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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
4.25
Finished reading: February 27th 2024
"No reason to admit they'd said I was too old. Yvonne Rudellat might be forty-five, but I was Jacqueline Viallat now, my forged identification papers declaring me a spry thirty-three."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
It's not often that I come across my first name in books, so I was immediately curious when I learned that The Woman With No Name told the true story of Yvonne Rudellat. Add the fact that I have a weak spot for WWII fiction and resistance stories, and I knew I HAD to add this book by Audrey Blake to my list. I'm so glad I did now, because I ended up having a fantastic time with this historical fiction read!
The Woman With No Name is a work of fiction, but a lot of elements are based on true events and people. This made the story feel so much more authentic... Both Yvonne Rudellat and most of the people mentioned in this story were real people working for the French resistance during the war, and a lot of the key events really did take place. It's not the first time I've read about women being sent to France to help the resistance, but Yvonne's story is such an impressive one and it shows that people should never underestimate someone due to their size and/or gender. The story showed what it was like to live in France during the war, how the resistance worked and what obstacles they faced along the way.
The plot itself is divided into two timelines that are relatively close to each other. The present timeline follows the main character on her journey to and during her time in France helping the resistance. The other timeline tells us the story of Yvonne Rudellat in the time leading up to her recruitment as well as her training, and it helped giving more insight in her character. It also showed us just how much she blossomed over time, and I particularly enjoyed learning more about how they were trained. I do have to say that I enjoyed the present timeline more than the flashbacks, because they were simply more engaging.
It's the first time I read one of Audrey Blake's books, but I will definitely be back for more. This author duo not only has an engaging writing style, but it truly shows just how thoroughly they have investigated the life of our main character and everything she helped achieve during the war. It's true that the pace could be a tad slow in parts and she switching between the timelines could be a bit disruptive, but as a whole The Woman With No Name turned out to be an excellent piece of WWII fiction well worth your time if you enjoy the genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, War, and Animal death
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