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emmacr2024's review
3.0
The Undercover Secretary by Ellie Midwood tells the story of an incredible resistance heroine named Dora Schaul (known as Dora Davidsohn as well as several other aliases in this book). It’s only as I reached the end of this book that I realised that it was based on a true person and it made what she did all the more remarkable. This was a quick read and could easily be read in one or two sittings as I felt the real meaty part did not occur until the last quarter or so.
The book opens with an intriguing and intense prologue which instantly had my suspicions raised and I was eager to discover answers. A woman has been taken to a cellar and is being interrogated by a French man as she is believed to be a German spy and so the woman begins to tell her story which turns into an incredible tale of love, loyalty, daring and determination. The story does eventually wind its way back to the opening scene and things come full circle and then begin to push forward which at that point I did become fully engaged and engrossed with everything that was going on.
It’s 1933 and Dora is a German Jew who grew up with her family in Essen. When we meet her she is working in a clothes shop in Berlin having left her homeplace over a year ago. She lives in an apartment with Ashley and Amory, two men who have a cabaret show where they change gender and enjoy a side of life that Hitler will soon put firmly paid to. As the story begins in the early 1930’s it is quite some time before it reaches the war years and I did find this slow but on reflection it does give a detailed background as to the reasons why war came about and what in turn to motivate, fuel and drive Dora on through the most desperate of times. Jews were slowly being targeted as they did not fit into the new and great Germany. An incident with a German costumer means Dora is let go from her job and she finds herself returning to Essen. She feels her wings have been curtailed just as she was experiencing freedom so she does not remain there long but instead gets a one way ticket to Amsterdam to try and establish a life for herself there. I could instantly tell that Dora was restless and had an idea in her mind of what she wanted to happen in her life. The political situation was becoming increasingly uncertain and Dora had a sense of this but I admired how she stuck to her goals.
Whilst in Amsterdam she gets a job and accommodation with Heinrich, a German in hiding, and she agrees to type up Communist leaflets. Through doing this she becomes more aware of all sides, their beliefs and what they will go on to fight for. The job ‘would change the course of my entire life and turn me from vulnerable prey into a relentless hunter feared by the Gestapo themselves’. She attends Communist meetings and it’s there she meets the person who goes on to be the love of her life – Alfred. He is a speaker at the meetings and is someone not afraid to pay the ultimate price for the freedom of many. Alfred had nearly finished his training as a doctor so alongside Dora they help newly arrived refugees in need. An unexpected and perhaps somewhat dangerous visitor tasks the pair with undercover work and this is where I felt the small stirrings of what I would call the turning point of the book although as previously mentioned things really didn’t kick off until the last section. I loved seeing Dora work undercover as a maid watching and listening to everything in order to gain vital information which would help the greater cause as Fascism began to spread its shadow over Europe. Dora is dogged, stubborn and determined in her actions but I felt these qualities would come at a cost and as she grows closer to Alfred and their relationship solidifies and deepens I was apprehensive as to what the ultimate price would be.
The pair move to Paris and I found the sections set in both Paris and Amsterdam to be quite slow. Times are ever changing and Dora finds herself thinking ‘Sometimes one had to abandon one’s principles for a bigger cause’. Life for her family in Essen is reduced to one of survival and she feels guilty for leaving them behind. She tries her best to get them out of the country but as the wheels of change are turning and the power of Hitler is growing this becomes increasingly impossible and from here the book takes on an even more dark, dangerous and unsettling turn. When war is eventually declared the plot really picked up the pace and to be honest it very much needed to. From here on in my heart was in my mouth at what was unfolding and everything that Dora was experiencing. Soon Dora has lost everything to the Nazi’s but to say much more or to go into specifics would ruin the remainder of the plot but suffice to say Dora is put through the ringer time and time again. She must stay strong and fearless in the face of danger and adversity and the task she undertakes is one of sheer bravery and in my mind a quest for revenge. The scenes featuring a certain Nazi were very powerful and vivid and literally your heart is in your mouth in fear of one wrong word being said and for the game to be up. But Dora was moving the pieces of the game well but as for the ending I would never have guessed it.
The Undercover Secretary is a good read which conveys its message - that being the bravery, resilience and courage shown by one woman and the sacrifices she made and the dedication and love she showed to Alfred and of course the cause she was fighting was all worthwhile. She was committed to purging the darkness from the world and although she was only a small cog in a much bigger wheel, her role was vital, and all her actions were not futile in fact the reverse. Being completely honest, I did think I would have liked the latter part of the book to have been extended more as it was tense and riveting and really held my interest. It was edge of your seat stuff not knowing what would come with each turn of the page. As I found, the story itself started off quite slow and it’s only as I reached the section where the title comes into play that I felt did things really pick up and I became really interested in what was going.
