The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of One of Britain's Bravest Wartime Heroines
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- Create Date：2021-11-01 09:54:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Clare Mulley
- ISBN：1447201183
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Summary
The Untold Story of Britain's First Female Special Agent of World War II"
In June 1952， a woman was murdered by an obsessed colleague in a hotel in the South Kensington district of London。 Her name was Christine Granville。 That she died young was perhaps unsurprising; that she had survived the Second World War was remarkable。
The daughter of a feckless Polish aristocrat and his wealthy Jewish wife， Granville would become one of Britain's most daring and highly decorated special agents。 Having fled to Britain on the outbreak of war， she was recruited by the intelligence services and took on mission after mission。 She skied over the hazardous High Tatras into occupied Poland， served in Egypt and North Africa， and was later parachuted behind enemy lines into France， where an agent's life expectancy was only six weeks。 Her courage， quick wit， and determination won her release from arrest more than once， and saved the lives of several fellow officers--including one of her many lovers--just hours before their execution by the Gestapo。 More importantly， the intelligence she gathered in her espionage was a significant contribution to the Allied war effort， and she was awarded the George Medal， the OBE， and the Croix de Guerre。
Granville exercised a mesmeric power on those who knew her。 In "The Spy Who Loved"，" acclaimed biographer Clare Mulley tells the extraordinary history of this charismatic， difficult， fearless， and altogether extraordinary woman。
In June 1952， a woman was murdered by an obsessed colleague in a hotel in the South Kensington district of London。 Her name was Christine Granville。 That she died young was perhaps unsurprising; that she had survived the Second World War was remarkable。
The daughter of a feckless Polish aristocrat and his wealthy Jewish wife， Granville would become one of Britain's most daring and highly decorated special agents。 Having fled to Britain on the outbreak of war， she was recruited by the intelligence services and took on mission after mission。 She skied over the hazardous High Tatras into occupied Poland， served in Egypt and North Africa， and was later parachuted behind enemy lines into France， where an agent's life expectancy was only six weeks。 Her courage， quick wit， and determination won her release from arrest more than once， and saved the lives of several fellow officers--including one of her many lovers--just hours before their execution by the Gestapo。 More importantly， the intelligence she gathered in her espionage was a significant contribution to the Allied war effort， and she was awarded the George Medal， the OBE， and the Croix de Guerre。
Granville exercised a mesmeric power on those who knew her。 In "The Spy Who Loved"，" acclaimed biographer Clare Mulley tells the extraordinary history of this charismatic， difficult， fearless， and altogether extraordinary woman。
Reviews
Marsha
，
A glorified story！It was difficult to follow this biography and some information just seemed to be overly exaggerated。 Christine had an amazing ability to woo dogs and men！
CB Dasgupta
，
I made the mistake of starting this book with a deadline coming up。 Not a good idea - found it hard to stop reading and get to work！ This heroine - highly accomplished and very human - was presented in ways different from the usual presentation; we get to speculate what might be passing through her mind， we are presented with all her flaws and weaknesses as well as her strengths。 And with lots of fascinating historical nuggets in the background。Definitely worth risking a deadline for！
Kelsey
，
I've had this book on my Amazon wish list for 3 years， and I finally decided to download the audiobook after listening to a podcast about the amazing life and tragic death of Krystyn Skarbeck。 It amazes me that there hasn't been a film made about her life （at least in the last decade that I know of） - sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction。 If someone pitched a WWII spy thriller with a main heroine who's life resembled Krystyn's even the most seasoned Hollywood producer would say it's u I've had this book on my Amazon wish list for 3 years， and I finally decided to download the audiobook after listening to a podcast about the amazing life and tragic death of Krystyn Skarbeck。 It amazes me that there hasn't been a film made about her life （at least in the last decade that I know of） - sometimes truth really is stranger than fiction。 If someone pitched a WWII spy thriller with a main heroine who's life resembled Krystyn's even the most seasoned Hollywood producer would say it's unbelievable。 。。。more
Jeanne
