Code Name Hélène: A Novel
- Downloads：3700
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-02-05 04:22:21
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ariel Lawhon
- ISBN：9780525565499
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Editor Reviews
"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。" –LISA WINGATE， #1 New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
"Fascinating"
—NEW YORK POST "REQUIRED READING"
“A spellbinding work of historical fiction。 。 。 [and] one of the most sensual romance novels you’ve ever read。 。 。 She is real， this really did happen is the mantra you may find yourself repeating， in awe of every page。”—BOOKPAGE， *STARRED*
"A compulsively readable account of a little-known yet extraordinary historical figure—Lawhon's best book to date。" –KIRKUS REVIEW， *STARRED*
“Magnificent。 。 。 Lawhon carries us into the heart of the French resistance [and] into the mind of a badass heroine with uncanny instincts who takes on the Nazis and men’s arrogant sexism with uncommon bravado。 。 。 Even long after the last page is turned， this astonishing story of Wake’s accomplishments will hold readers in its grip。”—BOOKLIST， *STARRED*
"Readers will be transfixed by the story of a woman who should be a household name。"–LIBRARY JOURNAL *STARRED*
“Riveting。 。 。 [A] stunning， moving story。”—BOOKREPORTER。COM
“Masterful。 。 。 Exhaustively researched and vividly woven。 。 。 As much an epic love story as an engrossing narrative of an unlikely anti-Nazi combatant。 。 。 Lawhon has proven herself a master at her craft， and she does readers a great service with Code Name Hélène。”—CHAPTER16
“Captivating。 。 。 [Lawhon] sweeps readers into Nancy’s wry， fast-talking， first-person account of her adventures。 。 。 While Nancy cuts a vivid， stylish figure through the novel’s pages， her supporting case is also well drawn [and] Lawhon’s elegant plotting makes them shine。 。 。Lawhon’s gripping narrative gives ‘Hélène’ her due。”–SHELF AWARENESS
"Gripping…Lawhon throws readers into the middle of the action… Lawhon’s vivid， fast-paced narrative will keep readers turning the pages， and a detailed afterword makes plain how much of the account is factual。 This entertaining tale does justice to Lawhon’s larger-than-life subject。”
—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Reviews
Lovey23
，
Very interesting story。 I cant wait to read more books about the French Resistance。 The plot was exciting and the love story was beautiful。
Terry Karpinski
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As soon as I started reading， I was completely absorbed in the story。 Remember to read the author notes， but not before reading the book！
Sarah Miskell
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I absolutely loved this book！ And the fact Nancy is a real person and these stories are all based on real experiences makes it all even more mind boggling。
Juliekloster77
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Amazing woman！ The writing is very good， and it's a page turner。 Incredible。 Amazing woman！ The writing is very good， and it's a page turner。 Incredible。 。。。more
Genetta
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Based on a true story， this book offers more than a look at WWII through the lens of Nancy Wake， a spunky journalist， sophisticated French socialite， and leader of the French Resistance。 This is a beautiful love story。 Written with a wry wit and lyrical language， it is also the story of the power of courage， sacrifice， and perseverance in a time when women had never commanded men in military operations before。 Nancy earned the respect of the Maquis （guerrilla warriors of the French Resistance）， Based on a true story， this book offers more than a look at WWII through the lens of Nancy Wake， a spunky journalist， sophisticated French socialite， and leader of the French Resistance。 This is a beautiful love story。 Written with a wry wit and lyrical language， it is also the story of the power of courage， sacrifice， and perseverance in a time when women had never commanded men in military operations before。 Nancy earned the respect of the Maquis （guerrilla warriors of the French Resistance）， killed Germans （one with her bare hands）， and became the most decorated heroine of WWII。 Nancy Wake was a larger-than-life character who fought right alongside her men while often wearing Victory Red lipstick。 I wish I could have met her。 。。。more
Tiffany
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I wear my favorite armor。。。red lipstick
Kayla Feil
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It was so good。 I love all the characters and I love even more that， for the most part， they are real people。 This book was so well researched and I greatly appreciate the author's effort at authenticity。 It was so good。 I love all the characters and I love even more that， for the most part， they are real people。 This book was so well researched and I greatly appreciate the author's effort at authenticity。 。。。more
Andrea D
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This was an excellent book。 Would have rated it 5 stars except for the disturbing detailed violent torture scene that is described that would have been better left out。 Excellent story， very funny， fascinating characters。 We need more books like this with strong female protagonists。
Olivia Parker
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Just when I thought I’d read every angle of WW2 historical fiction， a book like this comes along and shares a whole new side of the war you’ve never read about！ Nancy Wake was an incredible woman， and I’m disappointed I had never heard of her contributions to the war effort before reading this book。 Beautifully written， and even more enjoyable knowing it’s a true story
Elizabeth Clark