Don’t get me wrong this was a good story (although in my opinion not my favourite by this author) but the slow start meant I didn’t engage fully with the characters for quite some time. A reduction in the details regarding the part of Dora’s life pre-war and an extension of what she went through during the war years would have been great. I understand the necessity of knowing how Dora came to be where she was during the war and the reasons for her beliefs and opinions it’s just I felt it was like a really long introduction and I was constantly waiting for the title to have meaning and the details in the blurb to come into play. The Undercover Secretary was well researched with plenty of detail which explained the different factions and the reasons which led to war and how people’s lives changed because of the actions of one mad man. If you like World War Two books with a stable and tenacious heroine than this is the book for you.
The book opens with an intriguing and intense prologue which instantly had my suspicions raised and I was eager to discover answers. A woman has been taken to a cellar and is being interrogated by a French man as she is believed to be a German spy and so the woman begins to tell her story which turns into an incredible tale of love, loyalty, daring and determination. The story does eventually wind its way back to the opening scene and things come full circle and then begin to push forward which at that point I did become fully engaged and engrossed with everything that was going on.
It’s 1933 and Dora is a German Jew who grew up with her family in Essen. When we meet her she is working in a clothes shop in Berlin having left her homeplace over a year ago. She lives in an apartment with Ashley and Amory, two men who have a cabaret show where they change gender and enjoy a side of life that Hitler will soon put firmly paid to. As the story begins in the early 1930’s it is quite some time before it reaches the war years and I did find this slow but on reflection it does give a detailed background as to the reasons why war came about and what in turn to motivate, fuel and drive Dora on through the most desperate of times. Jews were slowly being targeted as they did not fit into the new and great Germany. An incident with a German costumer means Dora is let go from her job and she finds herself returning to Essen. She feels her wings have been curtailed just as she was experiencing freedom so she does not remain there long but instead gets a one way ticket to Amsterdam to try and establish a life for herself there. I could instantly tell that Dora was restless and had an idea in her mind of what she wanted to happen in her life. The political situation was becoming increasingly uncertain and Dora had a sense of this but I admired how she stuck to her goals.
Whilst in Amsterdam she gets a job and accommodation with Heinrich, a German in hiding, and she agrees to type up Communist leaflets. Through doing this she becomes more aware of all sides, their beliefs and what they will go on to fight for. The job ‘would change the course of my entire life and turn me from vulnerable prey into a relentless hunter feared by the Gestapo themselves’. She attends Communist meetings and it’s there she meets the person who goes on to be the love of her life – Alfred. He is a speaker at the meetings and is someone not afraid to pay the ultimate price for the freedom of many. Alfred had nearly finished his training as a doctor so alongside Dora they help newly arrived refugees in need. An unexpected and perhaps somewhat dangerous visitor tasks the pair with undercover work and this is where I felt the small stirrings of what I would call the turning point of the book although as previously mentioned things really didn’t kick off until the last section. I loved seeing Dora work undercover as a maid watching and listening to everything in order to gain vital information which would help the greater cause as Fascism began to spread its shadow over Europe. Dora is dogged, stubborn and determined in her actions but I felt these qualities would come at a cost and as she grows closer to Alfred and their relationship solidifies and deepens I was apprehensive as to what the ultimate price would be.
The pair move to Paris and I found the sections set in both Paris and Amsterdam to be quite slow. Times are ever changing and Dora finds herself thinking ‘Sometimes one had to abandon one’s principles for a bigger cause’. Life for her family in Essen is reduced to one of survival and she feels guilty for leaving them behind. She tries her best to get them out of the country but as the wheels of change are turning and the power of Hitler is growing this becomes increasingly impossible and from here the book takes on an even more dark, dangerous and unsettling turn. When war is eventually declared the plot really picked up the pace and to be honest it very much needed to. From here on in my heart was in my mouth at what was unfolding and everything that Dora was experiencing. Soon Dora has lost everything to the Nazi’s but to say much more or to go into specifics would ruin the remainder of the plot but suffice to say Dora is put through the ringer time and time again. She must stay strong and fearless in the face of danger and adversity and the task she undertakes is one of sheer bravery and in my mind a quest for revenge. The scenes featuring a certain Nazi were very powerful and vivid and literally your heart is in your mouth in fear of one wrong word being said and for the game to be up. But Dora was moving the pieces of the game well but as for the ending I would never have guessed it.