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Christine Granville （originally Krystyna Skarbeck） was a young Polish woman who loved living life on the edge。 Born into a wealthy and titled family， she grew up loving to ride horses。 But when Germany marched into Poland in September， 1939， she was wild to do something to help her country。 This is the story of what she did and of the things she was not allowed to do。 The book starts off pretty slowly。 I read over 100 pages， decided it wasn't for me and flipped to the end to see how it all came Christine Granville （originally Krystyna Skarbeck） was a young Polish woman who loved living life on the edge。 Born into a wealthy and titled family， she grew up loving to ride horses。 But when Germany marched into Poland in September， 1939， she was wild to do something to help her country。 This is the story of what she did and of the things she was not allowed to do。 The book starts off pretty slowly。 I read over 100 pages， decided it wasn't for me and flipped to the end to see how it all came out。 Well， holy cow！ Turns out that all of the interesting stuff happened in the middle， primarily after she parachuted into France。 The most incredible achievement was rescuing three men arrested as spies， and all known to her， one hour before their scheduled execution。 Christine was a uniquely charming and persuasive woman and she was treated very badly by both the Polish government-in-exile and the Brits。 Neither trusted her because they thought she was in league with the other。 Funny - I thought Poland and England were allies in that war。 There's a great amount information about Poland's WWII history and their truly brave resistance movement。 Poland was well and truly screwed by both enemies and "allies。" 。。。more
Sue
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Another fascinating story of another heroine of WW2。
Pharlap
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This book was a hard read for me。I classify it as a thoroughly presented biography and a number of times I wondered whether it was a proper way for presentation of such a haphazard life。Christine Granville， real name Krystyna Skarbek， was born into Polish aristocratic family。Her father， Jerzy Skarbek， to rescue family finances， married a daughter of Jewish bankers。 It looks like he was not suitable for family life。 They had 2 children， but after the end of Great War， Jerzy realised that the time This book was a hard read for me。I classify it as a thoroughly presented biography and a number of times I wondered whether it was a proper way for presentation of such a haphazard life。Christine Granville， real name Krystyna Skarbek， was born into Polish aristocratic family。Her father， Jerzy Skarbek， to rescue family finances， married a daughter of Jewish bankers。 It looks like he was not suitable for family life。 They had 2 children， but after the end of Great War， Jerzy realised that the times of great Polish untamed landlords ended so he spent the rest of his life in casinos all over Europe。Krystyna looks to me like a copy of her father。Never decided for a stable career path， tried few temporary jobs and when her finances took a bad turn followed steps of her father - married a rich Jew。The marriage did not last long and then it looked that she met a match - Jerzy Gizycki， equally untamed Polish gentleman。Unfortunately a breakout of the II WW did not give them a chance to try to share life。 Jerzy enrolled to Polish army in France， Krystyna to British intelligence， which sent her to the post in Hungary where she could cooperate closely with Polish Resistance。Here it came a diffilult time for Krystyna and for the author。The nature of working as a spy close to the frontier， is not to be noticed。So， how to wear off boiling energy？So what to write about？Clare Mulley chose to mention many， many， fragmented reports about Kristina's activities。Reading them was frustrating and tiresome for me， but I appreciate honesty of the author。 I appreciate also her insight into quite complicated history of Poland and of it's resistance network in the early stage of German occupation。Long list of minor facts is punctuated with some dramatic events like crossing border to Poland， being arrested by Germans， escape from Hungary and landing in Middle East。And there is a parallel story - contacts with men on whom Kristyna has a magic influence。Again， Clare Mulley chose a tactfull and honest way of reporting this side of Krystyna's life。Stay in Middle East lasted almost 3 years and it was extremely frustrating time for Krystyna who was boiling with energy and will to help her country。 On the other hand it was time when world leaders had to make decisions on which life of millions peoples depended and unfortunately these decisions were devastating for Poland。In 1944 Krystyna eventually is send on the front line - south of France， where she shines as the most effective secret agent。And then the war ends and she becomes a troublesome person for all parties involved。France under general de Gaulle wants to forget about years of its weakness， all British agents are requested to leave within 24 hours。Poland， free Poland， does not exist。England has to bring its life to normality， Krystyna with her checkered life becomes a trouble。On the personal front it goes even worse。Krystyna is in touch with a number of men， who dream of spending the rest of life taking care of her， but it looks like she instinctively knows， that she will not fit into regular family life。And so her life ends abruptly。It left me， the reader， extremely sad and disappointed。I can imagine a book which would dramatise Krystyna; story in a way， which could satisfy the reader， but I appreciate honesty of the author， who chose the hard but true way。 。。。more
Ilene
，
