The Community Read of Sonia Purnell’s acclaimed book A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II (2020) will continue with a virtual discussion with the author at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 25. The online talk is free and open to the public.
In 1942, the Gestapo sent out an urgent transmission: “She is the most dangerous of all Allied spies. We must find and destroy her.”
The target in their sights was Virginia Hall, a Baltimore socialite who talked her way into Special Operations Executive, the spy organization dubbed Winston Churchill’s “Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare.” She became the first Allied woman deployed behind enemy lines and–despite her prosthetic leg–helped to light the flame of the French Resistance, revolutionizing secret warfare as we know it.
Purnell’s acclaimed book explores the full, secret life of Virginia Hall–an astounding and inspiring story of heroism, spycraft, resistance, and personal triumph over shocking adversity. A Woman of No Importance is the breathtaking story of how one woman’s fierce persistence helped win the war.
The virtual talk may be joined at https://meet.google.com/nzv-uocm-iez.
Readers are also invited to a brunch talk book club discussion about the book at 10 a.m. Monday, March 17 in the Lunenburg Adult Activity Center at 25 Memorial Drive. Registrants are asked to reserve space by calling the center at 978.582.4166.
Fitchburg State will also host a virtual alumni book club discussion at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 19. That session may be joined at https://meet.google.com/bbd-uwzd-kgd.
The Community Read is a collaboration between Fitchburg State University, local libraries, and the surrounding communities. It is our mission to promote thought-provoking discussions of literature to all audiences. This program is the product of the community, for the community. Our goal is to facilitate a place for insightful discussion, giving members of the community a chance to share their opinions and be heard. Our events offer a comfortable space to exchange views and interact with others. Keep up with events at fitchburgcommuntyread.com.
About Sonia Purnell
Bestselling and prize-winning author Sonia Purnell is celebrated for her lively writing style and meticulous research with a growing readership across the world. Her work has been optioned by several leading film-makers, won fans from all walks of life from presidents to physicians and been translated into more than twenty languages. Readers write to her regularly on how they have drawn inspiration from her books, which have sold more than a million copies.
Her first work - the unauthorised biography of Boris Johnson called Just Boris: A Tale of Blond Ambition - was long listed for the Orwell prize in 2011. As the first to challenge his track record and integrity, it changed the national debate and remains the definitive biography. Sonia has become the go-to commentator at home and abroad on his rise to power and his record in office.
Her second book, First Lady in the UK and Clementine in the US, (a finalist for the Plutarch prize) revealed for the first time the vital role played in Winston Churchill's career by his wife Clementine. The book has subsequently shaped Clementine’s portrayal on screen, including in the Netflix series “The Crown” when she was played by Harriet Walter who has described Sonia’s writing as a “whirlwind of fresh air” that opens “a door…into a flood of sunlight”.
Her third work, A Woman of No Importance, is the inspirational true-life tale of a female spy in WWII, Virginia Hall, a young American socialite with a wooden leg, who helped fan the flames of French Resistance. It became an instant New York Times Bestseller when published in 2019, remained on the list for many weeks, and won the prestigious Plutarch Prize for Best Biography in 2020.
Her latest book Kingmaker: Pamela Harriman’s Astonishing Life of Power, Seduction & Intrigue came out in September 2024 to huge critical and reader acclaim. It has been hailed as a Book of the Year by no fewer than 15 media outlets from the Guardian to the Economist via the New Yorker.
Kingmaker is hailed as an electrifying re-examination of one of the 20th century’s greatest unsung power players as well as an eye-popping tale of sex, money, politics and fabulous clothes. Previously written off as a courtesan and social climber, Pamela Harriman’s true legacy has been overshadowed by her infamous erotic adventures. Much of what she did behind the scenes to change the world has remained invisible and secret. That is, until now.