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Wow！ I really loved the book。 And then I read the notes at the back and found out that it was heavily based on a true story and I went from a huge fan to COMPLETELY OBSESSED！！ Nancy Wake was a totally amazing woman who completely flipped the script on gender roles during World War II。 So as not to spoil any of it， I won't post specifics， but if you like WWII stories about women who said， "no thank you" to conformity and books that take place across time this is THE book for you。 Wow！ I really loved the book。 And then I read the notes at the back and found out that it was heavily based on a true story and I went from a huge fan to COMPLETELY OBSESSED！！ Nancy Wake was a totally amazing woman who completely flipped the script on gender roles during World War II。 So as not to spoil any of it， I won't post specifics， but if you like WWII stories about women who said， "no thank you" to conformity and books that take place across time this is THE book for you。 。。。more
Patti
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Amazing！An absolutely amazing read。 The women in history are often left behind but this book brings one of the greats back to life！
Megan Wright
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Beautifully written historical fiction。 Based on the true life of Nancy Wake。 There is one particularly gruesome part but worth making it through。 **Note to other readers that if you have a history of miscarriage or loss of a child， it could be triggering。
Stephanie Brown
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Amazing historical fiction book based on real life Nancy Wake。- WW2 spy and smuggler in France。 Fascinating and fast paced。 Didn’t want it to end！
Kim Alkemade
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I had such a great time reading this engrossing and action-packed novel！ The voice of the main character reaches out and grabs your attention from the very first page and never lets go。 The best of what historical fiction can do！
Katie Hanson
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This book was a fascinating look into a real woman spy/military leader of the French resistance during WWII。 I had never heard of this woman， big surprise since lots of history neglects to tell the stories of important women。 Most of what happens in this book was true and WOWEE， Nancy Wake was an amazing， brilliant， brave woman。 She killed a Nazi with her bare hands。 Yes， that kind of brave。 Read it and be amazed， and maybe a little daunted， by her persistance and ability to choose to do the rig This book was a fascinating look into a real woman spy/military leader of the French resistance during WWII。 I had never heard of this woman， big surprise since lots of history neglects to tell the stories of important women。 Most of what happens in this book was true and WOWEE， Nancy Wake was an amazing， brilliant， brave woman。 She killed a Nazi with her bare hands。 Yes， that kind of brave。 Read it and be amazed， and maybe a little daunted， by her persistance and ability to choose to do the right thing， even when it puts her life in danger time and again。 。。。more
Robert Swanson
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I enjoyed this book。 It was well written and moved along at a nice pace。 I also liked the back and forth between the years。 I had no idea this woman existed and this book has stirred an interest in finding out more about her。 She had a fascinating story。 Not wanting to start any discussion on the following comment。。。 this was more of a woman's book。 I felt the writer was writing for women and that put a distance between myself and the material。 I enjoyed this book。 It was well written and moved along at a nice pace。 I also liked the back and forth between the years。 I had no idea this woman existed and this book has stirred an interest in finding out more about her。 She had a fascinating story。 Not wanting to start any discussion on the following comment。。。 this was more of a woman's book。 I felt the writer was writing for women and that put a distance between myself and the material。 。。。more
Suzanne Byrnes
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5 things:-every powerful woman should read this book-read the author's note AFTER reading the book-Victory Red lipstick for the win-French 75！-Duckie！！ 5 things:-every powerful woman should read this book-read the author's note AFTER reading the book-Victory Red lipstick for the win-French 75！-Duckie！！ 。。。more
Deanna
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One of the better WWII books I’ve read。 I was enthralled from the beginning。 And love that the heroine is a real person！ The added romantic element was everything。 Definitely recommend。
Rose Hriz
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I had never heard of Nancy Wake。 Even though this is fiction it is a story about a real person。 Nancy was part of the resistance in France during World War II。If you like historical fiction you will really like this book。 I enjoyed the book immensely and would highly recommend it。
Casey
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I've read a good bit of WWII fiction， and this one stands out for featuring more combat （and less spying） than many others。 Nancy Wake was effectively a field commander for the French Resistance， which I found fascinating！ I'm a bit confused by the criticism of this book on the foundation of Wake's scandalous behavior - because she stays entirely faithful to her husband。 Somehow the other major theme of this book is about how a marriage works when massive sacrifice is involved。 I didn't find put I've read a good bit of WWII fiction， and this one stands out for featuring more combat （and less spying） than many others。 Nancy Wake was effectively a field commander for the French Resistance， which I found fascinating！ I'm a bit confused by the criticism of this book on the foundation of Wake's scandalous behavior - because she stays entirely faithful to her husband。 Somehow the other major theme of this book is about how a marriage works when massive sacrifice is involved。 I didn't find putting on red lipstick and learning to swear in a foreign language all that scandalous， honestly。 Whatever。Interestingly， I didn't particularly LIKE Nancy。 I suspect we wouldn't be friends if we met in real life。 But I admired her， which makes all the difference。 I find myself represented well by her partner in the field。 I would recommend this book to fans of Kate Quinn。 。。。more