Christine Granville was a spy for the British and Polish governments in WWII。 How can I describe a woman who had such courage， daring and sometimes recklessness in achieving her goals of ferrying information from the British and Poland。 But that is not all she did。 She worked tirelessly to save Poland。 I can only imagine her disappointment， her feelings， when Poland was carved up by the Soviet Union and others at the end of the war。 She was exciting， men adored her not just for her looks but her Christine Granville was a spy for the British and Polish governments in WWII。 How can I describe a woman who had such courage， daring and sometimes recklessness in achieving her goals of ferrying information from the British and Poland。 But that is not all she did。 She worked tirelessly to save Poland。 I can only imagine her disappointment， her feelings， when Poland was carved up by the Soviet Union and others at the end of the war。 She was exciting， men adored her not just for her looks but her daring。 Her gut instincts got her out of many dangerous situations。 Its like riding a rocket ship to the end。 Christine daughter of a Jew and a n aristocrat survived the war only to be killed by a stalker。 This isn’t a spoiler though as it’s in the book description。 Fortunately I hadn’t read the book description so this was a surprise to me and can I say， very upsetting。 The amount of research that had to go into this is amazing。 Highly recommend it to those of you who read about spies and WWII。 I learned quite a bit。 。。。more
MoJo
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Impressive， inspiring and captivating。 Reads like an adventure story。 Christine Granville has become one of my favourite heroes and this biography is arguably the best World War 2 spy story ever。 Clare Mulley has done an excellent job of transferring Christine's life to the written page。 Impressive， inspiring and captivating。 Reads like an adventure story。 Christine Granville has become one of my favourite heroes and this biography is arguably the best World War 2 spy story ever。 Clare Mulley has done an excellent job of transferring Christine's life to the written page。 。。。more
Andy Horton
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Great biography of heroic and charismatic Polish agent Christine Granville。
Shera
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Christine was an unconventional， independent woman who did some amazing things in WW2。 I listened to the Audible book， which helped through some of the names and details that might have slowed me down reading。 Her story is pretty incredible and also devastating。 The tragedy of how Poland and Poles were treated at the end of the war was something I had not really registered before， and this woman’s fate after risking her life so many times for the Allies， brought that part of WW2 into clear focus Christine was an unconventional， independent woman who did some amazing things in WW2。 I listened to the Audible book， which helped through some of the names and details that might have slowed me down reading。 Her story is pretty incredible and also devastating。 The tragedy of how Poland and Poles were treated at the end of the war was something I had not really registered before， and this woman’s fate after risking her life so many times for the Allies， brought that part of WW2 into clear focus。 What sacrifice。 And she lived life to the fullest， all the way to her end。 。。。more
Bonnie
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This is a biography of an unusual and complex woman。 She was happiest when she was in dangerous situations and so it is not surprising that she became a spy in WWII Europe。 She was the first woman to work as a special agent in the field for the British， from 2 weeks after Britain declared war and was Britain's longest-serving female agent。 I enjoyed reading this book。 It is well-written and Christine is a really interesting subject。 This is a biography of an unusual and complex woman。 She was happiest when she was in dangerous situations and so it is not surprising that she became a spy in WWII Europe。 She was the first woman to work as a special agent in the field for the British， from 2 weeks after Britain declared war and was Britain's longest-serving female agent。 I enjoyed reading this book。 It is well-written and Christine is a really interesting subject。 。。。more
erigibbi
，
“Nonostante gli arresti， le deportazioni e le esecuzioni， nel 1944 la Polonia vantava il più grande movimento di resistenza dell’Europa occupata， con un esercito di oltre trecentomila uomini e donne。”E tra queste donne c’era Christine Granville， primo agente segreto britannico donna， di origine polacca， che nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale ha fatto di tutto per salvare il suo Paese， rischiando la vita innumerevoli volte。 Però， anche se per il suo Paese ha sempre lottato， non ottenne mai riconoscime “Nonostante gli arresti， le deportazioni e le esecuzioni， nel 1944 la Polonia vantava il più grande movimento di resistenza dell’Europa occupata， con un esercito di oltre trecentomila uomini e donne。”E tra queste donne c’era Christine Granville， primo agente segreto britannico donna， di origine polacca， che nella Seconda Guerra Mondiale ha fatto di tutto per salvare il suo Paese， rischiando la vita innumerevoli volte。 Però， anche se per il suo Paese ha sempre lottato， non ottenne mai riconoscimenti dalla Polonia， perché agiva come agente britannico。 Assurdo， no？Christine non ha ricevuto gli onori che meritava in quanto donna e in quanto polacca。 La vita si è presa gioco di lei fino alla fine。 Non è morta in guerra， con i suoi compagni， ma è morta da sola， in una hall di un albergo， per mano di un uomo che durante la guerra non ha praticamente alzato un dito。“È stato detto che la grande tragedia di Christine fu quella di non essere stata uccisa in azione， ma forse la vera tragedia sta nell’averle negato la possibilità di scoprire ciò che avrebbe potuto essere nel mondo postbellico。”La spia che amava di Clare Mulley non è un libro perfetto， può risultare lento e pesante in alcuni punti， ma mi ha permesso di scoprire e conoscere una grande donna， a sua volta imperfetta， ecco perché mi sento di consigliarvelo。 。。。more
