What did I think?
The truth is that I had not thought that this book would be the first essay that we reviewed on the blog; it was going to be 'The digital cretin factory,' but I have changed my mind. I found it essential that the first essay book we talked about was about a woman who also did incredible things. I'm not saying that the other didn't deserve it, but this option seemed better to me. Moreover, I'm not going to fool you, God forbid, but I didn't know the main character until I started the book. I'm ashamed to say it. This has made me feel even more in need of reviewing it. I said to myself: "If you don't know him, the same will happen to many people. Let's change it. So here we are, talking about a heroine with capital letters from World War II who remains a real stranger today. They didn't tell me about her in high school history classes. Moreover, we gave two world wars. Why? Why are heroes ignored? I have no answer.
However, let's go to the book, which is what it is about.
"A Woman of No Importance" is a biography about Virginia Hall, one of the smartest and most capable women who participated in World War II. He was a spy. And the good ones. Nothing to do with James Bond, nor did he need it. Sonia Purnell tells us in great detail the incredible life of this American woman dissatisfied with her world. Virginia Hall wanted to change things, and she dedicated herself to it. If you want to know if she was a good spy, I'll tell you she lost a leg before becoming one, and that didn't stop her. If that's not resilience, tell me what it is.
What has fascinated me about the book, apart from the protagonist's figure, is that I did not know that biographies could be so agile, have such a frenetic pace. Until now, I had always thought, perhaps because I had not chosen well the biographies I had read that it was a slow genre. Nothing is further from reality. Purnell's book has nothing to envy of any action novel. Ian Rankin could well write it. The book is dizzying. It doesn't have dialogue, of course, but it doesn't need it. Reading it is like watching Tom Cruise's 'Valkyrie' movie. You are entirely into World War II. Only the prologue has a couple of accurate descriptions that make you smell death. Many current books lack it. All of this leads me to wonder: why didn't I know this lady? Why doesn't anyone talk about her? Why haven't movies been made about his life? If it was a guy, I'm sure there would already be at least a dozen. Maybe one shot by renowned directors like Clint Eastwood.
The book is a remarkable journey into the heart of the French Resistance, but it also shows us how a simple person, perhaps not the most capable, but the most persevering, can change things. It is a hymn to non-conformity. If you don't like something, don't stay still, do something.
Sonia Purnell has a true mastery of making you feel angry or happy, or empathic with someone. Know how to move your feelings with a simple description. It can make you shiver or describe a death so that the sweet, stale stench hits you on the nose. "A woman of no importance" is not a good book, it is a GREAT book. For me, MANDATORY READING in Secondary. In fact, I think this novel deals with big themes: love, hate, differences, social class, marginalization, the need to move on, and self-esteem. It certainly deserves a slow, comprehensive reading (if you can, which I was not capable of) and, above all, a subsequent debate. There is much to discuss after reading. This is a book that stays in your mind long after you finish it.
As important as Lucie Aubrac (Lucy Bernard) was a woman with lifelike Phileas Fogg multiplied by ten. Until now, I didn't know I deserved a book because I didn't know who I was. Now I know it deserves many.
'A woman of no importance' is an excellent option for those who love history, biographies, or feminism. If these themes appeal to you, you will love them. As if that were not enough, the edition is beautiful and has real photos explained (although I would have liked there to be many more).
Don't miss it, it's worth it.
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