A Woman of No ImportanceA Woman of No Importance
Score Modern
What it's about
Virginia Hall, an American woman with a wooden leg, became one of the most important Allied spies of the Second World War. Working in occupied France for Britain's secret service, she built networks of resistance fighters, organized sabotage and helped prisoners escape, while the Gestapo hunted her as the most dangerous of all Allied spies. Sonia Purnell tells her story.
Why it's worth reading
It was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. It's as riveting as a thriller and brings a forgotten heroine to life.
You'll love it if you liked
The Nightingale
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption
The Boys in the BoatGood to know
It's nonfiction, carefully researched. Fans of WWII spy stories will love it.
By the numbers
- Readers82 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics21 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller44 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz10 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #112 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #316 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #632 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story, Adventurous
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Quick answers
Is A Woman of No Importance worth reading?
Yes. It was a National Book Critics Circle Award finalist. It ranks #632 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.7 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is A Woman of No Importance about?
Virginia Hall, an American woman with a wooden leg, became one of the most important Allied spies of the Second World War. Working in occupied France for Britain's secret service, she built networks of resistance fighters, organized sabotage and helped prisoners escape, while the Gestapo hunted her as the most dangerous of all Allied spies. Sonia Purnell tells her story.
How long does it take to read A Woman of No Importance?
About 10 hours (392 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after A Woman of No Importance?
If you liked it, try The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah, Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand or The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.