Her brash personality was her armor and her way of earning respect among the men. At times the writing has an over-the-top quality, but from what I understand that’s very much how Wake was. There are a lot of details that help to flesh out Wake’s personality (some readers feel there is too much detail but I didn’t mind). Lawhon uses actual quotes and real-life incidents throughout her novel, as told by the people who lived through these experiences. She cites a number of biographies of Wake, and says that where there were factual conflicts, she deferred to Wake’s own memoir. There is clearly an impressive amount of research in this book, which I appreciated. But Wake has an incredible story, and it’s worth it to let it unfold gradually.Īt the end of the book, Lawhon explains what was factual, what was invented and why, and what her sources were. As a reader, I obviously knew how World War II would end, and I knew a little bit about the French resistance, which I’ve always been fascinated by. In her afterword, Lawhon suggests that readers go into this book without knowing all the details of Wake’s life, and I echo that recommendation.
In 1936, she’s a young reporter horrified by what is happening in Germany. In 1944, Nancy is air-dropped into France as “Madame Andree” (one of her many aliases), to work with the Maquis in Central France. Author Lawhon gives us the story of real-life hero Nancy Wake, an Australian who serves as a British special operative in World War II, working with French resistance fighters.Īs with many historical novels, Lawhon begins this story at two different points in time: 1936 and early 1944. This was a fantastic historical novel about World War II that is even greater because it is nearly all true.
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