The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America's Greatest Female Spy | 
| Author: Judith L. Pearson
Publisher: The Lyons Press
Category: Book
List Price: $15.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 169627
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 272
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 8.7 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 159921072X
Dewey Decimal Number: 940
EAN: 9781599210728
ASIN: 159921072X
Publication Date: May 13, 2008
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Product Description
The secret story of Virginia Hall, America's greatest World War II spy heroine.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 11 more reviews...
 Courage Personified April 6, 2008
I highly recommend this book. The personal courage shown by Virginia Hall is almost beyond belief. This book is one that you should share with your children and grand children so that they are aware of the tremendous sacrifices that were made to defeat the Nazis. This book details the vast suffering of the ordinary French citizen during the Nazi occupation.Additionally,it details just how tenuous life was if anyone assisted,harbored,or did not report those who were in the resistance,those who were caught were executed and sometimes their entire family to set an example for others.
 Great Lady -Below Average Writing Style of Author August 28, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
All the reviewers are correct about Virginia Hall being an extraordinary person. No debate here. My only rather large disappointment with the book has to do with the author's writing style. It resembles the style of pulp romance novels on sale at your local supermarket. For me, at least, this gets in the way of completely enjoying the book. I also got the impression that the author projected what she thought Hall's feelings were about incidents so incidental it didn't seem possible anyone would know. Credibility.
Here's an example of the author's style from page 27:
"The tail end of spring greeted Virginia on her arrival in Paris. As May slid into June, and the Parisian summer began, solace washed over her. The quintessental French conversations, bouquinistes selling books and postcards at stands along the seine, throaty French tunes pouring out of cabaret doors...etc, etc."
It's painful for me, at least, to read prose like this on such an incredibly interesting life.
A Very Impressive Woman July 27, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Virginia Hall was the daughter of a well-to-do Marylander with no need to get directly involved in WWII. Instead, she played a major role in the French Resistance, leading up to 1,500 men in attacks on isolated German troops, locate and assist in parachute drops, send wireless messages (particularly dangerous, given the Germans' emphasis on quickly locating the source of any signals), helping downed Allied fliers escape to Spain, sabotaging rail lines. Prior to D-Day the Germans put out a "Wanted" poster on Virginia, along with a description. This forced her temporarily out of France, via climbing the Pyrennees with a guide and two Allied fliers, only to be imprisoned for 20 days until the American Consulate got word and was able to help. All this with a wooden lower leg - cut off as a result of a hunting accident.
Virginia's original goal was to be an American Foreign Service Officer - however, this was precluded by her hunting accident, leading her to resign her clerical position to help the French through driving an ambulance during WWII's early days. She then was recruited as a British agent (spoke French fluently), trained (only two of the twelve women passed) and returned to France. Collaborators on both sides were typically motivated by money (France was in a depression also); even a Jesuit priest became involved as a double agent - for the Germans.
After WWII, Virginia was awarded the DSC (turned down presentation by President Truman to remain anonymous), married one of her French fellow agents, and "settled down" in the CIA until retirement.
A very heroic and impressive woman whom I never would have known about without "The Wolves at the Door."
Wolves at the Door May 12, 2007
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
Excellent, excellent, excellent. I plan to donate this book to a college library. Written well, engaging and informative about war, governments and resistance. Also, should be required reading for all young women!
Suspenseful, never dull, wonderfully researched April 21, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Kudos to the author, Judith Pearson. I almost always prefer first person accounts of those who lived through WWII. However, this book gripped me throughout the narrative. This would make a wonderful movie with Virginia Hall played by an actress of Cate Blanchett's caliber. Exhaustively researched and well written. Thank you Ms. Pearson, I'll be looking for your next book!
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