Mark Isaacs
，
Like every man who encountered her， I too would have helplessly succumbed to the charms and allure of Christine Granville。 She was the ultimate modern-day Siren， whose mesmerizing call will reel in any swain who ventures into the spellbinding waters of Ms。 Mulley's tragic chronicle。 I recommend for adventurous women too！ Like every man who encountered her， I too would have helplessly succumbed to the charms and allure of Christine Granville。 She was the ultimate modern-day Siren， whose mesmerizing call will reel in any swain who ventures into the spellbinding waters of Ms。 Mulley's tragic chronicle。 I recommend for adventurous women too！ 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
What a book！ What a story！ It took me a while to get into the groove with this one， mostly because of Polish names that were unfamiliar and hard for me to keep track of as I read。 I kept going and really could not put it down。 Christine herself was fascinating， as were her effects on other people。 What really made it special to me was discovering so much that I'd missed about the history of WWII itself， particularly in Poland and farther south。 The author's hard work on research is evident。 I ma What a book！ What a story！ It took me a while to get into the groove with this one， mostly because of Polish names that were unfamiliar and hard for me to keep track of as I read。 I kept going and really could not put it down。 Christine herself was fascinating， as were her effects on other people。 What really made it special to me was discovering so much that I'd missed about the history of WWII itself， particularly in Poland and farther south。 The author's hard work on research is evident。 I may have to write her a thank you note。 。。。more
Katie
，
I really wanted to like this book but it dragged on and on in so many parts。 I kept having to put it down and give it a rest。 It was great reading about Christine and her career， and definitely felt her anger at a lot of men trying to decide for her what she would do。 The author would go on random tangents for paragraphs about another person that did not really add to Christine’s story at all。 There were entire pages of WWII history and battles that yes described the war that she fought but agai I really wanted to like this book but it dragged on and on in so many parts。 I kept having to put it down and give it a rest。 It was great reading about Christine and her career， and definitely felt her anger at a lot of men trying to decide for her what she would do。 The author would go on random tangents for paragraphs about another person that did not really add to Christine’s story at all。 There were entire pages of WWII history and battles that yes described the war that she fought but again wasn’t adding to her story （or could have been greatly condensed。） 。。。more
Michelle Birkby
，
Interesting story of one of the women who served so bravely in the SOE during WWII - Christine came from Poland and fought for her country， yearning for a life of adventure， while almost every man who met her fell in love with her。 Well told， lots of exciting stories and some meticulous research done
Jerry48
，
“The Spy Who Loved” by Clare Mulley is a biography of Krystyna Skarbek， aka Christine Granville， who was the first female agent operating in Poland before 1940， and was active in Hungary， Egypt， and the Vercors area of Vichy France in 1944。 Well researched， this true story is almost unbelievable， with exploits and courage worthy of a James Bond。 And there’s a connection there too。 Also detailed is the shoddy treatment she received at the hands of the British Government when the war ended and her “The Spy Who Loved” by Clare Mulley is a biography of Krystyna Skarbek， aka Christine Granville， who was the first female agent operating in Poland before 1940， and was active in Hungary， Egypt， and the Vercors area of Vichy France in 1944。 Well researched， this true story is almost unbelievable， with exploits and courage worthy of a James Bond。 And there’s a connection there too。 Also detailed is the shoddy treatment she received at the hands of the British Government when the war ended and her expertise and heroism were no longer required。This book is a “must read” for anyone interested in WW2。 。。。more
Elizabeth Rowe
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting story， well researched but extremely boring， more of a research paper than a book to read
Fi Keane
，
I read biographies even less than I read nonfiction， but this book was incredible。 Though slow at parts， it painted a beautiful and almost unbelievable portrait of Christine’s life。 I recommend it to anyone interested in women during WWII
Tony Gualtieri
，
An exciting， well-narrated story。 The book strikes a fine balance between documentation and speculation。
L F