The Undercover Secretary is a good read which conveys its message - that being the bravery, resilience and courage shown by one woman and the sacrifices she made and the dedication and love she showed to Alfred and of course the cause she was fighting was all worthwhile. She was committed to purging the darkness from the world and although she was only a small cog in a much bigger wheel, her role was vital, and all her actions were not futile in fact the reverse. Being completely honest, I did think I would have liked the latter part of the book to have been extended more as it was tense and riveting and really held my interest. It was edge of your seat stuff not knowing what would come with each turn of the page. As I found, the story itself started off quite slow and it’s only as I reached the section where the title comes into play that I felt did things really pick up and I became really interested in what was going.
Don’t get me wrong this was a good story (although in my opinion not my favourite by this author) but the slow start meant I didn’t engage fully with the characters for quite some time. A reduction in the details regarding the part of Dora’s life pre-war and an extension of what she went through during the war years would have been great. I understand the necessity of knowing how Dora came to be where she was during the war and the reasons for her beliefs and opinions it’s just I felt it was like a really long introduction and I was constantly waiting for the title to have meaning and the details in the blurb to come into play. The Undercover Secretary was well researched with plenty of detail which explained the different factions and the reasons which led to war and how people’s lives changed because of the actions of one mad man. If you like World War Two books with a stable and tenacious heroine than this is the book for you.
suzyq436's review
5.0
I adore this author's writing and my heart broke reading about Dora's struggles and hardship.
As good as this was, I felt something was missing. I felt that there were the times the story didn't flow very well or things were just mentioned and glossed over. I would have loved a little more depth, a little more for the readers to chew on.
As good as this was, I felt something was missing. I felt that there were the times the story didn't flow very well or things were just mentioned and glossed over. I would have loved a little more depth, a little more for the readers to chew on.
bookobsessed1987's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
nannykaren's review against another edition
5.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh my goodness, what an incredible story, The Undercover Secretary is. Based on real life story of Dora Schaul, a Resistance heroine.
Dora is a strong woman who went to enormous lengths to pass on vital information for the war efforts.
A moving story.
Oh my goodness, what an incredible story, The Undercover Secretary is. Based on real life story of Dora Schaul, a Resistance heroine.
Dora is a strong woman who went to enormous lengths to pass on vital information for the war efforts.
A moving story.
kdurham2's review against another edition
5.0
Check out the full review at Kritters Ramblings . . .
While I feel as though I have read every book and every aspect of World War II, this book gave me a unique glimpse at another person's journey through this hard time in history. When I read a historical fiction book, I typically rate my experience by my need to google and find out more and with this one I kept finding myself wanting to learn more than what was on the page.
While I feel as though I have read every book and every aspect of World War II, this book gave me a unique glimpse at another person's journey through this hard time in history. When I read a historical fiction book, I typically rate my experience by my need to google and find out more and with this one I kept finding myself wanting to learn more than what was on the page.
msvera's review against another edition
3.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Bookouture in exchange of an honest review. And I'm super glad I did because I wasn't familiar with Ellie Midwood!
The first half goes a bit slowly and I honestly struggled a bit with it at the beginning, but I understand now it was all building - and shaping - up Dora to the final third of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed the writing and how the author made us care about the characters. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more about this author!
There was just one small instance in Spanish that I'm hoping is fixed in the final version of the book.
The first half goes a bit slowly and I honestly struggled a bit with it at the beginning, but I understand now it was all building - and shaping - up Dora to the final third of the book. Overall, I really enjoyed the writing and how the author made us care about the characters. I'm certainly looking forward to reading more about this author!
There was just one small instance in Spanish that I'm hoping is fixed in the final version of the book.
lala001's review against another edition
4.0
I love reading historical true stories. Dora's story broke my heart, made me cry, made me laugh, had me routing for all of them to the end. I was skeptical at first but once i got into the story I was totally engrossed. The atrocities that were placed on these people was horrible but should never be forgotten, so we don't ever let it happen again.
dogearedandfurry's review against another edition
4.0
I’d forgotten this was based on the true story of Dora Schaul, and it read as a fascinating story of bravery and ingenuity - to learn it’s based on actual events reminds me how some people are awe inspiring and we are all probably capable of greater things than we think. If you like strong female characters and historical settings, I strongly recommend this book.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.
I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.