A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II

Sonia Purnell  

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Viking (April 9, 2019)

ISBN-10: 073522529X

ISBN-13: 978-0735225299     

https://www.amazon.com/Woman-No-Importance-Untold-American/dp/073522529X

This summer turned out to be my unexpected exploration into female participants in the French resistance during World War II. It began when I read D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose as well as Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Lynne Olson. Now, I've read a long-overdue, in-depth biography of American spy Virginia Hall by Sonia Purnell. I must concur with all the other complimentary reviewers who gave this history five star reviews.

I first read a short but very complimentary biography of Virginia Hall in Emily Yellen'sOur Mother's War: American Women at Home and at the Front During World War II (2004). In fact, Hall was the premiere lady spy in Yellen's overview that only glancingly looked at behind-the-lines operatives in France. Of course, Purnell's tome reaches far beyond the sort of general information Yellen had access to.

Purnell's years of research is an impressive achievement considering the gaps in available files and the likelihood many of Hall's exploits were never recorded by anyone. Part of this oversight is likely based on the reality Hall's labors were so clandestine there was every reason not to keep files on her work. Equally important is the fact female agents were not the norm and there was a widespread prejudice against women being involved in the war at all except as support staff, code-breakers, ambulance-drivers, the like.

In the case of Hall, her persistence in breaking through the glass ceiling is even more impressive when you realize she was raised and groomed for a life as well-off--and married--woman in high society, not a rough-and-tumble agent living on the lam and in often dire circumstances.  Add to that that the lower half of her left leg had been amputated leaving Hall a woman with a disability that could have dimmed her prospects--if not for that determined, iron will of hers.

Because of that leg and her age, Hall wasn't the most likely covert agent for the Gestapo to hunt. She was versatile in her use of disguises, using her disability as a way to throw the hounds off her trail. All she really couldn't do was run. But she could hike across a treacherous mountain trail in the snowy Pyrenees. And that was just one exploit to admire in Hall's many-faceted career.

Another woman to admire is biographer Sonia Purnell who not only keeps a fast-paced, detailed story going, but she keeps reader interest with her scattered indications of what is to come, especially the consequences of certain events. It becomes very clear Virginia Hall was a stand-out officer during World War II and could have become a valuable asset in the CIA had the agency not been populated by the Father Knows Best  mentality of the Cold War years.

So readers learn much more than the day-to-day operations of Hall's covert actions and I often wondered where Purnell found so many minute details of conversations, movements, relationships, etc. As with the other books I've read this summer, I ended up feeling a sense of shame that there was a time when women, no matter how talented, Creative, motivated or successful, just didn't get their due and rightful recognition. Until now.

My July 1, 2019 review of D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose first appeared at BookPleasures.com:

https://waa.ai/XA7U

My July 25th review of Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Lynne Olson first appeared at BookPleasures.com:

https://waa.ai/3uLD

This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Aug. 26 at BookPleasures.com:

https://waa.ai/3RtY

Rock Doc

Neil Ratner, MD

Paperback:  317 pages

Publisher:  Rock Doc Entertainment LLC; 1st edition (January 28, 2019)

ISBN-10:  1732379017

ISBN-13:  978-1732379015

https://www.amazon.com/Rock-Doc-Neil-Ratner-MD/dp/1732379017

Reviewed by Dr. Wesley Britton

I was intrigued when I read a blurb for Neil Ratner's new Rock Doc when I saw his memoir included stories about the professional careers of Emerson, Lake, and Palmer, Pink Floyd, Edgar Winter, and Rick Derringer during their various heydays in the 1970s.   I wasn't disappointed. Roughly one-quarter of the book is Ratner's account of his years as a personal manager, tour manager, and production supervisor for those talented performers.

Then, Ratner's autobiography shifts gears as he describes how he left the happy rock and roll lifestyle to enter medicine and specialize as a pioneering anesthesiologist. After establishing the break-through idea of setting up anesthesiologist services in doctor's offices to reduce the need to use hospital operating rooms, Ratner described the day Michael Jackson walked into his office and Ratner's life forever changed.

After that, reader interest in the longest section of the book will depend on your interest in Michael Jackson. Ratner unfolds a long, warm, intimate relationship he and Jackson shared both professionally and personally for decades. The account is as revelatory as anything I've read on Jackson's complex life. Those much more familiar with his story might not find too much new other than Ratner's passages on his relationship with the singer.  Personally, I was glad to learn so much about Jackson's, and Ratner's, relationship with Nelson Mandela and their many strong connections to South Africa. 

The book takes another sharp turn when Ratner details his experiences with the legal system after he's convicted for insurance fraud. while I might have missed these chapters if I'd given up reading the Michael Jackson saga, I'd have missed a very positive, rather uplifting story of redemption and a growing spiritual depth Ratner acquired in prison. What he does after his incarceration is another surprising turn and an admirable one at that. Very admirable.