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Clearly one of the more fascinating， possibly of all the SOE female spies to mingle among the enemy on the continent。 Bringing important facts to Churchill that would affect the end of war。 She skied into Poland and later joined the French resistance， even talking her leader out of jail。
Billie Jo
，
I'm not a fan of history books， nor am I a fan of war stories。 This book is BOTH and I LOVED IT。 Christine's story is so very fascinating。 To hell with glass ceilings， she skied， parachuted， and rode her way through them all。 Loved the number of times the author had to write。。women weren't allowed X until this date， but Christine had already been doing that（ be it earning her parachute wings， spying behind enemy lines， etc。 ） While it's obvious the author did extensive research， the book read li I'm not a fan of history books， nor am I a fan of war stories。 This book is BOTH and I LOVED IT。 Christine's story is so very fascinating。 To hell with glass ceilings， she skied， parachuted， and rode her way through them all。 Loved the number of times the author had to write。。women weren't allowed X until this date， but Christine had already been doing that（ be it earning her parachute wings， spying behind enemy lines， etc。 ） While it's obvious the author did extensive research， the book read like a novel（albeit with extensive notes） of a woman whose life was guided by her desire to freedom， adventure and love of country（despite how her country felt about her at times） 。。。more
Joan
，
Christine Granville's life is a fascinating story， and the book is certainly a worthwhile read。 However， it is not well written。 There are lots of missing words， incomplete sentences and bad grammar。 Mulley is not a trained historian and it shows in her use of trivial or questionable facts。 But kudos to her for taking on the subject matter and getting this story published。 Christine Granville's life is a fascinating story， and the book is certainly a worthwhile read。 However， it is not well written。 There are lots of missing words， incomplete sentences and bad grammar。 Mulley is not a trained historian and it shows in her use of trivial or questionable facts。 But kudos to her for taking on the subject matter and getting this story published。 。。。more
Peter Burton
，
A very good read，perhaps a little long for the non specialist reader。I enjoyed the early sections on her childhood and youth but got a bit bewildered by the early exploits with the number of Polish names。However her role in France from 1944 was well explained。How many true heroes and heroines are now largely forgotten but what a vital role they played in the general undermining of Nazi power。The last section on her post war life was incredibly sad and her death totally shocking。This would make a A very good read，perhaps a little long for the non specialist reader。I enjoyed the early sections on her childhood and youth but got a bit bewildered by the early exploits with the number of Polish names。However her role in France from 1944 was well explained。How many true heroes and heroines are now largely forgotten but what a vital role they played in the general undermining of Nazi power。The last section on her post war life was incredibly sad and her death totally shocking。This would make a great documentary series for TV。 。。。more
Isobel Parker
，
I love reading about brave women and Christina Granville was an extraordinary human being。 I was gripped right from the start and I still recommend this book to people， even though it was a good few years ago when I read it。
Amanda
，
☆☆☆1\2
Tasha-Kay Doulass
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Historical fiction gets me every time。 Enjoy！
Julie
，
The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville is a very detailed and well-researched story of SOE spy Christine Granville， the longest-serving British female special agent of World War II， a native of Poland with unsurpassed loyalty to and patriotism towards her native country。 I learned so much about Polish history during and before World War II， as well as the story of the resistance in Poland and in the French Vercors。 The tensions between the different groups， individuals， The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville is a very detailed and well-researched story of SOE spy Christine Granville， the longest-serving British female special agent of World War II， a native of Poland with unsurpassed loyalty to and patriotism towards her native country。 I learned so much about Polish history during and before World War II， as well as the story of the resistance in Poland and in the French Vercors。 The tensions between the different groups， individuals， and agencies who used and then discarded Christine's services as an infiltrator and resistance worker are also well-documented by author Clare Mulley。 Christine was brilliant， charismatic， courageous， independent， and charming - but not without her faults， which the author is careful not to gloss over as some of her contemporaries might have preferred。 This story of her exploits， loves， and travels in a war-torn world is a welcome addition to the literature of espionage and World War II。 。。。more
Richard Worden
，
Lifts the curtain on an aspect of World War 2 - the horror experienced by Poland and the efforts of counter movements featuring Christine Granville and a host of associates。
Piotr
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