New Canaan Library welcomes The New York Times bestselling author Sonia Purnell, who will speak via live webinar from London about her latest book, A Woman of No Importance. This remarkable true narrative tells the story of Virginia Hall, an unrecognized but highly impactful World War II heroine who established intricate spy networks throughout France and became vital to the Resistance movement. The webinar takes place on Thursday, November 18 at 6:30 PM EST. Please register at newcanaanlibrary.org for Zoom sign in information.
Based on new and extensive research, Sonia Purnell has for the first time uncovered the full secret life of Virginia Hall, an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spy craft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity.
In 1942, the Gestapo would stop at nothing to track down a mysterious ‘limping lady’ who had eluded its clutches in her fight for the freedom of France. Consumed with rage at her daring, Nazi chiefs issued a simple but urgent command: ‘She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.’ The Gestapo’s target was Virginia Hall, a glamorous American with a wooden leg who broke through the barriers against her gender and disability to be the first woman to infiltrate Vichy France for the SOE and change the course of the intelligence war.
Sonia Purnell is a highly acclaimed author, journalist, and broadcaster. Her first book, Just Boris, was longlisted for the Orwell Prize; her second, First Lady (Clementine: The Life of Mrs. Winston Churchill in the U.S.), was shortlisted for the Plutarch Prize. Her third book, A Woman of No Importance, was a NYT bestseller and won the Plutarch Prize for Biography. Sonia writes for several newspapers and is a regular broadcaster in Britain and abroad. She lives in London.