Since Rock Doc touches so many bases, the potential readership should include those interested in rock and pop history, medicine, Michael Jackson, Nelson Mandela and South Africa, not to mention all the transformative perspectives Ratner shares as he summarizes his more recent years. The memoir is told with a personal, often passionate tone that is candid enough to disarm all but the most cynical of readers.

This review first appeared at BookPleasures.com on Jan. 25, 2019:

Heart Throb (Hearts of Metal #7) - Brooklyn Ann 

This series will hook you from the beginning! This is the seventh and unfortunately the final book in the series but it can definitely be read as a standalone.

Lexi is well aware of her looks and doesn’t need to be reminded of them every five seconds. At this point in her life she’s more concerned about making a butt-kicking documentary about the metal band Vicious and fulfilling her dream of making a feature horror film. She just needs to stop worrying about (and staring at) the grouch in the band in order to meet her deadline.
Brand, the bassist of the band, is that grouch. He’s had a tough childhood and doesn’t let anyone get close. Letting people into his life means giving them a chance to hurt him and he’s tired of that. Not even the model-look-alike disrupting his life is going to change that.

Lexi and Brand were a super cute couple. They both tried to deny their attraction from the beginning and so drama and plenty of laughs ensued when they pretended there was no chemistry between them. Brand might have acted all gruff and indifferent at times but he had some deeps scars that made him act that way. Luckily Lexi saw past that dark exterior and focused more on the man that worried about and cared for her. He made some huge mistakes along the way but he learned his lessons and proved he was capable of love.

I don’t want this series to end because I need more from all of the bands! I loved the way each character was not only depicted as skilled at what they did but also as imperfect, vulnerable, normal human beings. I also appreciate how they went through some ordinary, real life situations because that made them even more real. Like when Lexi was having some bad cramping and everyone kept commenting on her looks instead of how she was feeling… yeah, that right there made me want to hug the author! Situations like that happened in all of the books and man, I loved those little bits in each of the books. You can also tell the author loves the metal rock world by the way she describes it and lets us readers be a part of it. I didn’t think I was a fan but after going behind the scenes of the music I know I will give it a try. This was a fabulous read, with well-developed characters and a fascinating setting. I definitely recommend it.

*I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher**

This is the fifth book in the Hearts of Metal series but I promise it can definitely be read as a standalone. I know this because I’ve only read the previous book yet I never felt lost. 
I love how the author was able to weave so many characters into one book without making it feel convoluted. All of them felt true to their nature, including “slutty” Cliff, who can still be a jerk at times but now that we start seeing things from his POV it’s impossible not to have feelings for the guy. Christine’s independent spirit causes more trouble than not but even so she was a lovable character because it was not mischief what drove her but an honest will to live her own life. 

I felt this book centered more around the dynamics of the band’s members and their personal struggles, but even so it did not lack in the romance department. Christine and Cliff’s relationship may take a backseat at times but it’s always present throughout the book. Their emotions are all palpable and when they were together it was all but fire on the pages! The mix of drama and funny, laugh-out-loud moments made this book pretty enjoyable. And the fact that we get to visit with all of the other bands, including Rage of Angels (from the Bride of Prophecies series) makes it a memorable one as well. In short, I think this story is the perfect tease because if anyone picks this one up before the previous books in the series will want to get them all and start reading them asap. 

***I received this book at no cost to me and I volunteered to read it; this is my honest opinion and given without any influence by the author or publisher.***

What a crazy pair! I loved Keith and Vanessa right from the start. She's a woman that knows what she wants, when she wants it and is not afraid to ask for it when necessary. Even though she's known some band members since childhood she's kept a low profile and would rather not have anything to do with the spotlight. Keys was quite a charmer that because of his family's business has always been in public's eye, even before he became a rock star. To him fame and fortune came with the territory. 

At the start of their fling, Vanessa had lots of plans for her future and the last thing she wanted was to start a relationship with her longtime friend Keys. She knew that would impede her from fulfilling her career goals but at the same time she could not keep denying the pull she felt towards him. When she decided to make her move (because it was she who made the first move and I loved her for that) she made Keys a proposition that was impossible for him to resist.

The chemistry between the two was off the charts. They had this easy bantering that made their relationship pretty relatable and what I loved the most of it was that there was such an openness to one another that not only did I find cute but also incredibly sexy. 

The rock band members were a riot and a half and their dynamics made them sound more like a family than simply band mates. I had forgotten how much I truly liked this bunch.

In short it was a great romance story and if anything the only thing I didn't like much was the fact that we keep hearing over and over again about Nessa's Southern roots and her not too-skinny body. I get that both situations set the base for the whole conundrum but I didn't think it was necessary to be reminded of it every five minutes. But that's just my picky self being picky. 

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

*I was gifted a copy of this story by the author and my opinion expressed here was not influenced in any way, shape, or form by anyone *