Book Review: Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon

Publisher: Doubleday Books

Release Date: March 31, 2020

Genre: Historical Fiction

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 and earns a new nickname from the Gestapo for her remarkable ability to evade capture: THE WHITE MOUSE. 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, she is told to use the name HÉLÈNE with her comrades. 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, known for her ferocious wit, her signature red lipstick, and her 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--will become.

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My Review ♥️

I am speechless which, if you know me, is saying a lot. The fact that Nancy Wake was a real woman that really did everything this book entails is what renders me speechless. Talk about girl power!! Reading everything she had to sacrifice had my eyes misty for a good part of this novel. I can't even begin to imagine what she went through and the grit, passion, and determination it must've taken to fight to the end is unfathomable.

Ariel Lawhon did an incredible job of submersing the reader in the life of Nancy and how she maneuvered through the war, giving exact dates and locations, along with Nancy's various aliases, really helped bring her story to life. You are also able to see moments through the eyes of her love Henri, which adds wonderful dimension to Nancy's story, as well as show how hard it was letting the person who holds your heart risk their life for the the lives of others.

This book does flip back and forth between multiple timelines, which did keep the story interesting, and the parallels fascinating, but it did get confusing from time to time, especially when you're having to keep up with which alias Nancy is using during that time period.

Yes, there is a lot of drinking and swearing, but this is all apart of who Nancy was, thus a big part of her story, but it's easy to look past all that and see this beautiful, powerful woman that fought harder than any man could in one of the worst battles in human history.

Though not an easy read due to the gruesome subject matter (WWII), it is an utterly fascinating tale of one woman just trying to to her part, and fighting for her country, and fellow countryman. This is a well-written, deeply researched account that has me craving to know more about the incredible woman, Nancy Wake.

My Rating: ★★★★★

About the Author

Ariel Lawhon is a critically acclaimed author of historical fiction. She is the author of THE WIFE THE MAID AND THE MISTRESS (2014), FLIGHT OF DREAMS (2016), and I WAS ANASTASIA (2018). Her books have been translated into numerous languages and have been Library Reads, Indie Next, One Book One County, Costco, and Book of the Month Club selections. She is the co-founder of SheReads.org and lives in the rolling hills outside Nashville, Tennessee, with her husband, four sons, black Lab, and a deranged Siamese cat. She splits her time between the grocery store and the baseball field.

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Content Warning: Adult Language, Alcohol and Tobacco Use, Some Sexual Content

*I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the publisher through NetGalley. All views and opinions expressed are completely honest, and my own.