reviewing it for the story per se (which was actually pretty interesting). The content was just WAY too graphic for me. If it was a movie, it would be rated R.
I made it to about a third of the way through before I finally stopped. The violence was getting progressively worse. I know, I know. It’s war, and the Nazis did some really evil things, so I was pushing through and trying to just deal with it. But then in short order I got a horrific torture scene and a sex scene, and it was just way beyond what I wanted to deal with. People having wonderful wedding nights is lovely, but I don’t want to read every detail of the experience. Not even if it’s “just” a description of the lead-up and the…er…main event is brushed over in more general terms. It honestly felt like soft porn to me. Also, I don’t want super detailed descriptions of what somebody’s body looks like after they’ve been tortured horrifically for hours. Nope. Not for me.
*Recieved as an ARC from Netgalley
I’ll just go ahead and say it. I loved this book! It is so well written and deserves the hype. Nancy’s character is a snarky, bold, badass hero and the best part is? She was real. This historical fiction tells her story, the story of how she became one of the most successful operatives in WWII and hunted by the Nazi regime. I was on the edge of my seat and holding my breath the whole book. Her spunk and ability to show little fear and get the job done us inspiring. She killed a high ranking Gestapo with one hand in an elevator! One hand! I would have loved to have met her in real life but this book does a great job of making you feel like you did meet her and loved every minute. I found myself cheering and laughing and cursing right along with her. I highly recommend this for historical fiction lovers and historical reads in general. Happy reading!
This is an amazing book about an amazing woman. The historical context is exceptional and it provides insight into what people went through to fight the Natzis.
Beautifully written. Reminded me of Nightengale but with romance thrown in
Wow! This book is a must-read for women. This book should be made into a movie! It has acts of bravery, real action, spying, adventure, loyalty and betrayal as well as a very strong heroine. The characters are well-developed and believable. They feel just like real people through the author’s descriptions, voice and the characters’ voices and actions, the characters just seem to come alive. It is set during World War II: A time when people had to decide to sit back and take the ruthless hatred or take a strong stand and risk everything, including their own life to help the fight for freedom and the human rights of everyone. Nancy Wake, the main character is a formidable woman that is up to the task at hand and any dangerous challenge that heads her way in order to try to stop the movement of the Nazis. In fact, she has a 5 million franc price on her head! I would love to read Nancy Wake’s autobiography , biography or memoir! I never knew she existed before this book. We need more modern day Nancy Wakes.
I loved this book! It was a little confusing occasionally, as I didn’t start out noting the dates in my mind, and the book did change timelines a lot. But that certainly didn’t lessen my enjoyment if the story.