Sonia Purnell Press Reviews
Virginia Hall was considered the most dangerous of all the Allieds' spies by the Nazis - and her the untold story of the American with a wooden leg who became the French Resistance's key intelligence contact is finally revealed - Independent
Fascinating! careful research and skilful writing, Sonia Purnell, in A Woman of No Importance, takes you deep into the covert operations Hall led in Nazi-occupied France, first for the British and then for the Americans. Readers will find this tale of her cunning and courage riveting - Douglas Waller, author of Wild Bill Donovan: The Spymaster Who Created the OSS and Modern American Espionage
Purnell vividly resurrects an underappreciated hero and delivers an enthralling story of wartime intrigue...fans of WWII history and women's history will be riveted - Publishers Weekly
This true tale of courage will take your breath away - Best
Remarkable ... this lively examination... shows how, if Hall had been a man, dropping undercover in and out of occupied Vichy, Paris, and Lyon, setting up safe houses, and coordinating couriers for the Resistance, she would now be as famous as James Bond... Meticulous research results in a significant biography of a trailblazer who now has a CIA building named after her - Kirkus Reviews
An inspiring account of an extraordinary woman's bravery that will keep you gripping your seat -- Rebecca Wallersteiner - The Lady Book of the Week
Sonia Purnell has exhaustively researched Virginia Hall's career in archives in many countries, and she writes with authority and in vivid detail. This book is a cracking story - Oldie
Courage, resourcefulness, ingenuity: Hall possessed them all, and in Purnell she has found the ideal biographer - Tablet
Impressively researched and compellingly written, this brilliant biography puts Virginia Hall - and her prosthetic leg Cuthbert - back where they belong: right in the heart of resistance history - Clare Mulley, author of The Spy Who Loved and The Women Who Flew for Hitler
Gripping . . . With this book, the true extent of Hall's heroic contribution to the war effort is known at last -- Jane Warren - Express
Brimming with moving tales of courage in the face of tyranny, this is a worthy tribute to an incredible figure -- Deirdre O'Brien - Sunday Mirror
It is easy to see why Hollywood is showing interest in Purnell's account of Hall, an authentic heroine who was also American, disabled and a woman. Marie thoroughly deserved her laurels -- Max Hastings - Sunday Times
Purnell's extensive research brings the facts of Virginia's life into brilliant focus -- Jane Shilling - Evening Standard
A gripping, relevant and timely read about a remarkable woman from a talented writer - Deborah Frances-White, author of The Guilty Feminist
Excellent . . . Purnell's meticulous research into Hall's life and work has taken her not only through British SOE papers and resistance files in France, but also through nine levels of security at the CIA in Langley - Spectator
Riveting ... one of the most breath-taking stories yet told of female courage behind enemy lines ... An intimate and moving portrayal - Sarah Helm, author of If This Is A Woman and A Life In Secrets
With her thriller-writer's style and copious new research, Purnell has written a fitting and moving tribute to an amazing woman - The Economist
A cracking story of an extraordinarily brave woman . . . extraordinarily well-researched . . . thrilling -- Anne de Courcy - Telegraph
Purnell's account of Hall's hectic, amphetamine-fuelled exploits never falters. It recalls Caroline Moorehead's wonderful book, Village of Secrets, but has an added touch of Ben Macintyre's brio ... A rousing tale of derring-do' -- Richard Davenport-Hines - The Times, Book of the Week
