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izzys_internet_bookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
5/5
This book surprised me so much. I don't usually read non fiction but this one caught my eye. I had always been intrigued with WWII and I love spies. This book was amazing, I loved learning about Hall's story. All the struggle and espionage she did in her days of the war. It was like reading a history book but it had humor in it and the person wasn't boring. My only problem with the book is that I got somewhat aggravated when the narrator put in her two cents. Other than that I loved this book to pieces. Better yet, I decided to go on google to see if there was a movie and THERE IS!! A Call to Spy (2019). I will defiantly try to get my hands on it soon!
This book surprised me so much. I don't usually read non fiction but this one caught my eye. I had always been intrigued with WWII and I love spies. This book was amazing, I loved learning about Hall's story. All the struggle and espionage she did in her days of the war. It was like reading a history book but it had humor in it and the person wasn't boring. My only problem with the book is that I got somewhat aggravated when the narrator put in her two cents. Other than that I loved this book to pieces. Better yet, I decided to go on google to see if there was a movie and THERE IS!! A Call to Spy (2019). I will defiantly try to get my hands on it soon!
go_maggs_go's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of only a handful of books I've recommended to people before I finished it. Not only was the subject matter fascinating -- I'd only heard of Virginia Hall from an episode of Drunk History, and she really was a total badass -- but the way Heather Demetrios writes is compelling. It's as if she's just casually chatting with a girlfriend, and it made the information so easy to digest.
lduran39's review against another edition
3.0
Three stars because of the subject of the book. I am fascinated by women who contributed to Allied efforts in WW2. However, with that being said, I could not recommend this particular book to anyone, even to teenagers for whom it is written. I read this as part of a book club activity so because of that I wanted to actually finish it, otherwise I would have given up.
Dindy is a fascinating and strong woman, she is a natural target for a biography. However, the author's prose is dreadful. She writes in teenage vernacular that comes across too much like a "How do you do fellow kids?" adult rather than introducing teenagers to a pretty badass lady. When the synopsis talks about her outwitting the Butcher of Lyon, you would think that game of cat and mouse would be more a part of the central story. But instead, the author chooses to shoehorn "Down with the patriarchy!" in every chance she gets and her political views shine brightly on more than one occasion. I'm sorry, good for you for having beliefs, but I am not interested in YOU I am interested in Dindy. There was also too much supposition happening, though that is pretty understandable given how much info is redacted.
Overall, I might try to find another biography of Virginia Hal, if one exists, to get the bad taste of this book out of my mouth,.
Dindy is a fascinating and strong woman, she is a natural target for a biography. However, the author's prose is dreadful. She writes in teenage vernacular that comes across too much like a "How do you do fellow kids?" adult rather than introducing teenagers to a pretty badass lady. When the synopsis talks about her outwitting the Butcher of Lyon, you would think that game of cat and mouse would be more a part of the central story. But instead, the author chooses to shoehorn "Down with the patriarchy!" in every chance she gets and her political views shine brightly on more than one occasion. I'm sorry, good for you for having beliefs, but I am not interested in YOU I am interested in Dindy. There was also too much supposition happening, though that is pretty understandable given how much info is redacted.
Overall, I might try to find another biography of Virginia Hal, if one exists, to get the bad taste of this book out of my mouth,.
xoxolibro's review against another edition
5.0
I hereby nominate Heather Demetrious to rewrite every textbook ever! I estimate that the average testing scores of high school students would rise 110% across the board. No, seriously.
Ever since I read the opening line of the synopsis, I knew this book was going to be EPIC...
"When James Bond was still in diapers, Virginia Hall was behind enemy lines, playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Hitler’s henchmen."
Oh, and the author got security clearance to do research in the CIA?! WHAT.
WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED, PEOPLE?
To be honest, I'm a fan of everything Heather writes, so I knew I'd love this book too, but I don't think I was prepared for just how much I would LOVE it. It is saucy and feminist and full of curse words (all traits I admire), but it was also beautifully researched and informative. It taught me so much about an incredible woman who's been nearly lost to history and the entire French Resistance. It was fascinating! Who knew history could keep you on the edge of your seat?
There's also this special layer woven into these pages that is a little harder to describe. I got the sense that the author found a deep bond with Dindy, a love and respect for this friend she'll never truly meet but knows so well. I think this is what truly brings the book (and Dindy) to life.
All around 37 out of 5 stars. Could not put it down. Immediately yelled at 3 different people to pre-order it. And I will be rereading. Many times. Actually, I get the sense that this is a book I could pick up, flip to a random page, and read for a quick injection of strong, feminist, idgaf vibes. Goddamnit, this book is so good!
Ever since I read the opening line of the synopsis, I knew this book was going to be EPIC...
"When James Bond was still in diapers, Virginia Hall was behind enemy lines, playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Hitler’s henchmen."
Oh, and the author got security clearance to do research in the CIA?! WHAT.
WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED, PEOPLE?
To be honest, I'm a fan of everything Heather writes, so I knew I'd love this book too, but I don't think I was prepared for just how much I would LOVE it. It is saucy and feminist and full of curse words (all traits I admire), but it was also beautifully researched and informative. It taught me so much about an incredible woman who's been nearly lost to history and the entire French Resistance. It was fascinating! Who knew history could keep you on the edge of your seat?
There's also this special layer woven into these pages that is a little harder to describe. I got the sense that the author found a deep bond with Dindy, a love and respect for this friend she'll never truly meet but knows so well. I think this is what truly brings the book (and Dindy) to life.
All around 37 out of 5 stars. Could not put it down. Immediately yelled at 3 different people to pre-order it. And I will be rereading. Many times. Actually, I get the sense that this is a book I could pick up, flip to a random page, and read for a quick injection of strong, feminist, idgaf vibes. Goddamnit, this book is so good!
blueeye217's review
1.0
Imagine if the Steve Buscemi “Hello Fellow Teens” meme and a Buzzfeed article got together and decided to try to write a biography for teens. This is what it would be. Cringey. Not sure what the author was intending but I would never hand this to a teen to read unless I wanted to insult them.
fionak's review
2.0
DNF at page 21 because I cannot abide the gossipy tone and find the digressions tiresome.
bgsmith's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
1.0
The subject of this book is incredibly fascinating and the author did an amazing job researching Virginia Hall. Unfortunately, I could not stand by the informal way the information was written in.
resslesa's review
adventurous
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
4.5
Wow this is fascinating and all true and author head done her research. My favorite aspect is the author’s modern day commentary on everything -so fun and feminist in nature. A great listen!
anjreading's review
2.0
I would guess readers will be sharply divided on the readability of this book. Yes, Virginia Hall was a remarkable woman, all-around badass, and heroine of WWII. Virginia Hall, the person, gets 5 stars. This super-informal, conversational, swear-laden, highly-speculative-at-times biography of her was refreshing for the first 10 minutes of my listening experience and then quickly veered into a very painful listen. I probably just should have DNF'd it, but it wasn't too long and I was driving for most of it, making it difficult to safely switch to another book. If you want your history/biography in the form of what you would imagine a tween text exchange to be, try this book, you might love it.