Sarah
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So good！ Couldn’t put it down！
Lisa
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Phenomenal and I love even more that it is based on an amazing woman！
Julie
，
Whew！ What a book！ It's long but the character development was exquisite。 Love that it is based off a real woman。 Some parts felt like they dragged along but a few chapters later， you understood why （and got more storyline）。 Whew！ What a book！ It's long but the character development was exquisite。 Love that it is based off a real woman。 Some parts felt like they dragged along but a few chapters later， you understood why （and got more storyline）。 。。。more
Sarah Schultz
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What a great book！ Nancy is a fantastic heroine—bawdy， brash， brave， strong， and always feminine。 What a delight to know she， and many of the other characters， were real！ Nancy plots out how to get a bath while organizing supply drops， complains about how annoying it is to conduct espionage missions when you have to take your period into consideration， drinks fabulous drinks， falls madly in love with a man who loves her for who she is and who she becomes， and always， always wears Victory Red lip What a great book！ Nancy is a fantastic heroine—bawdy， brash， brave， strong， and always feminine。 What a delight to know she， and many of the other characters， were real！ Nancy plots out how to get a bath while organizing supply drops， complains about how annoying it is to conduct espionage missions when you have to take your period into consideration， drinks fabulous drinks， falls madly in love with a man who loves her for who she is and who she becomes， and always， always wears Victory Red lipstick。 “Mine is a level of fury that requires two coats of lipstick， and a fully loaded revolver。” Perhaps it sounds silly， it’s not。 If you liked The Nightingale， All the Light We Cannot See， We Were the Lucky Ones， etc this is so much better， and you’ll love it。 Had a bit of a Kate Atkinson-vibe， too， bc the story is converging in time from two separate points， which was a very well done layer to the writing。 I read this as an audiobook and the male/female voices were good。 。。。more
Maggie
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This one is on me。 I’ve got to learn to do a better job when picking my books when I am in a slump。 I love that this was based on a real person。 I honestly can’t explain why I just couldn’t get into it。 I’m not rating it because I really do think it is a book I might’ve enjoyed in a different time/headspace but when you have to force yourself to read， it’s time to move on。
Dawn
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3 1/2 🌟
Debbie
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Based on the highly decorated WWII real life female spy Nancy Wake - with four alias code names。 A fascinating， outspoken woman who through her tenacity， grit， and nationalism is able to accomplish remarkable feats of heroism。 In the Author's Notes: “This is a novel about marriage。 Yes， of course， it’s also about war and friendship and bravery and tragedy and one of the most important conflicts of the 20th century 。。。 But to me， at its heart， this is a novel about a woman and her husband and the Based on the highly decorated WWII real life female spy Nancy Wake - with four alias code names。 A fascinating， outspoken woman who through her tenacity， grit， and nationalism is able to accomplish remarkable feats of heroism。 In the Author's Notes: “This is a novel about marriage。 Yes， of course， it’s also about war and friendship and bravery and tragedy and one of the most important conflicts of the 20th century 。。。 But to me， at its heart， this is a novel about a woman and her husband and the sacrifices made by both in the midst of extraordinary circumstances”。 Lawhon also apologizes for the amount of cursing in the book but says she actually had to tone it down from Wake's real life。 。。。more
Pam Jenoff
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This book fictionalizes the true story of Nancy Wake， a woman living in Paris who finds herself undertaking acts of perilous sabotage and subversion against the Germans during World War II using multiple aliases。 Excellent！
Melissa
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This is an interesting novel of historical fiction about the Australian-born war hero， Nancy Wake。 I have read quite a few World War II novels and had never before encountered Wake。 She is truly interesting and her life during the War makes for an exciting and entertaining read。
Annegertrude
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Yes， another WWII novel， set in France with a woman heroine。 As I was reading I was thinking is this even realistic？ I mean she’s amazing， how can it be believable？ And then I learn it’s a true story， with some liberties taken by the author， but the essence is true， raw & sad & brutal， and true。 I’m once again awed by the courage our fellow men & women have exhibited in times of war。 Thank you to all who’ve sacrificed。
Mindy
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